Change Management and Communication Plan Essay

Riordan Manufacturing is doing big things to improve their organization. They have decided to change how the organization manages their customer management system. The company has not had any formal system for managing their customer information and has in the past left this up to each individual employee. This new system will incorporate the use of one customer management system that will be accessed by all employees. Our team will be assisting with this process and will ensure that our plan will make Riordan more effective. During this process we will need to have several planning meetings to assist with the implementation of this new process and the use of our new customer management system. We as a team will ensure that all steps are carefully planned and well presented to the employees. Our number one goal is to make the company more effective. The topics we will need to address include the organizational structure to include chain of command, organizational culture, and the strategy we will use to make these changes effective. Their current method of management is the chain of command. This allows each division to have a supervisor and many levels between the bottom and the top. The level of supervision includes supervisors, middle managers, and executive managers. The informal power structure is a team-oriented working environment. Assignments are currently being completed by appropriate communication among the employees. The lack of focus on individual success is often overlooked. Decentralization can also be a disadvantage as it can lead to control problems for management. This structure can generally increase conflict among employees. The most effective organizational structure that would benefit Riordan would include self-directed teams. Riordan’s team environment would be excellent for  self-directed teams. Self-directed teams can offer several advantages. The largest factor we considered is motivating the employees. This will allow them the highest level of job satisfactory by boosting morale and giving them meaningful positions. Employees that have high levels of job satisfactory are much more engaged in supporting their organization. An employee’s behavior is influenced by their company’s culture. The organizational culture at Riordan includes fairness, dedication, teamwork, performance evaluations and benefits accommodations. Everything the company offers is factored into the culture. These influence an employee’s motivation and will help an employee grow and gain additional experience and knowledge. Some potential influences include career advancement, job security which in return will lead to loyal employees, excellent customer service provided by the employees, and compensation satisfaction. One of the most difficult challenges a company is tasked with is implementing change. As long as a company knows and understands how to effectively implement change, the less resistance they will receive. Reasons that employees resist change include: lack of awareness to the change, fear of being out of comfort zone, fear of not understanding the reasons for change, personal feelings towards the change, conflicts, and fear for lack of job security. Management should always be prepared to effectively deal and handle the resistance most employees will impose. Some strategies Riordan Company should follow include; effective communication of any ideas and implementation of change prior to the change date. Management should always be mindful of employee concerns and work on different training methods to help them cope with any changes that will be occurring. Every employee should be given the opportunity to provide feedback regarding the changes. Another strategy is to expect the resistance when implementation takes place. The best way to handle that is to address it formally and identify the root causes of the change as well as appoint the right leaders to effectively communicate and address any potential issues. As far as the implementation of the new system goes, the next 12 months will be critical. A plan will help to dictate the direction in which the plan will take the business. Providing a detailed step-by-step instruction manual, so to speak, will be the best chance for the success of the implementation. It may take a bit longer, but implementing the plan only one step at a time will make for  an effortless transaction from one norm to the next. This will also allow for feedback of the employees without aggravation, which will also give them time for significant improvements. At first, the employees will likely be confused by the change. It will take time to adapt to the new norm before an evaluation of the success can be determined. Training will be of great importance. Having a pre-knowledge of the upcoming events will prepare the employees for the inevitable. We know that the change is coming and so should they. The customer base is the best way to know for sure if the plan is effective. Most businesses only exist as a service to a customer; therefore, training the employees on the right and wrong reactions to the customers and the service that they r eceive will be the primary goal for Riordan Manufacturing. This will give the sense that the company is making the necessary changes to better serve them. The Communication Plan Riordan Manufacturing communication plan will consist of a formal email being sent to all managers in charge of specific sectors about the Change Management Plan with a follow up of sector face-to-face meetings. A formal email being sent out will ensure the message being delivered in a timely fashion to prepare the managers for the change. It will also give them more time to prepare a face-to-face meeting with all sector employees before the change is made. The face-to-face meeting will ensure the employees that Riordan Manufacture messages about any change that could affect them are being relayed on a more personable level. This channel will also allow manager to receive feedback from employees whether it is questions or concerns. A barrier that could be a problem for the managers trying to deliver this Change Management Plan is Communication Apprehension. This kind of barrier takes place when an individual gets extremely nervous, anxious, or even tense when speaking or trying to send any type of communication to others. Since the managers are going to have individual face-to-face meeting with their group of employees, we hope that each manager will have the courage to speak up effectively and accurately about the change. To ensure that there has been effective communication to all employees the managers who delivered  the messages will have to send a report back about the reactions shared by the employees during the meeting. Riordan Manufacturing is excited to announce a new customer management system. This new system will be accessible by all employees and will allow us to provide the most effective customer service possible. During the next few weeks, Department Managers will have face to face meetings with all staff members. Team A will provide an overview of the new system and will allow the opportunity for employees to address concerns and ask questions. Please take this time and offer feedback, your feedback and concerns are vital to the success of this organization. Our number one goal is to deliver the best customer service to both internal and external customers. Together we can make this change a success. In conclusion communication and planning are the two most important things when implementing change within any organization. Employees need to know that their input is appreciated and heard. Allowing managers and employees the opportunity to provide feedback will increase morale and will maintain high levels of job satisfaction. Riordan Manufacturing has taken the necessary steps to implement the new customer management system with proper planning and communication.