Strategic Change
This refers to implementing vital changes to the crucial aspects of the business, such as responding to new opportunities and threats within the markets. The role of ensuring a successful strategic change within the organization always lies on the upper management and the executives because the leaders of the company are the ones who are responsible for the identification of the mission and the desired goals that the organization seeks to achieve in the long run (Henry, 2021). Therefore, they undertake the change management process while adhering to a specific structural format, like using change management models, which enhances the thoughtful implementation of organizational plans. In the case of LPHY, the organization could pursue a strategic change in innovation. This involves using various resources and skills to develop new ideas and enhance the current offerings within the company. The process is essential as it allows the company to meet the ever-changing and unique demands of the customers (Bogers et al., 2019). The innovation process requires lots of investment in research and development programs and testing new ideas to identify the risks since only some ideas will likely generate the desired financial outcome or accord the organization the intended success. Despite this, most managers always continue to offer their customers new and exciting services or products or a service that will provide the users some value in the long term.
The innovative strategic change that LPHY can implement is an initiative of digital transformation which involves the leveraging of technologies as well as digital platforms to enhance the process and efforts of fundraising, promote efficiencies in the operations of the organization and increase the engagement of the communities (Peter et al., 2020). This organization can achieve this by embracing a digital tool such as a mobile application that provides convenience and accessible platforms for the volunteers, beneficiaries, and donors, allowing them to engage with the LPHY at all times. The management should ensure that the application contains features like an easy option to donate, register for an event, schedule volunteering sessions, and ready access to resources and information. This approach will be ideal for the organization as it will enhance the experiences of the users and increase their engagement leading to the overall growth of the organization’s activities because the strategic change will empower LPHY by ensuring it can achieve its goal of increased fundraising, supporting the best hospice care for the locals and doubling the total number of its shops.
Model of Change Management
Strategic Transformation Model
The change management model refers to the methodologies, theories, and concepts that provide a detailed approach to the changes in an organization. The models are always vital because they offer a clear guidance plan to the company in ensuring that the change-making process is efficient and there is effective navigation through the transformation process (Peter et al., 2020). Furthermore, it ensures that the proposed changes are acceptable and are being practiced within the organization. LPHY can adopt McKinsey 7.5 approach as the model of strategic transformation because the model is used to offer some guidance to the intended approach of change for the initiative of digital transformation. The strategic model of transformation contains seven interconnected elements that must be aligned to ensure success in the operational changes of the organization.
Strategy
LPHY needs to clearly define the strategic goals of the digital transformation initiative because it will help in aligning the organization’s operations to the mission and the organization’s overall goals (Chauhan et al., 2022). The organization should also state clearly how digital platforms and technologies could assist the organization in achieving its mission successfully. A good example is the goal of the digital transformation initiative, which could be to develop a mobile application that will bring together all the stakeholders involved in the organization’s activities to increase fundraising and double the total number of its shops.
Structure
The structure of an organization plays a significant role in determining its operations and activities. That is why LPHY needs to assess the current organizational structure to determine any changes required to support the digital transformation process. This could involve the creation of some new roles within the organization, such as the role of an I.T. support staff and restructuring of the available teams to ensure that it remains competitive and achieves its overall goals. The restructuring process could involve downsizing the staff to ensure that it retains the necessary talents, which seek to enhance the organization’s operations (Kraus et al., 2021). The most effective approach for LPHY would be a cross-functional collaborative approach, which happens when individuals in different departments work in teams to ensure that they achieve the company’s overall goal. This approach is practical because it will leverage the workers’ existing skills, which are diverse, and ensure that the team members share their specialized ideas and knowledge for brainstorming. In the long run, the company will be able to address the barriers that make it challenging to achieve the intended objectives.
Systems
After identifying the digital transformation initiative, LPHY could locate the critical digital systems, processes, and tools needed to support the whole digital transformation process (Nadkarni and Prügl, 2021). In this case, the organization will develop a mobile application that will involve selecting and integrating the best software applications, ensuring that there are cyber security measures, and establishing protocols for managing data.
Skills
The company needs to evaluate its set of skills and identify the prevailing gaps that need to be addressed to ensure that the initiative of digital transformation is supported (Brunetti et al., 2020). The management will therefore need to offer the existing workforce the training and development they need so that they can be digitally literate and have the technical capability to navigate through the digital transformation initiative.
Style
The other important aspect that is commonly ignored yet affects the initiatives of digital transformation is the leadership style. A successful digital transformation initiative requires that the leadership initiates an innovative culture of adaptability and continuous learning (Nadkarni and Prügl, 2021). Leaders need to act as champions of change who inspire and motivate their employees so that they can embrace digital transformations. A transformational approach to leadership would go a long way in this case as it seeks to enhance the motivation of the workers. This encourages them to be productive at all times and attain the organization’s stated goals. That means the CEO must always motivate the workers by offering them external incentives such as bonuses and recognition for their work or using other internal motivating techniques to ensure they are psyched enough for their roles.
Shared Values
The management should also revisit and reinforce LPHY values of agility, professionalism, teamwork, and agility and ensure that these goals align with the digital transformation initiative (Brunetti et al., 2020). The management should also improve its communication approaches and provide all the workers understanding of the benefits of using technologies to strengthen their values and support the organization’s mission, which is to offer the best hospice care for the locals.
The People-Centric Model of Organization Change
This model of change will be efficient at LPHY because of its potential to address any resistance and promote overall acceptance within an organization. The approach could enhance changes in communication at the management level by ensuring that the leadership establishes a consistent and clear communication channel within the organization (Kwame and Petrucka, 2021). This will ensure that the stakeholders are updated about the benefits, rationale, and progress of implementing the digital transformation initiative. It will also allow the leadership to address any concerns from the stakeholders or staff, offer them regular updates on the initiative’s implementation, and create a platform for dialogues that promotes feedback within the organization (Manley and Jackson, 2019). The approach also ensures that the company implements structures that allow for employee inclusion and overall participation in the company’s activities at all levels of the change process. This ensures they can give their input and participate actively because they will be empowered to provide suggestions and ideas on the whole process. This promotes a change in the attitude of the workers and accords them with some ownership of the entire digital transformation initiative.
The management can also ensure that the workers receive the required training and support, which assists the workers to have the necessary skills and build their confidence through continuous practice even as they implement the new transformation (Abey et al., 2022). Such is achievable through workshops, resources, and programs of mentorship, which enhance smooth transitions within the organization during the change process. In addition, the management can introduce a system that rewards and acknowledges the efforts of the workers who demonstrate adaptability and commitment to the changes (Cavaco et al., 2023). Celebrating the workers’ success and allowing them to share their success stories will showcase the positive impact of the changes, motivating the employees to be proactive. Furthermore, the management can choose some change agents and empower them to be champions of the digital transformation initiative. The agents are vital as they will be the role models who offer guidance and inspire others to embrace the new changes.
Addressing Resistance to Organizational Change
Individual and organizational resistance to this new plan could arise because of mistrust and the need for more confidence within the workforce in the new change initiative. The other causes of resistance within the organization involve poor approaches to communication, the fear of failure within the workforce, and unrealistic deadlines for delivery (Friedman & Ormiston, 2022). The organization can, therefore, have cultural behavior of constantly assuring their employees to have some confidence in the new digital transformation initiative, which seeks to enhance their role and expand the organization’s impact instead of laying them off. By emphasizing the need for a new set of skills and training the workers, the employees will feel supported and quickly adapt to the changing environment at the workplace (Moradi et al., 2021). This will help to address the fear that they may lose their job by encouraging them to be flexible enough to adopt a new set of skills.
To address the resistance to the new technologies as a result of a lack of confidence and trust in the new initiative of change, the management can organize a comprehensive training program for the workers, which will ensure that they receive the knowledge and skills that will provide the alleviation of any barriers and technological fears (Markard et al., 2020). The training programs will also offer the workers the resources and assistance they need to assist other staff to be proficient and comfortable while using the new digital tool to interact with stakeholders and execute the operations of the organizations. LPHY can also involve its workforce in the decision-making process by seeking their opinions and input on the aspects that need to be improved. This approach will allow for transparent and open communications, which will help build the workforce’s trust. It will also ensure that the workers own the new development by participating in the whole process of change (Cichosz et al., 2020). In cases where the resistance results from the lack of understanding of the new initiatives, the management can address the challenge by communicating to the workers why the change is needed in the organization. Communicating will create some clarity that will handle all the misconceptions by allowing the staff to ask as many questions as possible and air their concerns regarding the whole initiative of change.
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