The change readiness and needs assessment report seek to review the organization’s existing employee engagement and any subsequent changes. The report further analyses employees’ ability and willingness to adopt any changes. It also discusses and highlights various capabilities, the employees’ willingness to adapt to the changes, and if any existing barriers or challenges are being experienced. All these results from poor communication within the organization and the use of outdated technologies to undertake their business operations.
Employee Confidence Within the Organization
The organization is currently experiencing low employee engagement; as such, they have low confidence. According to the survey, only 40 percent of the employees have confidence in the organization’s current leadership. The 40 percent believe that the organization’s leadership is open, honest, and transparent.
If the organization desires to make any changes regarding their employees’ confidence and engagement, they need to improve their engagement and gain a confident team. From the survey undertaken within the organization. Forty percent of the employees trust the leadership. Only 20 percent are familiar with the organization’s values and mission. According to Machado et al.(2021), for any organization to implement changes, they need to focus on the collaborative nature of its organizational structures.
From the analysis and survey undertaken, it is clear that most employees, in one way or another other, do not feel comfortable with the organization’s current direction and position. They believe that the organization is currently not competing and is not seeking any forms of development as it is. The middle management is open, transparent, and aligned to supporting the change initiatives. Therefore, if any changes are to be initiated within the organization, then middle management needs to be involved. With the current low employee engagement and confidence in the top echelon of leadership, middle managers will prove important in bridging the existing gap. Conversely, the key communication and coordination managers have illustrated competence and a wide range of communication skills. They are both skilled in the execution of changes within the organization.
The urgency level is low among employees. While the management understands the need for change, only a small percentage of workers understand the need. According to Lindberg & Dhaher (2022), Korter’s first step towards change is to create a climate for change or a sense of urgency. In situations where change is imminent, the management should dramatically and successfully communicate about the change throughout the organization. The communication should clearly highlight the significance of the change and instill motivation in employees. From the survey, only 35 percent of the employees reported having heard of changes through a formal communication channel (Machado et al., 2021). Due to the limited communication, most of the employees have minimal understanding of the urgency held by other stakeholders. Lack of motivation and inaction among the employees may lead to the failure of the project. Employee involvement through the change process increases the likelihood of its success (Lindberg & Dhaher, 2022). There is a need to step up and improve that area with constant messaging from the top echelon of management. Constant communication creates an urgency for change among employees. It is also important for them to build their trust through the continued use of emails and meetings.
Based on the low urgency levels, most of the employees are not ready for change. Change readiness refers to the measure of confidence that employees and stakeholders have in their ability to adapt and sustain change. Changes within the organization affect stakeholders and employees to different degrees depending on their status in the entity. Consequently, some of the workers may accept change while others resist it. Poorly communicated information regarding the planned change causes a high degree of resistance among employees. The resistance worsens if the change directly impacts their roles or lives.
Resistance to change occurs when employees and other stakeholders perceive that the change may negatively impact them or the organization. Such consequences include loss of status, loss of power, fear, and organizational harm. An organization can experience two kinds of resistance, including peer-focused dissent and ambivalence. Ambivalence workers vocalize both a struggle and a move toward change. Hence, they experience negative and positive emotions regarding different change aspects. Also, their feelings may change with time. This kind of resistance is evidenced in the company. Some employees are content with the current team structure but desire improvement in different areas. The other form of resistance is peer-focused dissent. This form of resistance occurs when people become discontent with the change but do not talk about it for fear of being termed as troublemakers. The employees, therefore, remain silent and reluctant to change, but they do not challenge it.
Cultural differences
Significant disparities and cultural differences exist between Singapore and the United States branches. While employees within the United States branch have constant communications and frequent exchanges among leaders, the Singapore branch is more individualistic. Therefore, there is a need to bridge the gap through constant communication to help overcome the existing gap (Gigliotti et al., 2021). Conversely, Singapore focuses on long-term investments, whereas the United States branch is aligned with short-term goals and objectives.
Reference
Gigliotti, R., Vardaman, J., Marshall, D. R., & Gonzalez, K. (2019). The role of perceived organizational support in individual change readiness. Journal of Change Management, 19(2), 86-100.
Machado, C. G., Winroth, M., Almström, P., Ericson Öberg, A., Kurdve, M., & AlMashalah, S. (2021). Digital organizational readiness: experiences from manufacturing companies. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 32(9), 167-182.
Lindberg, O., & Dhaher, H. A. (2022). A Change within a Change: A study of how a Scandinavian bank was challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic while moving operations abroad.
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