Organizational change is usually unavoidable, and appropriate organizational change management models have to be applied during this process to ensure there is an efficient transition. Change management enables individuals, groups,, or organizations to undertake organizational change effectively. Different scenarios of organizational change require different organizational change models to ensure a smooth transition. These models help in the redefinition or redirection of company resources, operations,, or budgets. The three organizational change models include Kotter’s 8-step model of change, McKinsey’s 7-S model, and Lewis’s 3-step model. The five phases of action research are important during organizational change since they enable an organization to analyze the change, issues surrounding it, and solutions to the issues.

Case 1

The corporation should apply the McKinsey 7-S change model to help it come up with ideas that will help it solve the issue of increased turnover of employees and decreasing profitability. The model will help the corporation’s management to use available human resources to solve the issue (Wayne, 2013). The management should apply the unique skills and talents of its employees to come up with creative and reliable ideas that will help it to improve its profitability and decrease the turnover of employees. The corporation’s internal structures should be strengthened and modified to ensure that they are inclusive of every employee. The structures should ensure that each employee is given an opportunity to contribute their views and ideas towards the corporation’s issues. The change model will enable the corporation to identify the problem causing the decline in profitability and increase in employee turnover. After identifying the problem, the corporation should plan for the actions that will be taken against the problem. The corporation should collect employees’ views on the problem and analyze the best suitable course of action to take based on the views provided. Appropriate business strategies that are fully inclusive of the employees should be applied in solving the problem. The model emphasizes that monitoring and evaluation systems should be incorporated into the problem-solving process to analyze the success of the solutions applied (Wayne, 2013). The systems will enable the management to determine the contribution of each employee toward solving the problem. The model emphasizes that employees should be rewarded accordingly. After solving the problem, the company should establish future mechanisms of countering a similar problem if it occurs.

Case 2

The financial services company should apply Lewin’s change management model to deal with the resistance of its employees towards switching to a new software system. The model states that employees usually like to operate in accustomed situations, making them rigid towards organizational change (Ginger, 2012). The company should identify the reasons behind the resistance of its employees towards the adoption of a new software system. After identification of the reasons behind the resistance, the company should take appropriate measures towards changing the perceptions of its employees with regards to the adoption of a new software system. Lewin’s change model states that the best course of action is to use motivational talks to unfreeze the employees from their rigidity. The company should inform its resistant employees of the competitive advantages of adopting a new software system. The company should educate its employees on the operational and competitive disadvantages of using an outdated software system. The model implies that the company should perform the transition of the adoption of the new software system in its operations and uninstall the outdated one after it has convinced its employees. The transition process requires reassurance from the company’s management to its employees. The model states that the company should refreeze its employees and support them to start working on the new system (Wayne, 2013). After the full adoption of the new software system, the company should create mechanisms to handle future employee resistance towards the adoption of new systems.

Case 3

The C.E.O of the company should apply Kotter’s 8-step change model to gain the support of the resistant employees to ensure an urgent change of business strategies. The model will help the C.E.O. convince the resisting employees into adapting appropriate business strategies that will enable the company to regain its market share (Ginger, 2012). The change management model focuses on creating a change campaign. The model states that it is not necessarily all employees that are usually flexible to changes in business operations. The C.E.O should identify the resisting employees and the reasons behind their resistance. After identification of the resisting employees and reasons behind the resistance, the C.E.O should plan for the appropriate course of action that will help him in convincing the employees. The C.E.O should use employees and managers that support his idea to convince the resisting employees. This model emphasizes that the C.E.O should increase change urgency and establish a change vision. Application of the model in solving the issue will enable the C.E.O to communicate the need for business change to the resisting employees (Ginger, 2012). The change model will enable the C.E.O to motivate the willing and resistant employees and convince them into adopting new business strategies. The C.E.O should collect information on the resisting employees that will help him to handle them appropriately. The information collected will further help the C.E.O to assess the success of his change campaign and likeliness of him convincing all the employees into accepting his idea. After the C.E.O has garnered full support of all employees and managers, he should establish mechanisms that will help him to overcome employee resistance in the future.

Conclusion

The most useful of the three change models is the McKinsey 7-S change model. The model is the most useful since it helps an organization to come up with appropriate ideas and solutions towards its operational and business issues. The model enables a company to solve its financial issues and enhance its profitability and sustainability. The least useful change model is Kotter’s 8-step change model. The model is only used for change campaign and does not have direct positive financial outcomes. The model is only used when some or few of employees are resistant towards ideas of the management. The management can carry on with the implementation of its business ideas when few of its employees are resistant.

References

Bennett, John L., Bush, Mary Wayne (2013). Coaching for Change. Routledge, p. 172

Levin, Ginger (2012). “Embrace and Exploit Change as a Program Manager: Guidelines for
             Success”. Project Management Institute, Retrieved August 10, 2013