Importance of correct diagnosis and planning for improving organizational functioning
1.Planning is one of the most important aspects of the modern day business scenario. The managers must be aware of the fact that there are many changes that might crop up in the business scenario. The business environment is changing day by day and so are the preference patterns of the customers. It is for this reason that the organization must have a proper planning system. A company might be successful in its operations and might function properly but this does not signify that there is no need for any kind of improvement. Change can come up at any point of time and the company has to take steps for addressing those changes. Diagnosis is mainly the process of checking the ongoing performance of the organization and the further changes that might be needed by the organization. However, the diagnosis has to be done properly so that there is the collaboration of the managers, the employees, and the OD practitioners as well.
This planned diagnosis is much different than the normal medical diagnosis where the organization is like the patient and the OD practitioner is a doctor who will inspect the disease (the problems going on in the organization) and prescribe a medicine(solution or the change in the organization). Rather there must be a joint and collaborative effort that will include both the change agents and the organizational members. It is seen in the given case study that Meg and David the owners of the Café Co. company are about to expand their business. They want to expand their business by providing catering services to different places located overseas. They also did not convey this thought to the rest of the stakeholders, particularly the employees. Though their business was successful for several years there were also some of the other kinds of problems that existed within the same. They declared about this new business decision on a certain team meeting on 3rd May 2016.
This was a wrong move because this business decision was not well accepted by the employees. The employees were not happy about this decision as they said that there were already many problems existing within the organization. No one ever cared to listen to those and so they cannot accept this sudden new business decision. Nick forwarded this concern to Meg and David. So, in such cases, they are to collect the feedback and the opinion of the employees and also from Nick who was their general manager. They are mainly 4 types of data collection method. They are the Questionnaires, Interview, observations and the Unobtrusive measures. The questionnaire method involves giving out questions in the form of leaflets or in the form of emails and attachments to all the organizational members. This can be easily accessed through the computers as well. An interview is a process by which the employees can be asked the direct questions. This is also one of the very effective methods because here the respondents can be called for one to one sessions in order to know their actual views. The other form of data collection method is called observation where the managers just observe the behavior of the employees (Waddell et al.2016).
Different methods of data collection for gathering diagnostic data
The other one is the unobtrusive measure. This method involves collecting the data from the secondary sources like achieves, files and the records. As far as the situation of Café o. is concerned, they can choose the questionnaire system. This is because Meg and David are not very friendly with the employees and do not spend any time with them. They also did not pay any attention to the complaints that the employees had. So, the employees might not be comfortable enough in talking with them all of a sudden. There is also a possibility that the employees might get angry and aggressive. Some of them might also feel very hesitant and restrain from sharing their views honestly. However, they will be comfortable in using the questionnaires. They can easily fill up the questions and also leave their remarks and feedbacks. They will be able to jot down all their complaints and they will also not feel hesitant. It will also be easier for Meg and David to collect the information from all the employees.
2.Meg and David have to keep in mind that whenever they are about to implement some or other kinds of changes there will be a resistance from their employees. They have to deal with these resistances in a very sensible way. There can be mainly 3 kinds of resistance. They are cultural resistances, technical resistance and also the political resistance. As far as the organizational set up of Café Co is concerned, the resistance to the change is most likely to crop up from the technical aspect. This is because the employees were not at all happy with the change that was declared by their company all of a sudden (Lines et al. 2015, p. 1178). They resented this decision (Cummings & Worley 2014). However, they were not only unhappy as their bosses had taken the decision of recruiting new employees but they also had complaints against the existing system. So, it is very natural that if the employees are already dissatisfied with the ongoing organizational setup then there will be a strong resistance to any sudden changes proposed by the managers.
Learning about the different methods of managerial responses will be very helpful for David and Meg because they will be able to understand their employees better. It will help them to realize the matter from the point of view of the employees (Waddell et al. 2016). It has been seen that the employees are already suffering from the lack of enough resources. The resources over here refer to the kitchen supplies. Several objects in the kitchen needed replacement and no action have been taken about that. The space of the kitchen was also very small and in such condition, it is not at all possible to increase the production. Moreover, Meg and David hardly spent any time with their employees in order to know if they were happy with their work.
Dealing with resistance to change
Even after Nick, their general manager took these issues to the notice of David and Meg, they totally ignored it. Instead of taking any active steps they resented the charges that were raised by the employees and did not care about their perspective. So, it is seen that there is a lack of empathy and active listening.
There are several strategies by which they can actually address the resistance. Some of them are
Empathy and support
This is one of them, most important and perhaps the effective ways of resisting the change. It is the duty of the managers to try and review the entire matter from the viewpoint of the employees. They have to spend time with the employees and open up with them so that they can take the opinion of their employees into account (Alvesson & Sveningsson 2015). It might also need them to suspend their view and their judgment for a certain time. Meg and David have to be empathetic towards their employees. They are extremely careless and have not respected for their employees. They have also not paid any attention to the complaints that have been raised by their employees for a period of 6 months.
The next important strategy is communication. Managers have to make it a point that they are communicating with their employees on a regular basis. This will help them to understand what are the feedbacks and opinions of their employees. At times it may seem that communication is becoming a very boring process. It involves the regular monotonous follow-up system and collects the same data every now and then. However, this practice will have to be inculcated among the managers and also the employees so that they communicate with each other without any hesitation (Benn, Edwards & Williams 2014).
The next important step is involvement and participation. This is because the employees come from different backgrounds and they have different kinds of ideas. So, involving all the employees will help them to get a huge amount of innovative ideas.
Explain the ‘Built to Change’ approach to designing organizations? Discuss how Cafe Co could use the five design guidelines to promote change? Ensure you use and reference Chapter 6 Waddell et al 2017 text in your answer. (700 words)
The ‘Built to Change ‘concept is one of the most important approaches that must be followed by every business organizations
One of the important steps is managing talent-The managers in the organization have to keep this in mind that they are to support their employees at every single moment. They must not avoid their employees. It is their duty to co duct regular goal assessing programmers that will help them to realize their own strengths and weakness. Meg and David must realize the needs of their employees(Waddell, et al. 2016). They have t train their employees and understand their perceptions as well. They must encourage their employees at every single moment. They must not propose a change without any talent management program.
Empathy and support as a strategy for dealing with resistance to change
Rewash system- This is one of the most important steps that the Café Co. has to follow at all cost. It has been complained about by their employees that their complaints are never being taken into account. They are actually suffering from a lack of proper motivation. This is because Meg and David hardly spend any time with them. It is understandable from their opinion that they are not really caring or empathetic towards their employees. The employees who are tenure in this organization want to work in extra shifts but this chance is being seized as the company is about to hire new employees(Worley, Williams & Lawler. 2016, p.77). So, they are having no scope for any promotions. This must be realized by the managers that the employees are to be rewarded for their performance. So, Meg and David must be providing them proper remunerations and rewards. Rather than hiring new employees all of a sudden they must appreciate the efforts of the already existing employees and provide them with proper rewards.
Structure-the structure of the company must be flexible enough. Meg and David must make their company structure more open and easier for the employees. They have to create an employee-friendly environment so that the employees can talk to each other freely and can openly talk about their demands and feedbacks.
Information and decision process- this is one of the most important areas that Café Co. has to emphasize upon. This is because they do not ever try to take the opinion of their employees into consideration. They took the decision of expanding their business and hiring new employees without even discussing the matter with the existing employees. Apart from this after Nick had taken the grievances of the employees to their notice, they were very reluctant. They did not show any effort to involve the employees in the decision making process.
Leadership-This is the building block of any organizational setup. The leadership has to be very just, unbiased and supportive towards all the employees. The leaders must be empathetic towards their employees and listen to all their complaints. The leaders must support their employees and motivate them at each and every step(Mortier, Vlerick & Clays. 2016, p. 359). David and Meg have to spend more time with their employees and support them at every single step. They must encourage the efforts and hard work of their employees.
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