Facilitating Organizational Change: Insights From Breaking In A New Culture – Virgin Australia Story

The Importance of Culture for Virgin Australia

Change is a necessary factor in an organization to increase the competencies and earn more revenues. It has been observed and Research by many scholars that between half and two thirds of changes brought in a company through projects fail. In this situation work and contribution of HR professionals unnecessary. They are able to understand negative employee reaction two changes brought in the company and align them to the requirements of the employee so that change is successful. Although in many companies employee change cynicism has been an important factor to bring degradation in the company. Cynicism occurs when the change is forcibly imposed on employees without any prior training, this kind of change often lead to employee burnout incrementing employee turnover (Brown et al.,2017). 

HR is considered to be a source of information for employees it generates communication implementing effective strategies during change. The effective communication helps in understanding the issues the employees, accordingly train and counsel them so that they can adapt to the changes. Adapting to changes will benefit both individual performance and overall performance of the company. Nevertheless providing valid information to the employees will help in reducing employee cynicism to change, as sudden change can be detrimental to employee wellbeing as it exposes them to uncertainty. 

HR professionals are also considered to be strategic change agent’s to companies, implement coordination facilitating values change activities by informing employees (Shah & Sharif, 2017). This helps in reducing destruction in an organization and start exchange ensure the employee wellbeing as well as developing the competencies of the company. It can be considered that as a strategic change agent an HR professional can bring positive changes and provide optimistic experiences to employees, as well as bring an overall change in the mindset of the employees within the company. 

Although scholars have presented the arguments that for HRD practitioners, the process taken to bring a change are often not effective. The strategic change brought by the company should be analysed by the HR professionals that whether the change can be beneficial for the company as well as its employees. 

HRM performance model is a model, which helps in understanding the design of HRM systems as it support development of employee performance (Hamlin, 2016). Through this model, HR professionals can also motivate employees and help them incorporating the changes. Through this HRM performance model, human resource professionals can process the methods of HRM selection training appraisal job design, HR professionals can also help in motivating employees and provide them support through training so that they can work in pressure and contribute best to the company.

Establishing the Culture

1. The literature on organisational culture suggests that an organisation’s culture sometimes reflects the personal characteristics of the founder and that the actions of leaders are important in shaping an organisation’s culture. How is this evident in the Virgin Australia case?

In the interview between Brett Godfrey and Bruce Highfield, operates according to international phenomenon. They take surveys and analyses the effectiveness of change. The most important factor, which helped virgin Australia to get international success, is because of their positive and stabilized cash flow. Moreover, Richard Branson being a very interactive leader have helped in motivating employees to contribute more in times of change and to to various demands of customers which are often unpredictable. Thus always and audit have helps the company to understand their weaknesses and accordingly change it so to meet the chalked out targets and goals. Richard Branson being a strategic enthusiastic leader have meet a team of 12 from the very beginning of creating virgin Australia which have them operating efficiently. Richard Branson have focused more on local markets, targeting local customers strengthening their market area, which have further helped in expanding to International markets.

1. What does the article suggest about changing an organisation’s culture? In your answer refer to specific passages in the article.

Richard Branson is an adamant motivational risk-taking leader, which have been reflected in the process of the company. This attitude of Richard Branson has also motivated the HR professionals and employees to take risk and create huge translation in the company so that the culture of the workplace is strong and motivated.

c.Virgin Australia is said to have a strong organisational culture. What exactly does strong organisational culture mean?

Therefore, the most important factor Richard Branson compelled the HR professional to do is recruiting people those who are culturally fit and organisation. For this survey and selection procedures have resulted ineffective processes of the company. 

The article says about the organisational culture is that from the very beginning every employee to be informed about the cultural aspects of the particular company (Craig, 2020). Virgin Australia recruits people who will be cultural fit in the organization. According to Elsmore (2017), organizational culture is an infrastructure of integrated beliefs values, which brings altercations in behavior of the employees. Positive behavior helps in bringing success and cultural upbringing in the organizational workplace.

1. The article suggests that Virgin Australia culture is a valuable organisational resource and a source of competitive advantage. How can organisational culture help an organisation to be more successful than its rivals? Be specific

The evidence which have made Virgin Australian unique is that their HR infrastructure, it has been stated by Godfrey that he never experience any company were HR reports through CFO. Virgin Australia has maintained this from the very beginning which make it unique and Sustainable from their competitors (Mohelska & Sokolova, 2015).

References

Brown, M., Kulik, C. T., Cregan, C., & Metz, I. (2017). Understanding the change–cynicism cycle: the role of HR. Human Resource Management, 56(1), 5-24.

Craig, W. (2020) 8 Ways Company Culture Drives Performance, Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamcraig/2017/08/03/8-ways-company-culture-drives-performance/#70cb731f6ce0 (Accessed: 15 May 2020).

Deshler, R. (2016). HR’s role as change transformation agent. Strategic HR Review.

Elsmore, P. (2017). Organisational Culture: Organisational Change?: Organisational Change?. Routledge.

Hamlin, B. (2016). HRD and organizational change: evidence-based practice. International Journal of HRD Practice, Policy and Research, 1(1), 7-20.

Kowalski, T. H., & Loretto, W. (2017). Well-being and HRM in the changing workplace.

Mohelska, H., & Sokolova, M. (2015). Organisational culture and leadership–joint vessels?. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 171, 1011-1016.

Shah, N., Irani, Z., & Sharif, A. M. (2017). Big data in an HR context: Exploring organizational change readiness, employee attitudes and behaviors. Journal of Business Research, 70, 366-378.