Change Management Effective Implementation

Question: Discuss about the Change Management for Effective Implementation. Answer: Introduction: The workplace has undergone vast changes in the last decade or so. To begin with, there has been a sea change in the notion of an employee or worker as the organisations have reduced their full time employees and increased dependence on casual workers who tend to work on contractual basis. Further, there is a change in the composition of the workplace which has become increasingly diverse in terms of gender, generations, ethnicity, religious beliefs and even sexual orientation (Biro, 2015). The business environment has become exceedingly dynamic which is also reflected in the workplace becoming increasingly flexible. Technology has revolutionised the workplace giving it a digitalised makeup which has brought a fundamental alteration in the employee engagement process. The degree of automation observed at workplace has undergone a humongous leap forward with laptops and other programmable devices forming the mainstay of about every office (Colbert, Yee and George, 2016). Besides, the formality levels in the workplace have reduced due to the changing mix of employees and higher representation of younger generations who prefer to be more informal than their predecessors. Additionally, with the greater representation of young generations, the expectations from workplace have fundamentally altered resulted in a enhancement of overall dynamism. The employees are provided higher flexibility which enables them to maintain their work life balance and ensure that work is not impacted even in adverse situations (PwC, 2014). There has been a proliferation of the applicable workplace laws dealing with employee safety, anti-discrimination, pay and employment terms, prevention of harassment at workplace along with employment benefits. Further, empowered by technology, the workplaces have become increasingly globalised as the team members tend to be spread across the globe without facing any issues. Also, there is an increased focus in the workplace to reduce the a ssociated environmental impact and the underlying cost so as to become more cost competitive and sustainable (Miller, 2014). Implications for workers managers The profound changes in the workplace that have been outlined above have significant implications for both managers and employees. For the organisations and the managers, there are concerns of commitment and loyalty as the incidence of full time employment is on the decline. Loyalty essentially may be defined as a sense of attached to a particular employer which employee also find lacking as they are simultaneously engaged with multiple employers and essentially find time management to be the new challenge. For the managers, managing this part time workforce is a major challenge as commitment seems to be sacking from both parties involved. Also, the full time employees are becoming more demanding in terms of job satisfaction which essentially refers to the sense of fulfilment which an employee expects from the job (PwC, 2014). However, the single largest challenge for the modern workplace managers is to manage change in the organisation as employees tend to resist these changes. Therefore, the manager needs to have the requisite skillset to overcome the resistance on the part of the employees while ensuring that their morale is not adversely impacted (McCalman, Pathon and Siebert, 2015). In such a dynamic work environment there is constant insecurity for the employees as job losses have become too common especially as casual labour become increasingly common. This raises another challenge for the managers with regards to keeping the employees motivated through the use of various incentives and rewards while ensuring the employee cost is minimised. Motivation refers to the cause which prompts the given individual to act in a manner they do. The challenge is especially formidable for contractual employees who are constantly living this fear as to whether their contract would be renewed or not (Biro, 2015). The high amount of flexibility and use of technology have paved way to concerns regarding security and privacy. This is especially in the age when social networking has crossed the realm of professional communications as well. It is imperative to maintain a fine balance between two. Further, communication in virtual teams is a rising challenge for the managers as the project teams increasingly comprise members providing support from remote locations (Przybylski and Weinstein, 2013). Besides, in wake of rapid technological changes, it is essential that managers need to ensure that regular training sessions are provided to employees so that they remain productive. Thus, managers clear a difficult environment where the investment on employees is increasing but their tenure with the organisation is decreasing which needs to be curtailed (Colbert, Yee and George, 2016). Conclusion Way Forward As a manager, it is imperative to embrace change as a continued existence strategy and gain expertise in the change management skills (McCalman, Pathon and Siebert, 2015). Further, with the various technological developments happening at breakneck speed, it is essential that the manager needs to stay updated with relevant developments. Also, it is imperative for the manager to have exceptional communication skills for management the teams as open communication is pivotal ingredient for success in this new workplace (Colbert, Yee and George, 2016). With regards to choosing the appropriate organisational communication techniques, a manager should consider the available alternatives and make choices which are congruent with the situation at hand (Biro, 2015). Besides, it is pivotal for the manager to develop a bond with the employees so as to enhance the overall commitment and loyalty towards the organisation. In order to ensure high motivation level amongst employees, it is essential to understand their individual employees so as based on the underlying needs, requisite motivation strategy may be deployed. Also, the manager must have a sound understanding of the business and the direction in which it is proceeding especially in a dynamic environment when the focus of the company tends to be dynamic (PwC, 2014). Also, it is essential the superior risk management tools should be used particularly with technology as an enabler. Additionally, in this environment when the business values and ethics may be easily compromised by the employees, it is essential for the managers to emphasize the same in the behaviour of the co-workers and subordinates (Biro, 2015). Moreover, the managers are also expected to be innovative in their approach towards dealing various problems which tend to arise in the wake of complex decision making in the backdrop of an uncertain environment where adaptability is paramount (Van Knippenberg et. al., 2015). References Biro, M. 2015, The Future Of Work Is Here: Are Your Managers Prepared?, Talent Culture, [Online] Available at https://www.talentculture.com/the-future-of-work-is-here-are-your-managers-prepared/ [Accessed March 20, 2017] Colbert, A, Yee, N and George, G 2016, The digital workforce and the workplace of the future, Academy of Management Journal. 59(3), pp.731-739 McCalman, J, Pathon, RA and Siebert, S 2015,Change Management: A Guide to Effective Implementation, 4th edn. London: SAGE Miller, NG 2014, Workplace trends in office space: implications for future office demand,Journal of Corporate Real Estate, 16(3), pp. 159-181 PwC 2014, Millennials at Work, Price WaterHouse Coopers, [Online] Available at https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/managing-tomorrows-people/future-of-work/assets/reshaping-the-workplace.pdf [Accessed March 20, 2017] Przybylski AK and Weinstein N 2013, Can you connect with me now? How the presence of mobile communication technology influences face-to-face communication quality, Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 30(1), pp. 237246. van Knippenberg, D, Dahlander, L, Haas, M, George, G 2015, Information, attention, and decision-making. Academy of Management Journal, 58(2), pp. 649657