REFLECTIVE BLOG ASSESSMENT 9-2: MODELS OF ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE

In this weeks blog assessment we examine two models of organizational change. The first being the Lewin’s Three Stage Model which is made up of three steps: Unfreeze, Move, and Refreeze. The second model our textbook looks at is the Complexity Theory, this implicates that organizations react best to change when it is not in the norm of their environment. More information can be found on pages 228 & 229 of our textbook.

I  will now give examples of how the Lewin's Three-Stage Model of Change and Complexity Theory can be used in a retail workplace setting.

Step 1 : Unfreeze

Retail stores are constantly getting in new products, with these products comes promotions. Employees must learn new techniques to approach customers with these promotions every time. So there is always a need to step outside their comfort zones. This may not be so easy for some to do, so there is three methods that can help:

·       Whole System Planning – The store has a staff meeting where they discuss the plans for upcoming promotions and the steps that need to be taken to accomplish a successful quarter. In the meeting staff members can resolve or confront any issues or concerns about changes being made.

·       Setting Goals – Each employee set a goal or objective for that motivates them to change, this is done at the beginning of every shift.

·       Visioning – Make sure your store has a motivating mission or vision statement widely available to view, so that employees can come to work every shift and know what they have to work towards.

Step 2 : Transition

Moving away from the status quo may not be such an easy process for the employees so there are methods to help make transition process smoother. Here are the best three methods when working with retail.

·       First Steps – Let the employees get  “the feel” of things before moving into more complicated sales. This means no pressure to meet a certain goal until they are confident in themselves.

·       Challenge – Once employees are confident that they can hold their own encourage them to push themselves to meet those goals. Managers should set records so employees can compete with one another.

·       Involvement – Managers have a duty to get involved in the transition process by motivating their employees through inviting them to discussions and assigning meaning roles, this way the employees really feel they are a part of the change.

Step 3: Refreeze

The final stage of the Lewin’s Model of Change has to do with ensuring that all the changes that have taken place so far are in permanently put into place and reinforcing any new changes that may occur. There are also three methods management can use at this stage to maximize success.

·       Evidence Stream – The employees will want to see results of all their hard work and to see if they have made any progress with all this change. This is why management should prepare statistics for each month to show how well the store is doing. This will prove to the employees that the change is real.

·       New Challenges – This method has to with letting the employees know that change never ends. With more promotions in the future they must be prepared to face new challenges and not be allowed to go back to how things were in the beginning. Managers must make sure there is always something keeping them interested in the change; this might mean competing with other retail stores.

·       Reward Alignment – Motivating your employees through challenges will only take them so far, they will need more incentive to continue with the change. Managers will need to find ways to reward their employees. One way would be to give them first pick of choosing their shifts for the month. Another would be to give them a gift card to the store. These rewards will go a long way in motivating the employees to always do their best.

I hope this weeks blog assessment was beneficial to anyone who will face similar situations in the future, whether it be from the employees or the managers view.