Week 2 Activity-Models of change

Part1: Discuss the comments with relation to workplace experiences

Part2: Identify a model of change to help explain change within an organization you have experienced.

Our chosen model of change ---ADKAR model

Qi Yang (Carol):

1. Discuss the comments with relation to workplace experiences.

During summer holiday of 2010, I have been working as intern at IKEA in Dallas, USA for 3 months. Working under staff training and customer service department, I witnessed some of its strategies for change. Expect from its prominent innovative organizational culture, the most impressive feeling is that IKEA put strong emphasis on people care, personal enrichment and growing, especially for its employees. Its sales double every fifth year, but this does not necessarily mean a doubling of staff, but this can be sidestepped with a good skills enhancement program. It is a company that puts people first, thus people are fully involved in every change with good understanding of the facts why change is needed.

The other factor I believe which contributes to its success in change is that technologies are used well by people. Apart from traditional ordering, IKEA provide online ordering service. Price, style and inventory can be searched through online store. Even in the physical store, there are plenty computers for customers to use. The staffs are well trained in the technology and its centre database use. Technologies contribute greatly to organization development by being applied well by people. Furthermore, IKEA hold positive attitude towards change and regard change as opportunities to learn. They celebrate success in improvement, learn lessons from failure, review previous practices and look into the future development. The learning process is not static, it is progressive and through a spiral way.

2. Identify a model of change to help explain change within an organization you have experienced.

Awareness of the need to change: To face the change in global climate nowadays, IKEA determined to prevent environment by improving overall energy efficiency and reducing emissions of greenhouse gases in furniture design. In order to improve its competitive power in electronic commerce, IKEA built up and keeps maintaining a stable online database and marketing website.

Desire to participate and support: At both the team and the individual level, awareness and common sense of change are formed. Staffs are inspired by shared vision and hold positive attitude towards change.

Knowledge of how to change: Both leaders, managers and staffs are received trainings on environmental sustainability, online system use, innovation knowledge and the like. They are clear about the concept of change with related information.

Ability to implement on a day-to-day basis: IKEA tries to take a reflective approach by applying “Stop and reflect”, a method that entails stopping and considering a situation from a learning perspective. At the individual level it is about questions such as: What did you learn about the business? What did you learn about yourself? What do you need to improve? At the team level, it primarily involves issues relating to cooperation. IKEA also addresses a more systemic level, questions that are relevant here apply to the organization as a whole like “What does the rest of the world say about us?”

Reinforcement: The changing process of IKEA is not static; it keeps improving through continuous organization learning. It is recognizing the business opportunities that a focus on sustainability creates. That is, the learning in the organization is life-long and never stops.

HE Yingying (Helena):

I’ll use ADKAR model to explain change within HSBC.

Awareness of the need to change:

Before the presence of videoconferencing, employees of HSBC have to travel around to have meetings. This old-fashioned conference increased the company costs in arranging human resources to travel around to give instructions or professional lectures. The company realized the necessity of adoption of videoconferencing to decline the profit margins. Then they delivered their thoughts on need of changing the form of traditional conferencing to videoconferencing. The employees then felt the need to change.

Desire to participate and support:

As the videoconferencing was imported in to the company, the stuff tried the videoconferencing and experienced the convenience of it. Once they have understood the advantages of the videoconferencing, they would have the desire to participate and support.

Knowledge of how to change:

Then the employees were guided to learn how to use the videoconferencing in an efficient way.

Ability to implement on a day-to-day basis:

The leader of team should lead on the implement of the videoconferencing. Especially when there was a temporary technical problem, the leader should solve the problem in a positive attitude and as soon as possible. The whole process would enhance the confidence of the employees persisting in videoconferencing.

Reinforcement:

Time from time, a regular meeting discussion about sharing the videoconferencing experience should be held. This would reinforce the sustainable and effective use of videoconferencing, at last contributing to the change and innovation of the whole company.


Waiyan Yanny Sit
Rogers & ADKAR model

Awareness: At the store level, most employees are oblivious to change and don’t understand the reasoning behind new policies. At the corporate level, Rogers is aware of the need for change to compete against rival companies and to keep up with new technologies.

Desire: At Rogers Communications, change happens all the time because new policies and products are released all the time. Most of the changes at Rogers are forced upon employees and they must follow regardless of their liking. The employees seem to show a negative reaction to most of the changes because of previous bad experiences with changes that are implemented. Employees feel that new changes are confusing and “buggy”, and the company just wants to test it out and change/improve it slowly.

Knowledge: At Rogers, the staff is very knowledgeable of the products and new policies. Their manager always assesses them and complete web based learning modules on new products.

Ability: Their ability to implement change is also very high. Employees always receive training from t heir manager if there is a big change.

Reinforcement: At Rogers, most changes are reinforced and can be sustained. Rogers set up competitions for all employees across all Rogers retail stores in Canada. The best performing employees get to wing different prizes and cash rewards. These incentives motivate the employees to work better.

Tang Lu

 ADKAR model & Target Organization: KFC

Two months's internship here, I witnessed the the change this organization made for the sake of customs and the margin of profits.

Awareness the needs of change:

  It is known to all that McDonald's is the strongest market shared holder for the fast food industry, so change is a necessary step for KFC based on tough competitiveness  the characteristics for the fast food industry. From the leaders for world divisions to the manager of every local restaurants, the awareness for the needs of change is very strong by setting up a special meeting once a month for every stuff to 'free talk', exchanging ideas and then every manager will make up a new solution project specially for the problem they have encountered last month.

Desire to support and participate the change:

  Not only the fierce competitiveness outside the organization, the system of rewards and penalties are the main force for everyone to keep changing. If you want to upgrade yourself in this organization, you have to lead your team even if you are the only member for you group to keep coming up with new ideas to outshine others and gain a better 

Knowledge of how to change:
  Before Every employee got into the company they must have a strict training which include a basic concept of staying a live condition by making changes all the time.

Ability to implement the change:
  the leader of every district must take many exams and interview before they can in charge, and without doubts ability to change and make the change accepted by the staffs.

Reinforcement to sustain the change:

  After making a new solution for the solution for every upcoming new months, the leader of that district will make a chart to record the every tiny change and its influence and deep analysis will be conducted on these influence and then become will announce the result for the staff at the very beginning on the annually meetings. 

Yike Wang (Daisy)

Wal-Mart & ADKAR Model

Awareness of the need for change:

Wal-Mart was founded in America in 1962 but after 44 years, it owned over 6,800 stores in 14 countries. At that time, they noticed that to develop their stores in the world-wide is an significant change.

Desire to support and participate in the change:

Since opening its first international store in 1991, the Wal-Mart international division has grown to become a $77.1 billion business that, standing alone, would rank as the world’s fifth largest retailer in terms of sales revenue. Then they tired to a learning how to compete globally, utilizing a three-part strategy to keep developing.

Knowledge of how to change:

As for the three-part strategy of changing form local markets to world-wide stores:

The first part is portfolio optimization, making the right investments, divesting in markets that have not been right for them and expanding organically and through acquisition.

Second part is global leverage, working across their international markets to drive home value.

Third part is transferring know-how and developing the best local and global talent.

Ability to implement the change:

AN example of this strategy in action: Wal-Mart Argentina team working with Wal-Mart Mexico to replicate WalMex’s Bodega store concept and best practices.

Reinforcement to sustain the change:

A plan added in this strategy of winning in each market where they operate. Wal-Mart looks to have a distinctive position in the marketplace to sustain leadership carry on the change strategy and ultimately generate material shareholder value.