Supporting Change in Business: Principles and Explanation

Unit four: Principles of supporting change in a business environment

Assessment

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Please note that this Assessment document has 3 pages and is made up of 3 Sections.

Name: MARIUS LUCIAN DAN

Section 1 – Understand why change happens in a business environment

1. Explain why change happens in a business environment. You should include at least three reasons in your answer.

In today business world the only things that is consistent is “change”. Change is natural and essential in a business.

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The change can came from inside or from outside the business. When external driving forces influence the business we have reactive changes and when internal forces affects the business we call them proactive changes.

External driving forces are those kind of things, situation, events that occur outside of the company and are by and large beyond of the control of the business. Examples of external driving forces are: financial crises, changing government lows and regulations, political interference, competitions etc. Examples of internal driving forces which can create
proactive changes are: upgrading the office software, introducing new technology, launching a new product on the market etc.

The reasons for change can be: political (changes in government and government policy); economic (economic growth, interest rates, level of unemployment); social (changes such as ageing population, cultural issues such as attitudes to work, health, religion); technological; legal; environmental (effects of global warming, concerns over protecting the environment).

Whatever are internal or external forces, one thing is certain: the change will occur. A business must adapt to all this changes, be flexible and willing to respond to them in appropriate way.

Without change your internal/external customers will not stay satisfied with the service/s they receive; the company will not be able to meet its targets/objectives and consequently for some companies there will no longer be the need for the business to exist.

Section 2 – Understand the purpose of supporting change in a business environment

1. Identify the main reasons for reviewing working methods, products and / or services in a business environment.

The reason of reviewing working methods, products and services, is to ensure that the business will develop and to aid the organisation’s continuous improvement, which enhances the organisation’s competitive position, allowing it to adapt to change when needed.

In a business environment nothing remains the same and therefore it is likely that there will be continual review of its working methods, products or services to ensure that they are still be suitable and efficient.

A company will want to review its services and products, so that it keeps up
to date with the expectations of its customers. This will ensure the company to be competitive and/or meet its targets/objectives.

A change to a service or product offered by the company could mean that related procedures need to be reviewed to ensure they are still relevant. In most businesses there is a continual process of reviewing the working methods or services and making changes to improve them, followed by a review of this changes and then making further amendments as needed.

2. When a business is going through change:

a) Describe the different types of support that people may need.

Some people adapt to change very well and others don’t. Where as some people thrive on the challenge of something new, others may worry about it and can become very negative. If team members feel valued and well supported during a change, they are more likely to adapt quickly and be more open to accept what need to be done.

Good communication can really help people accept a change more easily and quicker. The person implementing a change will hopefully give everyone plenty of info and also get everyone involved as a team to help make decisions

Training and time are also important support measures that people will need to adapt during a change. Not everyone will be able to change over night. They may take time to learn how to complete something new and also need training to be able to do so.

Other ways of supporting the team can be: mentoring, coaching, giving and receiving constructive feedback as well as advice on employment issues and pay and conditions. All this support can be provided through different methods, like one-to-one sessions, delegating work tasks, work shadowing, job sharing, team briefings and trade union meetings.

b) Explain the benefits of working with others.

Working with others really helps to keep a positive outlook to changes. Working together as a team will provide the support and collective knowledge which will help when change may become more challenging. As mentioned before, people often adapt to change better if there is a strong informal input.

It is important to remember that to support and work with colleagues effectively you will need to keep a positive outlook. Moaning and continual criticism of what you are doing will not support others at all.

Working with others can have a lot of benefits like: finding out what is happening and what is going to change, as well as sharing workloads, learning and experience. By encouraging others to develop their knowledge and skills, as well as maintaining a personal network of contacts, helps to motivate each other.

Section 3 – Understand how to respond to change in a business environment

1. In relation to your current business environment (or one that you are familiar with):

a) Explain why you should respond positively to changes in working methods.

A positive response to changes in working methods is important, so as to support not only the company but also colleagues in adapting to this changes. In my current position working as a care officer, the use of a Diary Handover sheet was introduced, to improve better communication between staff, as well as better documentation of events/issues that occurred each day. Prior to this, staff passed noted to each other, which could easily get lost and did not document clearly each day’s occurrences for management to follow. This forced me and my colleagues to record occurrences in formal way. If I opposed the change, colleagues and management would not find relevant information from my shift and could create confusion and waste
their time in investigating occurrences which not recorded.

b) Explain why you should respond positively to changes in products or services.

If I did not respond positively to new products or services, it could to lead to conflict with managers trying to improve the service or product and be perceived by customers in a negative light. It could also create delays and create confusion amongst colleagues, if the change did not move forward.

c) Identify ways of responding positively to change.

The first positive action you can take is to look at the way you view change. Think of the change as an opportunity to gain new skills, improve your working procedures and even achieve career progression. Also, have willingness to learn new skills and procedures and to teach others.

Attend any training available with a positive attitude, the more knowledge you have the easier you will find doing something new.

Support colleagues if they are struggling, this is a great opportunity to demonstrate different skills to your colleagues.

Don’t get drawn into negative conversations, this will not make you or others feel good about the situation.

Think of ways to move forward, seek support from a manager or colleague if you think you need it.

Even now my company is at the risk of being closed down because the county council wants to save money and cut social services, I went today to a training about Translating and interpreting languages and cultures in working with people from different backgrounds. And that’s because must go on and I want to keep myself positive and constructive.

Once you have completed all 3 Sections of this Assessment, go to www.vision2learn.com and send your work to your tutor for marking.