Free «Addressing Challenges of Groups and Teams» Essay Sample

Due to increasing competition in the telecommunications industry, most companies have been forced to develop and implement various organizational changes through change management that would enable them to gain competitive advantage in the industry. Organizational change management is the process by which companies develop, plan and implement various changes within the company. In most cases, organizations introduce changes in the current state in order to gain competitive advantage, reduce operational costs and maximize customer satisfaction. Changes can also be introduced within an organization due to changes in the business environment, for example, due to the change in regulatory laws. Dalton and Lawrence (2007) also assert that organizational changes usually occur when a firm makes a transition or alteration in the ongoing activities or current state to some preferred future state. On the other hand, Kanter, Stein and Jick (2009) state that globalization and rapidly evolving technology are the major causes of change in most organizations. According to Senior and Fleming (2011), changes in an organization are usually caused by two major factors, namely problems faced by the organization and recognition or need for exploitation of new business opportunities.

According to Senior and Fleming (2011), there are four major types of changes that can take place within an organization. These include operational, strategic, cultural and political changes. Operational change refers to changes that affect the way in which current operations of the organization or business are carried out. Most operational changes entail automation of activities and processes in the company. Strategic changes involve changing the goals and objectives of the organization in order to enable continued growth and generation of revenues or profits. On the other hand, cultural changes involve modifying the philosophies, beliefs, values and traditions of an organization, whereas political change entails alteration of an organization based on political reasons or factors such as influence from government agencies and alteration of leadership of the organization.

In the telecommunications industry, having the right technology alone is not enough to enable a company to have adequate competitive advantage over its competitors (LaMarsh, 2010; Salminen, 2008). A company must lay adequate emphasis and focus on customers in order to ensure that the services it provides adequately meet the needs and wants of consumers. As Gibbs and Humphries (2009) assert, customers play a major role in the success of any business, thus any organization that aims at succeeding in the highly competitive telecommunications industry must adequately focus on the customers. In that regard, Desert Communications Inc. would develop and implement operational changes in order to enable it attract more customers and generate more profits.

Methods to be Used to Present Operational Change at Desert Communications Inc.

The operational change would be presented using standardization of processes. This would involve setting appropriate standards for the production and delivery of services within the company. Secondly, the operational change would be presented through proper integration. This entails putting together or combining various activities and processes within the company that are interrelated into categories in order to improve performance and quality of goods and services offered by Desert Communications. Integration would be carried out both internally and externally. For example, activities or processes that involve delivery and distribution of goods and services would be put together with billing and customer care services. In my opinion, integration would help in reducing the costs of operation within the company, thus the company can provide high quality goods and services at low prices. This would attract more customers and enable the company to make more sales and generate extra revenues.

Thirdly, operational change at Desert Communications Inc. would be introduced gradually within the company. This would help in minimizing possible resistances by employees, as well as reducing unexpected process shocks. Desert Communications would also deploy appropriate behavioral management strategies to ensure that the attitudes and conducts of employees enable operational change management within the company. Behavioral management involves training and educating workers in order to enable them acquire appropriate skills, knowledge and expertise needed for the new operational changes (Cameroon & Green, 2011; Murray & Richardson, 2009).

Desert Communications Inc. would also encourage clear and open communication amongst workers through holding open meetings and discussion groups. Various employee networks would also be created. In my view, these would help in exchanging ideas and information within the company, hence facilitating operational change. In addition, Desert Communications would use process alignment to present the operational changes. This entails aligning various activities and operational processes of companies in order to ensure smooth running of the company.

At last, it is important to mention that Desert Communications Inc. would also make appropriate use of the available technology to present the operational change. The company would acquire and deploy various advanced technologies, such as computer based training (CBT) techniques to facilitate the introduction, implementation and management of the operational changes within the company. Appropriate technology is one of the most powerful tools that an organization can use to identify or create opportunities in the highly competitive business environment (Green, 2007; Porter & Prahalad, 2006). In my view, the above methods would help in presenting the operational changes in a manner that adequately reduces the performance gap at Desert Communications.

Developing a Training Program

I would develop a training program that conveys to the multiple audiences within the organization by identifying various needs of these audiences and then formulating appropriate training programs that meet those needs. Upon development of the training programs, all audiences would be encouraged to actively participate in the training sessions, so that goals and objectives of the trainings and operational change are met effectively.

Using Group and Team Collaboration to Facilitate the Success of Training

In my opinion, group and team collaboration would facilitate success of the training by encouraging the sharing of information, ideas, skills and knowledge amongst the participants through clear and open communications. Group and team collaboration would also help in generation of alternative solutions to various problems and challenges that trainees are likely to encounter during the training sessions.

In addition, group and team collaboration would also facilitate decision making processes during the trainings by allowing constant consultations and discussions amongst trainees. Employees who are undergoing training and those who might not have understood specific concepts would also be helped by their colleagues. This would help in ensuring that the trainings are conducted successfully.

Last but not least, group and team collaboration would also facilitate the success of training and operational change management by encouraging employees to work together towards attaining goals and objectives of Desert Communications Inc.

Tactics for Identifying and Minimizing Conflicts

In order to identify and manage conflicts during the operational change management and trainings, various tactics would be used. The first tactic would be avoidance of conflicts. Avoiding conflicts involves techniques such as evading fierce debates and leaving rooms where there are strong disagreements that aim at reducing or evading conflicts. Secondly, there would be negotiations amongst team members to enable them settle their differences. Negotiations would allow team members to arrive at suitable solutions and conclusions that are acceptable by both parties. Thirdly, conflicts would be compromised. This would involve finding the middle way for resolving the disagreements that may arise amongst team members. In addition, conflicts would be minimized during the trainings by developing instant solutions to problems faced by the workers. This entails solving the conflicts at the most appropriate times, as soon as they arise.

Collaboration amongst the Employees and Management

For successful implementation of operational changes, adequate collaboration is required amongst the employees and management. In my view, high levels of collaboration amongst work teams and work groups would be required in order to achieve the goals and objectives of the training and operational change. Thus, all employees in the work group or work teams would be required to gain a comprehensive understanding of the operational change in addition to working together. Moreover, all employees must be adequately committed to their work. The top management of Desert Communications Inc. must also assign duties and responsibilities to the right people who have the capability to accomplish them effectively.

Using Work Teams and Work Groups to Facilitate the Upcoming Operational Change

The management of Desert Communications Inc. would use work teams and work groups to facilitate the upcoming operational change by assigning duties and responsibilities to various groups or teams as well as to individual members of the groups. This would help in ensuring that all the activities and processes necessary for successful development and implementation of the operational change are carried out and accomplished effectively. In addition, the work teams and work groups would also be responsible for conducting various market research studies in order to determine various operational changes that the company needs to make so that it can gain competitive advantage in the telecommunications industry.