For your paper, you will consider a large organization like General Motors which has several locations (plants). You may use General Motors or any other company similar in size. For this paper imagine that the higher management of your plant has just been informed that the plant will close and about half of the employees will be moved to a different location across the country. There are about 1000 employees. Some will be offered early retirements; some will be offered a move (if there is a job for them available at the new location) and others will be laid off. Write a paper about the expected organizational changes that will most likely occur. Go through the steps of this company as they prepare their people for this planned move. Consider the period of two years for this complete shutdown to occur. Use a timeline for what and how you would proceed. Discuss the leadership styles that will be necessary during the various phases and the approaches to change that are applicable. Use terms and concepts from our studies.
Introduction:
The report considers the change management process currently underway in General Motors while it is planning to relocate one of its plants. The relocation of the plant which is employed with about 1000 employees will impact the employees of which some will be offered early retirements; others will be offered the job in the location and the remaining will be laid off. The process of change will impact the lives of many, and thus thoughtful consideration, clear planning and effective communication with the employees are imperative. The relocation is expected to undergo for two years. The following is the plan to best execute this relocation.
1-Key Events:
Looking at the organizational change that is expected to be witnessed at General Motors in the coming two years, the key events of change need to be identified. These key events are.
A-Planning of Organization Change in General Motors
The planning will be the most time-consuming and lengthy activity of this process. The company needs to consider all the repercussions of the change. The impact and its range on each department, activity, an individual should be analyzed and measured. The One-size-fits-all approach is convenient, but ineffective in this respect. The strategies should be planned to look at the specific characteristics of the change and the characteristics of the organization that is going to change. The planning should also include how the change would impact individuals. The most important part of this planning phase is the development of the communication plan. How the relocation of the organization would be communicated to the employees. More specifically, how the relocation will be communicated to the employees who are relocating, who are offered early retirement, and who are laid out.
B-Communication of Organization Change in General Motors
Organizational change is a big step for any organization. Relocation of a plant may seem like a less extensive activity than downsizing or merging companies. However, it is still a similar activity, even if the scale is smaller. An effective communication plan is targeted at a specific audience. The communication plan needs to utilize a variety of channels and also enable feedback opportunities for the employees. The communication plan should be developed keeping in mind not only what you want to communicate, but also ensuring that the receivers of the message also internalize and understand the message.
C-Execution and Control of Organization Change in General Motors
For efficient execution and control of the organization change plan and strategies, the managers and supervisors play a vital role. It is to be ensured that all the supervisors and managers are engaged in the change management program. These are the preferred senders of the messages on realizing the impact of the change on the employees personally. They also play an important role in the management and identification of resistance. As they have close relationships with their subordinates, it makes them more effective coaches (Finch, 2011).
2-Leadership, Management of Change Management: General Motors
Change Management and Leadership Management need to be one of the top priorities of the organizations. In spite of this, usually many organizations face shortfalls of these goals. One of the main reasons is that organizations tend to treat both as individual activities and not as linked challenges. Any cultural changes cannot be achieved without effective leadership.
For better results, the leadership development should be coordinated with the change management efforts. Leadership should incorporate deviating from the cultural expectations which inspire all.
The most effective leadership style at the beginning of the relocation would be the democratic leadership style. Through this leadership style, the management can gather and communicate the needed messages which are essential for the change management (Quinn & Quinn, 2016).
3-Environmental Influence on Leadership: General Motors
Effective teamwork is one of the essential requirements for the success of any project in the current globally hyper-competitive environment. The building and management of a fully integrated and working unified team is not an easy task. There are many external factors which influence the performance of the managers and the employees. These external factors influence the leadership style, and internal organizational environment. The external environmental factors include the socio-economic factors, industry conditions, and competitiveness. The management should consider these factors before planning for change management and consider the right choice for leadership style as well (Reiss, 2012).
4-Resistance: General Motors
The most resistance is going to be faced by the ones who are laid off. An organization needs efficiency, effectiveness and standardizes the process of handling layoffs. For this, the management and supervisors should be trained to make it less frightening. The communication of this news should be practiced and done with another person. Consider the dignity of the person whose been laid off and the comfort of delivering the message. The managers should be prepared for the emotional outbursts of the employees. The message should be direct and to the point. The managers should be compassionate and not sidetracked. Showing kindness is essential to make it smooth for the employees who are laid off. In case the resistance is shown, their considerations should be listened to and responded with sincere, compassionate, and direct messages (Knight, 2015).
The early retirement offerings to the employees would necessarily be welcomed because of the incentives associated with it. The relocated employees would be the ones who would also need management and continuous communication. The employees who need compensation for relocation or the ones who cannot relocate will ask for any other type of compensation. In both cases, the management needs to handle the individual situations separately.
Conclusion:
The Change Management resulting in the laying off of some of the employees, and relocating of some of them, and being offered with early retirements to the remaining ones needs effective detailed planning, highly trained managers, and supervisors and effective communication plan. The management needs to build its strategies by not only communicating its message, but also getting feedback from its employees and responding to it. The management should also look into the mechanisms which appropriately handle the employee grievances, concerns, and feedback. An effective leadership style would thus be the democratic leadership style.
References
Finch, E. (2011). Change management and relocation: moving experience. Retrieved June 13, 2018, from http://usir.salford.ac.uk/17866/1/artigo_Edward_Finch.pdf
Knight, R. (2015, June 26). How to Tell Someone They’re Being Laid Off. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2015/06/how-to-tell-someone-theyre-being-laid-off
Quinn, R. W., & Quinn, R. E. (2016, January 7). Change Management and Leadership Development Have to Mesh. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2016/01/change-management-and-leadership-development-have-to-mesh
Reiss, M. (2012). Change Management. BoD – Books on Demand.
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