Stressful Experience of Workplace Change - Essay Example

Owing to the size of the firm, there were numerous entities involved in the acquisitions. The board ruled that the human resource and technical departments would be restructured to accommodate new employees from acquired firms as well as fresh recruits who were required to support expansion. Some employees were laid off based on qualifications and suitability to the new agenda, and the board was also recomposed to accommodate high-ranking members of acquired organizations. During this period, a majority of employees were faced with uncertainty regarding the security of their jobs and constantly sought reassurances from their supervisors.

Having realized that a new organizational blueprint required new approaches, the board adopted various leadership strategies to support the change. First, all employees were given prompt notifications of impending changes and advised on how to conduct themselves in the face of restructuring. Through managers, the board ensured that all employees understood the implications of the new changes. In addition, a transformational leadership style was used to manage staff by keeping them motivated despite feelings of job insecurity. The changes took almost a year to implement, mainly because the acquisitions were numerous and also involved complex regulatory and commercial factors.

The positive results of this change were greater market share for the company, more international recognition, an increase in shareholder value, and expanded human resource and technical capacity, and greater access to financing. The negative results were negative connotations created by the laying off of workers, increased bureaucratic challenges inspired by a bigger organizational profile, and more regulatory challenges and scrutiny necessitated by the numerous acquisitions carried out within a short period.

Major Mistakes and Recommendations:

1) Trying to act like a Victim. Having found it difficult to adapt to new workplace dynamics and faced with the uncertainty of the changes taking place, I started behaving in a way that attracted pity from my colleagues and supervisor. They were not pleased because they faced the same challenges and did not seek sympathy from anyone. In this case, I should have accepted the changes and remained committed to my duties while waiting for any crucial developments to occur (Dievernich, Gong, & Tokarski, 2014).

2) Refusing to Change. Rather than adapt, I refused to embrace the changes. I should have accepted the fact that organizations must change and demonstrated – to my colleagues and seniors – that I was ready to deliver regardless of prevailing conditions (Hayes, 2014).

3) Picking the wrong Battles. This was mainly borne out of frustration and fear of change. Instead of maintaining focus and rationality in my work, I regularly lashed out at my colleagues whenever I felt aggrieved by anything. The recommended strategy is to remain calm, composed, and focused, especially by maintaining a normal demeanor (Hartel & Fujimoto, 2014).