Running head: KEVIN YU CHANGE PROPOSAL

Assignment #1 Name: Srinath Ranga (1011054) University Canada West Instructor: Dr. Eli Sopow, PhD MBA 513 Change Management July 8th 2011

KEVIN YU CHANGE PROPOSAL Introduction

Management that wants to change an institution must first show it loves that institution (Touss, 2004). Change is a continuous process in our lives. Changes in companies have been increasing enormously over the last couple of years. As a result, many companies are trying to produce low price products with good quality in a different marketing style. After adapting changes, many companies got better results compared to their previous years. There are many factors why companies are adopting these changes. A few of them are technology improvement, competition, customer preference, and adapting to different cultural styles. In a company when change is initiated, top level management and executives should manage the change in a way that each and every employee can deal with. The Managers role is to understand the change and communicate well with his team members at every level. A Company has to focus on two important factors while change is initiated, supporting the change process, and prediction of better results after the change. Sometimes companies realise change needs to take place, but they are not sure where to start, whom to involve, and what the final result could be. There are many theories, processes, and models about how to Change. Wilde Wear Corporation Wilde Wear Corporation is a multinational company that manufactures and markets clothing. It was established in 1912 by the McKeil family in Toronto. The current president of the company is sixty-two-year-old Roger McKeil. McKeil family prefer to have a detailed analysis and different possible options before taking any decision. Kevin Yu vice president of the company, proposed a change in Wild Wear Corporation. The companys product line called Wilde Wear, manufactures sportswear, hiking apparel, pants, shirts, jackets, gloves, socks,

KEVIN YU CHANGE PROPOSAL shorts, and outdoor hats. The company manufactures its products in three different locations: Vancouver Canada, Delhi India, and Atlanta USA. Serjit Patel is the new Vice President of Wilde Wear Corporation in Vancouver Canada. He has been with the company for 15 years, managing operations in different locations across the world. William Bridges Model William Bridge is a well known speaker globally, an author and a consultant. As a consultant he has given suggestions to many companies and individuals. He wrote ten books related to change; recently he published the third-edition of Managing Transitions, which is his best seller. In his view change, is situational, or transitional or psychological. He always put stress on the transition and psychological changes which are not normally focused on by companies when change is initiated. He argues that situational changes are less difficult for companies to make than the psychological transitions of those affected by the change. William Bridges model of transition is a three-phased process of: 1. Ending, Losing, Letting Go 2. The Neutral Zone
3. The New Beginning

Ending, Losing, Letting Go Employees should be aware of what change is going to take place, what they are going face whether good or bad, and they should be prepared mentally for whatever is going to happen. In this phase employees will often face fear, worry, and anxiety.

KEVIN YU CHANGE PROPOSAL

The Neutral Zone In this phase when change is initiated, helping employees to get through the change, managers will interact with subordinates to learn their problems related to change and clarify them. They work to clarify the confusion and encouraging them to work normally towards the change. The New Beginning This is the phase where employees are habituated to the change and can begin to embrace the new sense of purpose, identity, and energy as the change begins to work. In my opinion, William Bridges model is how to implement change, all we have to consider from the employee and management point of view. In simple terms, it is process of implementation of change. Kevin Yu has only proposed the change plan to the president indicating six major points. If management agrees to his change plan he should follow the William Bridges model of transition by creating awareness to employees before change is initiated, and making managers understand the change so that they will communicate to their sub-ordinates if they have any confusion once change is initiated. Appreciative Inquiry Appreciative Inquiry is a unique model for planning and initiating change in any company. It was developed by David Cooper rider and Suresh Sri Vastva of Case Western University in the 1980s. Both profit and non-profit organizations can make use of Appreciative Inquiry, which is also called Appreciative Planning and Action. This method is dedicated to

KEVIN YU CHANGE PROPOSAL pinpointing and making use of a companys strengths and positive attributes. Experts within the company are able to identify the good, and change becomes a matter of building from good to good. The Appreciative Inquiry model is used in different areas in a company like planning, redesigning organisation structure, internal system design, and merging. The four stages of Appreciative Inquiry model are: 1. Discovery 2. Dreaming 3. Design 4. Delivery Discovery In the first stage, everyone in the company should think about the organisation best movement like good profits, better performance in the economy and comparing them to current position of the company. Dreaming Next, Individual or group has to develop new goal or vision depending upon their past experience. New strategic plan is created to achieve the new goal, by considering the organisation position. Design

KEVIN YU CHANGE PROPOSAL

This stage is critical one, have to design the short term and long term goals basing on the dream. David Cooper rider and his followers called it as provocative proposition. It is actually provocative and involves stretch for the organization. Think big!(Logan, 2004) Delivery It is a final stage where execution is in progress, everyone is assigned with their roles and responsibilities. Major tasks by managers in this stage are monitoring, evaluation and feedback to their team members. In my opinion, Kevin Yu realised Wild Wear Corporation past performance (Discovered) and the present performance, hence he suggested the change to the company. By understanding the current position of Wild Wear he set few goals (Dreaming) to the company to future growth. Once his proposal is approved by the management he will Design the process and delivery the best by motivating employees and guiding them in all aspects. John Kotters 8- Stage Model John Kotters named by Business Week magazine, in a poll of US managers, as The Number 1 leadership and change guru (Dourado & Espana, 2008). He is a professor at Harvard Business School and world-renowned change expert. His eight step change process is commonly used by multinational companies when there is a need of change from top level to bottom level. Majority of the leaders follow the eight- step process for the successful change implementation. Create a sense of urgency The change plan which Kevin proposed has only details of changes that should take place, but very less is mentioned about why those should happen. Except in the case of Disaster Duds

KEVIN YU CHANGE PROPOSAL clothing, where he mentioned that it is selling poorly, nowhere else did he mention the reasons for his proposed changes to be implemented. Only reasons backed by data help to create the urgency to implement any change plan. John Kotters suggested identifying threats and building scenarios so the company management understands the need for change. But in Kevins proposal there no mention of threats and no explanation of scenarios are done. Wilde Wear management team will not be able to get the degree of urgency for the changes to be implemented. And with no mention supporter of the change plan, Wilde Wears management team may not feel urgency. Form a Powerful Coalition Kevin has done well by asking Serjit to support his change plan. Since Serjit has worked in different departments of the company and also in different locations, his words will trusted by the Wilde Wear management team. But before going to the directors meeting Kevin should discuss in more detail with Serjit about his change plan. This will help Serjit to understand the plan well and be prepared with his own thoughts supporting the plan.

But according to the available information Kevin did not discuss the plan with Serjit adequately. He could only tell what the overall situation in the company is. So not knowing what Serjit thinks of his change plan may affect their coalition. As a closing note, Kevin selected a right person for coalition but did not empower him enough information about the change plan. Create a Vision for Change In context of John Kotters Model, Kevins change proposal is a vision for change. In Kevins proposal there is a central idea on which he proposed his changes. After going through the

KEVIN YU CHANGE PROPOSAL

change proposal Wilde Wears management will have idea about central theme / vision on which Kevin proposed his change. Communicate the Vision Kevin is going to communicate his change plan with the Board of directors at CEO office in Toronto. Once it is approved by the management he should follow the William Bridges model of Transition for the better performance. Remove Obstacles Kevins proposal will have obstacles from the people who believe greatly in the current company processes. Kevin has to change them from the position or explain the need to review the old processes and change. CEO could a key important person who could be obstacle. Create Short-term Wins According to Kotter, achievement encourages someone more than anything. In my point of view Kevin has to create short term goals and motive everyone to reach the goals in a way top level management will realize the need of change. Build on the Change After winning the short-term goals, Wild Wear can observe positive result; management will encourage the change for the better results like expansion of call centre branches, manufacturing new products and more investment in research and development. Anchor the Changes in Corporate Culture:

KEVIN YU CHANGE PROPOSAL Finally, seeing the success after implementing the change it should be the part of organisation policies or process in future.

Conclusion: After analysing the three models, I feel majority of elements in the John Kotters model match to the Kevin Yu change proposal in Wild Wear Corporation compare to other models.

KEVIN YU CHANGE PROPOSAL

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References Anonymous. (nd). William bridges. Stratagies for managing change. Retrieved on July 06th 2011 from http://www.strategies-for-managing-change.com/william-bridges.html Amundson, W. (2004). Appreciative inquiry. The canadian association. Retrieved on July 06th 2011 from http://www.axi.ca/tca/jan2004/facilitationrole_1.shtml Chapman, A. (2010). Change management. Business balls. Retrieved on July 06th 2011 from http://www.businessballs.com/changemanagement.htm Jager, P. (2004). Managing change. Retrieved on July 06th 2011 from http://www.technobility.com/docs/menu-managing-change.htm