For many individuals, change is an element that brings about many uncertainties. Change represents how many things in an organization will be conducted differently. Many people tend to resist change because of the uncertainties that come along with the change. Transition represents the period between the changes from how an organization used to function to a new way that an organization is to work. Transition is a continuous process and has several stages to ensure that the expected change is properly implemented. This case is about the reduction in funding of the company that is used in sales marketing in Mobiliy- a mobiles company in Saudi Arabia. The main objective of this change and transition is to implement the changes that arise due to the reduction in funding that the university receives from the government.
Rationale for change/transition
Presently the company is in a dire situation due to lack of funds that is to be used in the marketing of sales. The company has been receiving its largest funding for marketing from the owner since its establishment. In the recent years, the owner has made it clear that he wants to reduce the amount of funding that the company is using for sales marketing as the wage bill of the employees has drastically increased. Due to the impending reduction in funding from the owner, it is in order that the company plans for the expected changes in funding in the sales department so as to meet the requirements of the rest of the employees. The expected changes that are to be made have a key significance on the company as the sales department of the company will have to run on a low budget while maintaining the high number of its customers and a proper welfare for its staff. The mobiles company has to plan for the expected changes to ensure that there is no reduction in the high number of customers. The staff should be ready for the cut in their funding available for marketing and the rest of the staff members in the sales department should be well informed of the impending changes so that they plan their marketing activities accordingly.
Transition Plan
In many organizations, transition is usually the difference or the space between the old way and the new way in which the normal operations of the organization are conducted. The transition process has to be clearly planned to avoid the process of transition from going awry. The transition plan should be responsive to the needs of the staff of the organization and should not overwork the system that the organization is using. In order to plan a transition process that will be implemented, the individuals planning the transition process must understand and consider how the process will change from the present state to the ideal state that the management requires.
In the case of the mobile company- Mobily in Saudi Arabia-, the objectives of the transition process should ensure that the transition team that has been selected for the implementation of the transition is well prepared for the impending change so that they are able to cope with the forces urging them to resist the changes being made in the company. Another objective of the transition process is to ensure that frictions from the unexpected changes made are minimized. According to Burawoy, Michael, and Katherine Verdery (113), the plan has to put in place measures for coping with the change in behaviors of the system and process during the change.
For the transition process to be properly implemented the following steps must be followed; first representatives from the key functional areas that will be affected should be invited and be informed about the changes that are being planned. The representatives should be able to provide the process knowledge and the content for a change. Secondly, the plan for the transition process should be given to the invited representatives to acquaint them on the vision of the change, the implementation plan and the scope of the plan. Thirdly, a meeting should be organized between the transition team and the invitees whereby discussions about the impacts of the changes to be made is rolled out and how the existing culture and system would change. Fourthly, the invitees should be asked to provide feedback about how the proposed changes will be implemented. Fifthly, after the feedback information has been analyzed, the plan or implementation of the transition has to be reviewed, and the solutions for the changes in the plan be made.
The sixth step is to put a realistic time limit on the proposed implementation changes after all the considerations have been made. The final step is to analyze the proposed plan and check if all the considerations on the proposed plan can be implemented and if the results are positive, the plan should be implemented. If the proposed plan is not achievable, the plan should be called out. By this time, the heads of the various departments of the university should be the advocates of the impending change willingly or unknowingly.
As a salesperson, my main challenges for managing change include managing resources and the process of change. The change process is dependent on the proper management of the anxiety of the staff members of the university and the confusion brought about by the expected changes. Managing emotions of individuals is normally difficult and are difficult to address. This is because many people are doubtful on the major means to achieve different changes are generally cynical about the impending changes.
Poole, Marshall and Van argue that the greatest organizational challenges for achieving change objectives are the conflicting goals that are normally found in the major organizations. In the case of the mobiles company, it is difficult to manage the emotions of the staff so as to accomplish the set goals while the funding from the company owner has been reduced and yet the number of customer levels set at the company has to be maintained for the company to remain competitive and viable.
The transition process should be handled in a manner that is effective and cautious. For the process of transition to be successful, the management has to have a sense of urgency in the process by setting time limits. This ensures that the set goals and timelines are achieved. The management should also create coalitions that guide the other members of the organization towards implementing the process. The transition or the change process should also be done in phases so that the review process of each of the implemented phases shows the outcomes, and if the outcomes are positive, the process can be continued. If the results are not positive, another approach can be used.
When the objectives of change are achieved, the company will be able to provide quality mobile services even after cutting costs. The mobiles company will benefit from cut costs and high staff morale. The results of the change will be determined through the use of an implementation review and the use of main performance indicators and timelines on the sales personnel. Supervisors can be used to identify the expected changes and outcomes from the sales personnel.
In order to sustain the transition, managers must ensure that frequent communication from its staff especially the supervisors is done to ensure that the staff remains focused towards the change being implemented and be constructive.
Works cited
Burawoy, Michael, and Katherine Verdery. Uncertain Transition: Ethnographies of Change in the Postsocialist World. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 1999. Internet resource.
Poole, Marshall S, and de V. A. H. Van. Handbook of Organizational Change and Innovation. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2004. Internet resource.
