Implementing Strategic Change

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Introduction

Strategic change entails the changes that take place in an organization for instance in regard to the vision, mission and objectives as well as the strategy that is designed as a means of achieving the expected result. It is a process that is affected by the internal factors of the organization as well as external factors that relate to the organization’s environment.

The management of a strategic change is usually a difficult and sensitive task since there is no specific formula that is designated to work out for all cases that entail strategic change and hence the process should be handled carefully to ensure its success.

This piece of work will discuss the process of implementing and managing strategic change the case study being the UK Fire and Rescue Services which is a firm that currently faces a situation in which it has to change is strategies as opposed to strictly following what has been stipulated by the Fire and Rescue Services Act (Joyce and Woods 2001).

Identification and appraisal of existing best practice and implementation of strategic change management

Before taking any step in implementing some strategic changes in an organization, it is advisable to first identify the strategies and practices that are in place in the organization and how they can be improved or changed to cover the expected conditions or bring about the expected results.

The UK Fire and Rescue Services is involved with a variety of functions like fighting fires, pumping out floodwater, attending chemicals pills and assisting in road, air and rail accidents among others.

However there are some other services that it is expected to provide to the public for instance the health and safety of the staff, a duty of care to the public and operational effectiveness and other anticipated happenings that are not necessarily stipulated in the UK Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004.

The current practices of the organization are good but need some appraisal in order to cater for the other needs as mentioned above through establishment out of strategies that will facilitate this (Freeman 2010).

There are various methods or styles through which strategic change can be managed. The change in an organization’s strategy should however be tailored to the state of the change itself and the expected results. Some of the styles include, empirical rational strategy, the normative re-educative strategy, the power coercive strategy and the environmental adaptive.

The effective and appropriate style of managing strategic change in the UK Fire and Rescue Services organization is the empirical rational strategy as it is best suited when the process of change has its origin from the people who will be affected by the effects of the process, in this case being the staff of the UK Fire and Rescue Services who ought to benefit from the implementation of the changes for instance in terms of health and safety.

The strategy works by catering for the self interest of the people who are affected by the change. It works under the principle that people are usually rational and hence they will automatically look for ways through which they can benefit especially where the conditions and consequences are well comprehended.

The anticipated benefits of the particular change brought about by the strategy should always out do the challenges involved so as to put up with the resistance of the people and eventually lead to the overall success through combined efforts (Lee 2010).

Process of delivering and managing strategic change within organizations

The process of implementing and managing change is usually difficult as people are usually resistant to change due to habits adopted which make it difficult to change thoughts and behaviour. A good example is in this case study, UK Fire and Rescue Services, where some staff insists on the fact that the organization should only stick by the duties that are clearly stipulated by 2004 Act even when it is quite clear that the changes are for their good.

Success in the process of delivering and managing strategic change depends on the ability of the people in the particular organization to embrace change and therefore efforts should be made to solicit them by showing them the benefits of the change. The first step is therefore to put sense into the people to help them accept change through educating them on the importance of the change.

Identification of the gaps that have been left by the current system is also essential so as not to repeat what has already been done. All the stakeholders should be involved and their opinions considered. The challenges that may be faced by the organization in its efforts to implement the change should also be noted so as to prepare the people psychologically.

Proper strategies should then be established and implemented. People should also be positive despite the challenges faced. There should be motivation of the people for example rewarding those that perform well in regard to bring about the change (Jacobs 1997).

Monitoring the process of change is also important so as to note the progress and make necessary measures to ensure that the project’s objectives are met. Monitoring and evaluation of the strategic change is very essential as it facilitates decision making through tracking of the process’s progress.

Monitoring is usually a continuous process that alerts the stakeholders of any happening hence allowing for accountability, evaluation and learning. Evaluation on the other hand helps determine the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability of the strategic change.

In a nut shell, a successful process of implementing strategic change should consist three phases; the preparation for change which entails defining the change management strategy, preparing the change management team and developing the model/strategy. The second phase is the management of the set change which entails developing of change management plans and implementing them.

The final stage entails the reinforcement of the change through collecting and analyzing feedback, managing resistance and implementing corrective measures where there appear to be some defects. Celebration of the success of the process should also not be undermined as it acts as a way of motivating the stakeholders and enhancing future chances of change (Green n.d).

Example of existing strategic change management

Starbucks Coffee Company is can example of an organization where strategic change management has been experienced. It was initially very popular for its provision of coffee but the coffee essence almost got lost due to the use of its brand name for other purposes for instance promotion of movies.

A need for strategic changed aimed at restoring its fame (going back to its focus on coffee) is therefore an issue for instance provision of a new coffee blend to reinforce the brand. The problem comes in since there are many changes to be done for example reshuffle of staff and improvement of the company’s website which may delay the process of strategic change (Linn 2008).

Conclusion

Strategic change is critical in any organization and all organizations are currently going through some changes. The changes could arise due to some factors for instance cultural change, empowerment and total quality and business engineering within the organization among other issues.

Some changes could also be driven by the urge for organizations to be at per with the other organizations especially in regard to the competitiveness in the various fields of the world. Strategic changes should always be embraced in organizations as long as they are deemed to improve their situations for instance if it enhances profit. Proper planning, monitoring and communication is however essential.

Reference List

Freeman, E.R. 2010. Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Green, E.M n.d. Managing Strategic Change- Beat the Odds with the Three R’s. Web.

Jacobs, W. R. 1997. Real-Time Strategic Change. New York, Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Joyce, P. and Woods, A. 2001. Strategic Management: A Fresh Approach To Developing Skills, Knowledge And Creativity. London, Kogan Page Publishers.

Lee, G. 2010. Styles of Managing Strategic Change. Web.

Linn, A. 2008. Starbucks pledges change – and lots of it. Web.

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