Free Essay: The Path to Successful Change at a Manufacturing Company

Introduction

Change management refers to the approach through which an organization can undergo a systematic transitioning to reshape an organization resources use, organization processes, employee's management and modes of operations with the aim of improving organizational efficiency and overall employee engagement (HBR. 2011). Employee experience refers to the employee feelings and observation in relation to their roles within an organization (Morgan, 2017). Employee experience can affect the overall organization outcomes because it affects employee engagement and long term stay in an organization (Morgan, 2017). Poor employee experience affects how an organization performs and improving employee experience can be used as a source of competitive advantage.

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Organizations that have a high turnover rate and poor employee motivation should establish changes to improve employee retention, development, and increase employee engagement by developing their talents and also ensuring that an organization meets its employee expectations. Change management is a useful tool that can be used to improve the efficiency of the employees through continuous assessment of their challenges and to implement corrective measures (HBR. 2011). Change management assesses how new practice and technology can be implemented in an organization without affecting the overall organization performance. Change management is essential to mold the organization culture to be in line with the new organization goals and orientation (HBR. 2011). To initiate new change in practice such as the introduction of changes to improve the employee experience and productivity it is essential to consider all the stakeholders (Maylett, Tracy, & Wride, 2017). This essay aims at creating a path to promote successful change to improve ABC Manufacturing Company employee experience and overall productivity.

Background Data

ABC Manufacturing Company Poor Employee Experience

ABC Manufacturing Company is a new automotive organization that is based in Japan with a significant market standing and performance. The organization has been experiencing considerable employee turnover which has affected the organization bottom line and productivity. ABC Manufacturing Company failure to develop proper employee management and motivation systems is the primary cause of the current organization negative performance and high employee turnover. For ABC Manufacturing Company to overcome the current employee challenges, it is essential to set up an organizational change process. ABC Manufacturing Company mission and vision statement fail to create a clear vision and the organization standing in terms of improving the employee experience. Behavioral science has established that employees perform best when they have a positive motivation which makes their work more pleasurable and increases their engagement with the organization goals. Currently, there is poor employee morale which has significantly affected the organization financial outcome due to the increased number of defective products prompting the organization to conduct an expensive recall of some of its products to retain its credibility in the auto parts market. The number of new employees seeking to join the organization has declined due to the poor organization coaching and mentoring programs which makes it hard for employees to get promoted or advance within the ranks of the organization (Maylett et al., 2017). Employee retention has declined due to poor remunerations and lack of a proper reward program with a significant gap between employee benefits with the management personnel pocketing 50% more than those of other employees in different levels. Most employees leave the organization for competing organizations due to their attractive benefits and employee development programs. Lastly, ABC Manufacturing Company organization structure design poses a problem of bureaucracy and communication is hierarchical which has made it difficult for the employee to present their problems to the organization management with most supervisors failing to represent the employees with the aim of protecting their positions.

Desired Changes and Model to Improve Employee Experience

The four pillars of employee experience play a significant role in employee engagement and productivity within an organization. To improve ABC Manufacturing Company overall employee productivity, the organization should be able to meet all the four pillars of employee experience. Firstly, ABC Manufacturing Company should ensure that the employees feel connected to the organization which is crucial in creating a team environment. The connection is necessary because it improves the overall communication and relationships between an individual employee and other colleagues, manager, company goals and the community at large. Secondly, the organization should create meaning by ensuring that the employees are aware of the organization values which are created through the organization mission and vision statements. Thirdly, ABC Manufacturing Company should ensure that the individual employee is aware of their value by identifying how their work impacts the organization and their colleagues which is crucial in creating the team spirit and interdependence between employees. Lastly in the employee experience pillars is the appreciation element of the employee contribution to the organization by acknowledging and appreciating their efforts.

To improve the overall organization employee retention, development, and engagement the organization will use Prosci ADKAR Model to enhance its employee's experience and productivity which is good for the organization by increasing the employees overall productivity as well as the employee satisfaction. The Prosci ADKAR Model is a goal-oriented change management model that is tailored to help an organization to navigate the complex and challenging change process especially when it comes to improving employee experience due to the diverse employee needs and preferences. The model seeks to initiate and facilitate change at an individual employee level which helps to join the organization change solution with the individual needs. Therefore, the Prosci ADKAR Model seeks to assist in promoting change and understanding change at an individual level which is the foundation of the entire organization and sustainable change. The model is based on five key milestones that the organization should facilitate at an individual employee level which include; awareness, knowledge, ability, desire, and reinforcement. ABC Manufacturing can implement the Prosci ADKAR Model in its employee change process to change the management teams which will focus more at an individual level and also derive positive results in the organization productivity. The initial stage of adopting the Prosci ADKAR Model is the awareness stage which involves creating goals and communication for organization change.

Awareness is critical in ensuring that the required employee experience is achieved. Desire is an element of the Prosci ADKAR Model which seeks to engage the employees in the change. Desire element means that it is essential that the organization change managers assess the desire of the employees to be involved in change. The knowledge element of the Prosci ADKAR Model seeks to ensure that the stakeholders are aware of the proposed change, goals and their roles to play. Knowledge is critical in informing employees how best they can improve their roles and it is critical in employee development and retention in the long term which reduces turnover. Ability element in the Prosci ADKAR Model involves implementing change by increasing the capacity and capability of the employees through coaching and practice which ensures that ABC Manufacturing Company employees have the necessary skills and competence to meet the overall organization goals. Reinforcement is the last element of the Prosci ADKAR Model of change which ensures that change becomes sustainable by adopting corrective measures and recognizing the effort of the employees. It is necessary for ABC Manufacturing Company to introduce an equitable reward system and improve employee benefits to reduce employee turnover and at the same time increase the overall employee engagement which will improve the organization financial performance which has been on a decline.

The Path to Successful Change

Step 1: Introduction

The initial stage towards improving employee experience in ABC Manufacturing Company will be by identifying the challenge and the source of the challenges that are causing poor employee experience and high turnover. The identification of the problem should also be followed with the establishment of the different roles of the stakeholders who will be responsible in implementing the change process to improve the employee experience in ABC Manufacturing Company (HBR. 2011). The situation facing the company is similar to the problem that the Israelites were facing during the time of Nehemiah in which the city walls had fallen, and the people were dispirited towards rebuilding the city (Wells, 2012). However, Nehemiah brought his excellent leadership skills and was able to unite the people of Jerusalem to build a wall that had been torn down for 140 years in just 52 days (Wells, 2013). Similarly, ABC Manufacturing Company management can rally together all the stakeholders to resolve the organization employee experience problem that has negatively impacted the organization productivity (Heath & Heath, 2010). Every organization should approach change systematically to ensure that all the necessary organization aspects are met and the organization remains on course towards achieving its overall objectives in the market. A change management model will ensure that ABC Manufacturing Company achieves its desired results more sustainably.