3.6 - Managing Change (only 2 and 3 so far)

Question 1

4 factors affecting business change

Answer 1

Organisational culture
Organisational size
Resistance to change
Pace of change

Question 2

Organisational culture

Answer 2

The personality and character commonly referred to ‘the way things are done here’.
Made up of shared values, beliefs and assumptions about how people behave both personally and professionally.

Question 3

Strong organisational culture

Answer 3

Supports employee engagement and ownership of change.
When employees feel valued and part of a supportive culture their more likely to embrace change and work to implement it successfully.

Question 4

Size of the Organisation

Answer 4

Larger organisations = complex structures, so change is more difficult to implement.
Communication is difficult due to sheer number of people involved.

Question 5

Pace of change

Answer 5

Important to find a pace of change that is appropriate for the situation and takes in needs and concerns of all stakeholders involved.

Question 6

If pace of change is too fast

Answer 6

Resistance from overwhelmed workers who feel unprepared.
May not properly be though through or planned, resulting in poor execution.
Difficult to communicate effectively all stakeholders leading to misunderstandings and confusion.

Question 7

If pace of change is too slow

Answer 7

Lack of adaptability and innovation.
Loss of momentum leading to delays, or even the abandonment of change.
Communication efforts becoming stagnant leading to disinterest and disengagement.

Question 8

Stakeholders who are resistant to change

Answer 8

Employees
Owners
Customers
Suppliers

Question 9

Employees resistance to change

Answer 9

Worry about job security and work environment.

Question 10

Owners resistance to change

Answer 10

Changing their current processes may cause disruption to daily operations and affect productivity.

Question 11

Customers resistance to change

Answer 11

Hesitant to try something new or unfamiliar.
Fear of loosing something they value.

Question 12

Suppliers resistance to change

Answer 12

Reluctant to change their processes or systems.
May lead to a decrease in quality or additional costs.

Question 13

Scenario planning

Answer 13

The process of anticipating possible changes in a business’s situation and devising ways of dealing with them.

Question 14

Risk assessment

Answer 14

Where a business identifies, evaluates and prioritises risks and the precautions that may be taken to protect them.

Question 15

3 hazards commonly covered by business risk assessments

Answer 15

Natural disasters
IT systems failure
Loss of key staff.

Question 16

Natural disasters

Answer 16

Unpredictable and impact can be devastating to business operations.
Identify and implement measures to reduce risk (e.g. evacuation plans).

Question 17

IT systems failure

Answer 17

Data breaches when confidential data is lost due to cyberattack, human error or negligence.
Downtime can result in a reduction in productivity.

Question 18

Loss of key staff

Answer 18

Can influence the morale of remaining employees as well as the culture and direction if the business.

Question 19

Business continuity planning process

Answer 19

Risk assessment - identifying potential risks.
Impact analysis - potential impact of these events.
Strategy development - approaches taken to respond to disruption
Plan development - Steps taken in the event of a disruption.
Testing and training - ensures the plan is effective and all stakeholders understand roles and responsibilities.
Maintenance and review - regular review and updating of plan to ensure it remains relevant and effective.

Question 20

Succession planning

Answer 20

Identifying and developing current employees who have the potential to move into key roles in the future.