A Force Field Diagram
A Multiple Cause Diagram
An Influence Diagram
Soft systems of Change
Soft systems are usually related to the characteristics that define human systems, and are associated with open relationships that sustain through time. In case, if there is any change required in these relationships after a period of time the soft systems are neatly driven and updated in order to incorporate those changes. It is important to understand that any system that depends on human efforts is a direct result of the environment within which it is operating and the conditions of stability. There are many factors which may ultimately impact a particular process and it is in the hands of human to mitigate however it is not possible to remove the constraints that impact the flow of any given process from time to time due to change in demand, perception or quality. The changes can be implemented keeping in mind that they will adapt to the environment, however this is just an expectation and may require a proper plan to make it to reach the completion stage.
It is important to assess the human system approach by analyzing the system theory in relation to the situation of Woodland hall. In order to conduct this analysis it will be important to present the basic characteristics of the change which is expected, to describe the various human or social systems, to explore the nature of problems related to human system enquiry and to finally introduce the soft systems approach and related to the social system design which may be helpful in streamlining the operations of Woodland hall.
Human systems can easily be defined as purposeful part of a particular resource system. In order to design and manage a human system, or introduce a change to the same it is important to highlight the purpose of the same, introduce the people who would be required to manage the purpose and define that have the role and people would together be able to achieve the overall purpose which is a part of the larger system. The basic functions which would be required to bring the overall change into the system would be self-directedness, humanization and environmentalization. It is important to ensure that there is a smooth transition of the system and a swift adaptation of the new system through a self organizing paradigm. There is also a strong interconnection with the cultural features of the human system, and this can be described by the fact that Woodland hall would have a different culture previously and the entire system after the change would require changing culture of the organization as well.
Types of Human Systems
There are various human systems, that are applicable and different types of change management units and other operational issues, hence it becomes important to identify the right human system that can be applied in order to achieve the change. This identification is done by assessing the degree to which an organization is open towards change, whether the nature of the organization is mechanistic or systemic, whether the position is unitary or pluralistic and the dimensions related to the complexity of the change which is being introduced. Hence, as a part of the soft systems of change, the human systems can be differentiated into five types namely rigidly controlled, deterministic, purpose seeking, heuristic and purposive. The rigidly controlled systems have a very restricted interaction and are highly rigid in their approach, the deterministic systems are slightly closed and have goals assigned to people, which have to be met without much interaction. In the purposive system, the purpose is quite important and clear however this still is a slightly open system and people at the operations level do have an authority to make smart decisions related to their work. The heuristic Systems are mostly applicable to research and design and are applicable to complex systems related to education where the approach has always been pluralistic. The purpose seeking systems are highly open systems, which are ready for innovation and exhibit dynamic complexity and require robust system and behavior.
In case of Woodland hall the most applicable system is purpose-seeking system, as the approach has to be pluralistic however there will be a constant and dynamic requirement of new purposes and new niches into the environment. Hence, as a human system to drive the change and develop a positive behavior, it would be important to establish a strong integration between the development of the social perception, training and development of the human resource and acquisition of the right talent. Now that, the best approach to drive the changes identified through soft system of change, it is important to discuss the direct perspectives related to the Woodland hall that require an impact in order to resolve the issues currently persisting with the organization.
Based on the soft systems change methodologies, and considering the use of purpose seeking system, it is beneficial to divide the new change into two parts. The first will be creation of a corporate function of the woodland Hall which will be completely dedicated to deal with the corporate clients and provide them with facilities related to event management, leisure and provide them with discounted packages. It is important to understand that, there will be a big transition from an organization where direct marketing is not applicable, to an organization, where aggressive marketing is required and it is also required to build public relations to ensure that there is an attraction towards the services provided, especially for the corporates. From the change perspective it will be important to target the talent acquisition according to the new requirements, moreover training is related to the hospitality and management would be required considering the fact that along with the change in services the quality enhancement is also being targeted.
On the other hand there is another area which is being targeted over here, and that is the creation of membership and entertainment opportunities for families and members. This is an area where a direct and marketing or PR generation may not help however strong promotional activities and attractive entertainment packages will definitely help. From the soft systems change point of view it will be important to be extra cautious while been bringing the changes to suit this domain. If we look at it from the purpose seeking system approach, it would be important to switch the organization from time to time according to the purpose. The Woodland hall would be covering various areas like wedding celebrations, family events, contests and various other leisure and entertainment activities. Although, all the above look similar however there would be sudden transition which would be required, in order to mould the entire operations according to different events and therefore multi-skilling of the resources is an extremely important area of change that needs to be explored over here.
In case of Woodland hall, the approach of the soft system has to be changed and it is important to create that perception which may change the declination of performance that has sustained through the past few years. The implementation of the soft systems change process would lead to talent acquisition towards the side of corporate PR creation, sports coaching, event management and direct marketing so that the expected changes can be adequately brought within the organization. It is important to understand that, although the concept would remain very much the same however changing workforce would lead to a fresh and replenished approach. The diagram as shown below, explains the change management process which will be into play.
Finally, if all the above are incorporated together it would be easy to bring the change and enhance the quality of the services which are provided by Woodland hall. It has to be understood that more than infrastructure it has to be the self-directedness, the approach and environment that needs to be updated in order to equip the organization according to the new perception that it wants to create in the market.
