Reference no: EM133145105
- Explain why the bank's second change implementation negatively affected staff morale.
- Explain three obstacles to the bank's successful change implementation.
- What roles are needed to successfully execute a change implementation? Explain why those roles are important.
- Discuss the players involved who served as inhibitors or facilitators of change; what were their roles? Explain the results of their actions.
- Discuss a different change framework that may have resulted in a successful change implementation. Explain why the selected change framework may have resulted in a successful change implementation.
The non-linear process of change
The failure for the change initiative to be adopted in many areas of the organization was due to a number of reasons. The most important was the reluctance of senior and middle managers to actively support the change. They were skeptical about the initiative and felt that it was better suited to the manufacturing sector rather than financial service operations (one more 'open-minded' manager did concede that the initiative could have some use in administrative areas of the organization). As one manager expressed: 'We are more administrative than a lot of other areas and therefore responded to it a little bit better than other parts of the branch.' Many managers were of the opinion that their departments were already overworked and simply could not afford to allow their staff to take time off to become involved in this change initiative. For some, the acceptance of change implied, implicitly at least, that managers recognized that their departments were currently inefficient, and improvements were possible. Interestingly, one of the most common reasons expressed for the lack of adoption was the lack of commitment from top management. As one person put it:
They [management] agree that they understand the concept, that they felt it is necessary and they see the advantages, but when it comes to the role-modelling or leading or doing, they back away at a million miles an hour. Maybe they have got too much real work to do, maybe they don't really understand anyway ... I don't believe that we have still passed the first step. That is, have a common understanding at the top and a total commitment.
The Managing Director also played a part in influencing the process of change. He had a relaxed management style and assumed that departments would become involved in quality improvement projects on their own accord. Participation was not mandatory. Although this 'friendly' and open management style imbued the organization with a strong culture of family values based on respect for the individual, many people also interpreted it as a lack of support from the Managing Director for the initiative. By 2001, the twin effects of limited senior-management support and middle-management resistance meant that the initiative had ground to a halt.