Queensland Department of Main Roads’ Change Issues

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Introduction

The case relating to the Queensland department of Main Roads demonstrates an ineffective process of organizational change in which one of the most important parties, the employee, does not play any active role. Adopting an authoritative approach whereby the aspect of control remains within the top management hinders the realization of an effective change process. It is crucial to the management to consult with all the parties involved in a change process. The objection by road workers concerning the requirement to wear long-sleeved shirts and long trousers demonstrate the importance of consultation during a change process.

What are some of the ways the department could have overcome the resistance of workers to the change?

To derive optimal results during organizational change, the management must adopt appropriate strategies that will ensure the consideration of the interests of all the parties involved. The failure in this regard will introduce numerous obstacles that considerably hinder the change process. Effective communication plays a central role in any change process. In this regard, the management must ensure that all the parties involved in the change process have timely access to information concerning the process (Graetz, 2002). In addition, the management should ensure that the available communication channels promote feedback.

In this regard, employees have an opportunity to present their views concerning various aspects of a change process. Facilitating consultation allows the management to evaluate arguments presented by various parties and decide concerning the appropriate approach regarding a change process. The resistance among the workers towards the change in work attire arose largely because the management did not hold consultations with them.

In this regard, the workers did not get a chance to present their views concerning the most appropriate approach in addressing the issue of workers’ exposure to excessive heat. The management’s decision depended on the recommendation of parties such as WHO that did not have any active role during the change process. The management failed to consider that the conditions surrounding a particular change process vary from one organization to another.

Although the safety measures were crucial concerning the safety of employees, the management failed to create a sense of importance to the change process among the workers. When workers fail to comprehend the importance of a certain change process, their response towards such a process produces poor results. To obtain a positive response from the workers, the management should have engaged in measures that demonstrated that the process served the interest among the employees (Kinicki & Williams, 2008). Such measures include educating them on various health risks associated with the exposure to excessive heat and the need to adopt strategies for protection.

What were the outside drivers of change and who were the change agents in this scenario?

Various outside parties played a role during the change process at the department of Main Roads. The collaboration between this department and other government departments in order to implement the government’s policy agenda created a situation in which the decisions by the Main Roads’ department encountered numerous influences. In this regard, the decision by the management entailed an evaluation of both the internal and external factors.

The department of Main Roads consulted with various stakeholders and agencies concerning the implementation of policies relating to the national and international standards of work to ensure that it adhere to such standards. In this regard, the Cancer Council and WHO played a central role during the implementation of safety policies within the organization.

The Cancer Council undertakes the role of promoting the implementation of diverse policies that help to minimize instances of exposure to various cancer-causing factors and minimize health complications relating to cancer. This council provided crucial information and advice to the department of Main Roads concerning the adoption of appropriate strategies that would help to minimize cases of skin cancer among workers due to extensive exposure to heat during outdoor tasks.

Another outside party that influenced the change process in the department of Main Roads is the World Health Organization (WHO). As an organization that deals with issues international public health, it provided the department of Main Roads with data relating to the prevalence of skin cancer in various parts of the worlds. This data helped the management to evaluate various cases of skin care among workers and highlighted the level of importance associated with the adoption of sun-safety measures. In this regard, the department of Main Roads introduced long-sleeved shirts and long trousers as the most appropriate approach towards workers’ safety.

What were some of the functional and dysfunctional effects of organisational culture on the people and the organisation in this situation?

The change process within the department of Main Roads encountered various functional and dysfunctional effects of organizational culture. One of the functional effects of organizational culture demonstrated in the case is the aspect of a sense of identity among the road workers. In this regard, they all participated in objecting to the new policy that required them to wear long-sleeved shirts and long trousers during work.

There were no opposing groups possessing varying opinions regarding the new policy. This demonstrates that the organizational culture in the department of Main Roads created a sense of identity among workers. Another functional effect is the promotion of commitment concerning the demand for consultation by the road workers (Alvesson, 2002). The road workers wanted the management to consult with them concerning appropriate sun-safety measures before the implementation of any polices. They were committed concerning the realization of work polices that served their interests.

The Main Roads situation constitutes of certain non-adaptive effects of organizational culture. The first dysfunctional effect is the introduction of barriers to the change process. The road workers did not welcome the introduction of policies concerning new work attire. They responded to the change process with the notion that the new policies were an imposition of the power by the management and a disregard for their interests.

The road workers viewed the new polices as an attempt by the management to minimize costs associated workers’ compensation claims, but not to address the issue of the workers’ well being. Another dysfunctional effect is the hindrance to organization’s attempt to boost its image as a front leader in the implementation of safety policies (Fox et al., 2007). The failure to achieve the anticipated changes hampered the organization’s drive to be distinct from other organizations within the industry as an observer of national and international standards of safety.

Based on the description in the case study, would you consider that the department has a mechanistic organisational design or an organic organisational design?

The department of Main Roads employs a mechanistic organizational design. Based on the description in the case, the management seems to focus more on the efficiency rather than consider workers’ satisfaction and flexibility concerning safety policies. The management does not encourage consultation with the workers and thus any form commitment relating to this case lacks the aspect of consensus and voluntary commitment between the concerned parties.

The fact that the management does not allow for consultations with the workers before the implementation of various safety polices demonstrates a mechanistic design in which the span of control is considerably narrow (Schein, 1992). Authority remains within the top management, and the delegation of various control tasks is restricted within a specifically defined hierarchy. This demonstrates an organizational design in which making decisions remain largely as a responsibility of the top management. Furthermore, the lack of consultation illustrates a vertical mode of communication in which information flows downwards from the top.

Another characteristic of the mechanistic design presented in this case is the extensive use of the written form of communication. The aspect of standardization witnessed in the case highlights another aspect of the mechanistic organizational design. The management focuses on a change process that will adhere to the national and international standards. Thus, instead of reaching a consensus with the workers concerning appropriate policies, the management adopts the recommend procedure.

The Lack of aspects such as the decentralization of authority and lateral communication depict the organizational design in this case as not fitting the description of an organic design (Leban & Stone, 2008). Furthermore, there is the lack of voluntary commitment, which is an aspect present in the organic design. In addition, the lack of consultation indicates minimal cases of verbal communication, which is a common approach in the organic design.

What would the recution in the autonomy of workers do for their job satisfaction?

The level of autonomy pertaining to workers affects their performance since it is a crucial aspect concerning the realization of an employee-friendly environment. The lack of flexibility concerning the undertaking of tasks at a workplace has negative effects on various aspects of job satisfaction. These include the employees’ level of commitment, involvement, performance and motivation. While employees working under considerable levels of freedom demonstrate an aspect of commitment to the goals within an organization, employees experiencing low levels of autonomy present poor performance (Gamroth et al., 1995). They become less committed towards the organizational goals, as they do not feel responsible concerning the outcomes of their tasks.

Low levels of autonomy have negative effects on various aspects of an employee’s personal attributes such as his or her conscience. Such attributes have significant impacts on the performance at the workplace. The level of autonomy at the workplace determines the level of importance that an employee attaches to his or her task. A low level of autonomy discourages workers concerning aspects such as the internalization of tasks and thus promotes unsatisfactory job performance. Lack of freedom causes employees to feel that their contribution to the organization is not of importance. In this regard, their focus shifts from organizational goals to personal goals such as the salary.

Reducing the autonomy of workers adversely affects their motivation in the workplace. When employees lack motivation, they exhibit laxity concerning the completion of tasks assigned to them. Studies show that there exists a correlation between the level of autonomy and an employee’s performance and productivity (Pepitone, 2000). A low level of autonomy promotes tension among workers and reduces job confidence. This is because the lack of autonomy for workers increases their job insecurity. The level of autonomy affects the output of teams in the workplace. Teams require some level of flexibility to enhance creativity and innovativeness. Low levels of autonomy may impede such crucial aspects of teamwork.

How would you have improved the implementation of this policy?

Considering that the policy implementation had direct effects upon the workers’ day-to-day lives, I would have created a channel of communication that would allow workers to present their views concerning the new policy. In addition, I would have created forums that allow sharing of opinions between the management and workers concerning the new policy before its implementation. Using these two approaches, I would have created a platform for consultation with all the parties involved. This will create a sense of importance among the workers and eliminate the notion that new policy is an imposition of the powers by the management (Poole & Ven, 2004).

They would start to view the implementation of the policy as a change process in which their contribution is crucial. Allowing the workers to play an active role during the implementation of the policy will create a sense of ownership concerning the new policy and discourage the notion that the change process is a project designed to benefit the management alone. In this regard, negotiations on the appropriate sun-safety strategies will promote a consensus commitment. Educating the workers on the benefits derived from the implementation of the policy will help to change their response to the implementation of the policy.

When workers have a comprehensive understanding of various aspects relating to the change process, they will realize that the implementation of the new policy is a measure to protect their health. Although this may cause a delay in the implementation of the policy, an understanding of various issues will promote workers’ commitment (Senior & Fleming, 2006). Despite the recommend approaches concerning the implementation of new policy, it may be necessary to modify the change process to fit the conditions within the organization. In this way, the aspects hindering a consensus will change to allow commitment among the parties involved in the case.

Conclusion

The adoption of relevant strategies that promote effective communication and establishing a platform for consultation can help the management and workers to reach a commitment with a consensus. Communication and consultation will create a sense of importance among the workers and thus encourage them to participate in the implementation of safety policies.

References

Alvesson, M. (2002). Understanding organizational culture. London: SAGE.

Fox, J., Cooper, C. L., & Klimoski, R. J. (2007). Research companion to the dysfunctional workplace management challenges and symptoms. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.

Gamroth, L. M., Semradek, J. A., & Tornquist, E. M. (1995). Enhancing autonomy in long-term care: concepts and strategies. New York: Springer Pub. Co..

Graetz, F. (2002). Managing organizational change. Sydney: Wiley.

Kinicki, A., & Williams, B. K. (2008). Management: a practical introduction (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Leban, B., & Stone, R. (2008). Managing organizational change (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Pepitone, J. S. (2000). Human performance consulting: transforming human potential into productive business performance. Houston, Tex.: Gulf Pub..

Poole, M. S., & Ven, A. H. (2004). Handbook of organizational change and innovation. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Schein, E. H. (1992). Organizational culture and leadership (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Senior, B., & Fleming, J. (2006). Organizational change (3rd ed.). Harlow, England: Prentice Hall/Financial Times.

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