Due to the ever dynamic nature of the corporate world, an organization constantly needs to adjust its operational context in a bid to fit the changing standards. There are various aspects which change from time to time. These may include: changes in government policies which impacts the market performance of certain products, variations in consumer preferences due to the changing trends as well as emergence of competitors just to mention but few (Al-Lamki, 2012). At the same time, the incorporation of technology into business management has led to numerous changes in a bid to improve the efficiency and accuracy of procedures. The traditional trends in operations which mostly depended on human efforts have since been replaced with machine oriented approaches with the main aim of improving productivity, reducing the cost of production and minimizing operational errors. Despite the numerous benefits that come with organizational change, it is a fact worth noting that various challenges often accompany organizational transitions. In order to reduce resistance to change and minimize the associated obstacle, there is need for managers to establish and implement the right change management approaches (Alvesson and Ka¨rreman, 2011). Effective communication and constructive employee relations are core pillars in preparing an organization for change. Each of the aspects above requires the right leadership skills and approaches. This paper relies on the qualitative analysis of relevant literature do discuss the various functions of situational leadership and change models. The discussion shall also encompass the various ways in which the situational leadership approaches can be used to effectively manage change within an organization (Weick, 2015). The reference organization is 3M and the proposed change strategy involves the introduction of an enterprise system to enhance the efficiency of procedures ans easy monitoring of the progress of 15 percent project.
The basic principal of situational leadership is the emphasis on the idea that leadership cannot be achieved using a single approach. Leadership in itself involves a myriad of roles each of which collectively contribute to the achievement of the organizational goals and objectives. This model of leadership gives more importance to the individuals who are led in comparison to the leader himself (Anderson, 2013). It therefore implies that the manner in which the people within an organization are influence has a direct influence on the success of the leader. Situational leadership therefore encourages the leader to positively influence the followers. Through the right kind of influence, people are likely to embrace and support the given leadership style.
Situational leadership has various functions within an organization. First of all, a manager has the core mandate of coordinating the various activities that go on within the organization. There are various processes at 3M which include production, packaging, financial management, sales, consumer relations and marketing just to mention but few. Each of these aspects is essential as they collectively form the organization’s system (Anderson and Anderson, 2011). According to the system’s theory, the operations of an organization lies on the backbone of a number of interrelated systems operated differently but all geared towards one focal point which is the achievement of organizational goals and objectives. As stipulated by the theory, each of these systems is complex in one way or the other hence largely depends on the efforts of specialists. The illustrations above reveal one fact that the manager may not be able to practically impart their skills in each of these sections. Situational leadership therefore calls for delegation of duties and role. This does not only enhance the speed of flow of processes but relieves the manager of the pressure hence allowing them to concentrate on other managerial duties. When roles are given to various individuals, evaluation of progress is easy as section leaders are evaluated based on the set of responsibilities assigned to them (Ashforth and Kreiner, 2009). Additionally, this situational approach in leadership enables the manager to easily note the loopholes in the daily processes before putting in place the right counter management strategies. In a nut shell, situational management gives room for delegation of duties which in turn improves efficiency in operations (Wood, 2014).
Apart from coordination, a manager plays an important role in planning especially during the implementation of new projects. Based on the principal of situational leadership, the leader’s preparedness to the impending changes within the organization has a corresponding impact on the people within the organization (Ashmos and Huber, 2008). This therefore implies that if the leader has not adequately planned and strategized for the change, the challenges associated to the transition may be detrimental and costly in the long run. Consequently, the manager needs to carefully plan for activities before they are implemented. One important planning strategy is effective and timely communication of important information to the people within the organization. For instance during the introduction of a new project, before a change management team is established, there is need for the manager to carry out prior communication of the expected impacts of the new projects as well as the need and urgency for the change. This does a lot in preparing the workers which in turn reduces the effects that would accompany the implementation of the new project (Bhattacherjee, 2010).
Despite the fact that situational leadership lays much emphasis on the people rather than the leaders, it would be important to note that a manager’s core function is to lead. The manager influences the people by being a perfect example of what he expects from the employees. For instance to instill the discipline of time management, the manager must lead by example by showing prowess in time management (Stone, 2015). This is a leadership attribute which has a direct influence on the workers as it gives the manager the moral support to assert his authority and hence encourage the right organizational culture.
In order to enhance operations within a business entity, there is need for the incorporation of appropriate organization skills (Collings and Wood, 2009). A manager is therefore required to apply their organizational skills to ensure that the right environment is created for productivity and organizational development. This can be achieved by ensuring a healthy work environment which the installment of the right security measures. A proper work environment may also involve the nature of employee relations. It would be important to establish the right relationships with employees in a bid to enhance their confidence and motivation levels. Motivation of employees is achieved through the establishment of a stable reward system, organizing staff training and exposure in addition to other promotional activities. It can be noted that each of these approaches instill positive attitudes among the workers. This nature of influence eventually creates the right platform for the manager to execute his leadership approach without meeting much resistance (Cox and Blake, 2011). Finally, the manager plays a crucial role in the job selection and recruitment process. With the help of other leaders, the manager identifies the various portions that need to be adjusted within the organization before coming with a job description. The selection and recruitment process is then done based on the description. This ensures that the individuals who are brought into the human resource fold are effective enough for the achievement of the core organizational goals and objectives.
The successful implementation of a new project majorly depends on the change management strategies put in place at the organization. The nature of the change equally influences the type of model that is appropriate and application. At 3M, the proposed transition involves the incorporation of a technological innovation with the aim of improving management procedures within the company (Dean, 2009). The change is likely to have an impact on the human resource fraternity as some of the manual operations will eventually be replaced with machine oriented approaches. The models chosen for the change strategy therefore ought to be effective in preparing the workers for the change and enabling them to easily adjust to the new environment likely to arise from the implementation. This report addresses two models which could be applied at the organization namely Mckinsey’s 7s model and Kotter’s theory of change management (Dubin, 2009).
Based on this model, the first step for 3M’s management would be to access its strategy by looking at the level of competition within the business model and noting the extent to which implementing the change is likely to enhance its competitive ability. In this case, the change management team highlights the core objectives of the change strategy which in turn control the remaining phases of the implementation plane (Grant and Marshak, 2011).
Secondly, the organization needs to analyze its structure by noting down the hierarchy and giving a clear indication of how decision making and passage of important information through the ranks takes place. The structure ought to be simple and easy to note. The change strategy therefore ought to be one which is effectively aligned to this structure as this minimizes the drastic effects of adjustments during implementation (Hope, 2009). A change strategy which adversely affects and organization’s structure is likely to come with higher cost implications.
The next phase involves identifying the company’s core systems and their contributions to the general success of the organization. This stage also involves noting the accuracy of the systems as well as the individuals who are able to access them (Yukl, 2014). It is from such evaluations that the change team is able to identify the specific points of improvement to be addressed during the implementation.
There is an inevitable need for an organization to have a good record of its core values. Company values have a direct impact on the employees, consumers and other stakeholders within the organization (Johnason, 2009). These values ought to be preserved as they remain central in defining the culture of an organization from which all the operations are based. Considering the shared values also enables the change team to ensure that the intended implementation goes in line with the organization’s core values.
The next phase involves the organization identifying the leadership style and pointing out its effectiveness. There are various management approaches applicable in organization. It would therefore be important to come up with an innovation which can easily be supported by the nature of leadership at the organization.
Once the style has been identified, the management then notes down its list of staff before coming up with a strong team which is capable of steering the change process (Johnson, 2010). It would be important to prepare the staff at this level for the impending change in addition to creating the necessary awareness in line with the need for change.
The last phase for this model involves accessing the skills of the listed staff at 3M. The individuals who are brought into the change management strategy ought to posses the necessary leadership, decision making and conflict management skills. Having a team of qualified individuals goes a long way in speeding up the process and maintaining its effectiveness in achieving the initial objectives (Ka¨rreman and Alvesson, 2011). Skill assessment is also crucial as it reveals the need to hire other qualified individuals to feel the identified skill gap. Each of the stages above are crucial preliminary steps which when successfully addressed can then be followed by the implementation of the new change and an ultimate evaluation of the efficiency of the procedures. The evaluation outcome enables the organization to identify the areas that require adjustment.
According to this model, the first towards successful change management is creating the urgency for change. The company does this by instituting an environment within the organization which gives a clear indication of the need for the change and the urgency with which it ought to be implemented. This step may involve noting the challenges in management, for instance poor record keeping and ineffective financial management, which would be solved by implementing the change.
The second stage in this model involves creating a perfect coalition. This process involves coming up with an effective change management panel made up of like minded individuals who have shown immense support to the change strategy (Klerck, 2009). The individuals for this coalition could be key company stakeholders, leaders and employee representations.
Once the change team has been put in place, the organization’s strategic change team then forms the vision of the change. The vision statement needs to be clear and easily comprehensible to the other people within the organization. Additionally, it needs to clearly state the core aims of the change strategy (Knippenberg, 2010). A well stated aim is essential in minimizing the employee’s resistance to this change. Once the vision is clearly stated, the management then brings all the other parties on board. In this case, the change management plan is outlined to the whole organization through proper communication channels.
The next stage involves removing barriers by doing away with individuals who are not supportive to the change and replacing them with positive minded people. Once the obstacles are removed, the management team then generates short term wins which is effective in enhancing motivation. Achieving these wins is an indication that the implementation plan is in the right direction. The change strategy should not only be anchored on these short term plans but equally need to initiated into the organization’s culture as this enhances its continuity and sustainability (Little, 2014). The last two phases of the model do not only encourage maintaining the right acceleration for the change strategy but also incorporating it into the organization’s culture and structure. The evaluation strategy involves a periodical assessment of the progress. For instance, noting an improvement in the efficiency of the procedures, improved inventory management, record keeping, increased productivity and reduction of operational errors are the benchmarks that can be used to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the change strategy (Lorenzi, 2010).
The situational leadership theory proposes the implementation of various leadership approaches depending on the situation within the organization. This theory adequately supports the change model to due to the fact that the proposals can be implemented in identifying the best leadership approaches for each phase of the implementation plan. Each of the stages in the change models above may require variations in leadership approaches. A situational approach would therefore be essential in enhancing the effectiveness of the implementation plan (Lorenzi, 2011).
The systems theory highlights the need for effective coordination of the various systems which contribute to the overall success of the organization. The effectiveness of these systems ought to be consistently evaluated to ascertain their accuracy (Marquis, 2013). The change model equally highlights the need for the organization to assess its systems and hence not the loopholes which are then addressed by implementing the change. This therefore implies that the systems approach to leadership is also implemented in the various stages of the change process.
Contingency theory of leadership focuses on the use of specific variables which are relevant for a given situations and the organizational environment. It can be noted that the change models equally flow along specific strategies. These stages are meant at solving specific problems in the process of change implementation but creating the right pathway and environment for the implementation itself (Mesly, 2017). It therefore follows that the success of change plan largely depends on the effectiveness of the leadership styles and approaches used not only while planning for the change but also during the actual implementation of the project.
Conclusion and recommendations
The report analyzed the various concepts related to change management. Due to the inevitable nature of change for every organization, there is need for the right management strategies (Patrick, 2010). The success of these strategies equally depends on the leadership styles implemented within the organization. The report highlights the various functions of situational leadership which includes organization, planning, coordination and leading core processes. The Kotter’s model and McKinsey’s 7s models were recommended as the most effective models for the change implementation process (Reagans and Zuckerman, 2011). The report therefore addresses the various phases which are pivotal for successful change management at 3M. In addition, a number of recommendations can be made. First, the organization needs to assess its systems to identify that require the change. The company also needs to align the change strategy to its organizational structure to minimize the impacts of transition. There is need for leadership training and employee awareness on the need and urgency for the change. Lastly, the organization needs to put in place the most effective monitoring and evaluation tools (Robert, 2011). These tools enable the management to identify the progress of the new project with reference to the strategic change objectives.
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