Examining Change in Action - Research Paper Example

 1. In using the term “tempered radicals”, Meyerson refers to individuals within an organization who function as agents of change by working quietly in different ways at the grass roots level, to challenge their organization’s conventional thinking patterns and provoking an adaptation of culture to bring about the necessary changes. 2. The two ways in which organizations change is by (a) bringing about drastic changes, wherein change is introduced suddenly, being forced upon the organization by factors in the external environment which cannot be controlled or (b) evolutionary adaptation wherein the change is introduced gently and gradually and is continuous over a period of time. 3. Disruptive self expression Strategic alliance building Change is instigated largely at individual level Change instigated by working with others Change is subtle, instigated by individual style Change is extensive, brought about by teamwork 4. Characteristics of a tempered radical: (a) Is able to recognize what’s wrong as the organization and the need for change (b) works quietly and subtly on an individual basis to instigate the change (c) Is able to bring about the changes needed through self expression and through interaction with others in order to influence them and make them aware of the need for change (d) Firm in terms of their commitment t bring about the desired change, yet flexible in the means they use to achieve these changes (e) Able to use mundane means to quietly bring about change in small increments throughout the organization 5. The challenges that Williams Sonoma faced in its crusade for change were as follows: (a) the catalog and retail divisions worked independently, with separate distribution systems, vendors, buyers and points of contact, hence instituting supply services for goods ordered on the Internet on a non-division based basis was difficult (b) the need for additional training at retail outlets in packaging individual units and orders as compared to supply of bulk orders for retail outlets (c) the internal resistance to an Internet based approach because of the huge financial investments which were envisaged without a ROI in sight (d) Several earlier marketing initiatives had failed so the executive team was resistant to change (e) the realization that significant effort would be need for promotion of the initiative (f) Implementing a real time integration between the Internet and the stores (g) the lack of available experience within the team of individuals with the knowledge of the digital environment (h) the need for greater organizational capabilities because most of the people involved were working on other projects in the company (i) the need for additional funding and a strong commitment from the executive to center the organization around the Internet concept 6. The Vice President, Patrick Connolly, could be considered an example of a tempered radical, because he was the first one to recognize the potential inherent in the Internet and the need for the organizational policies and practices to be changed such that it could also include Internet based activity. He may be classed under the category of strategic building type of tempered radical, because he has executed his ideas with the help of his associates and other important members in the organization. Connolly had begun to see the potential in the Internet from as far back as 1997, but faced resistance from the executive who could not conceive of the Internet as a serious business tool, especially after the failure of the kiosks. But Connolly persisted, slowly gathering team support by assembling an Internet task Force which consisted of various other vice Presidents who also shared his enthusiasm for the Internet and were willing to consider an Internet initiative, and he engaged in brainstorming with this team to look into how such a venture could be funded. He was also instrumental in determining how funds could be channelled and into which area they should be directed, i.e., the weddings registry. In this way, he gradually gathered support for Internet operations to be launched in one segment of the organization and he achieved this objective by influencing others and seeking their cooperation. 7. The pilot project wherein a website was built, offering 20 Williams Sonoma products for Mother’s Day 1998. This experience was valuable to Williams Sonoma because it enabled the testing of the Internet as a medium to sell products at a cost that was not prohibitive because it was instituted on a limited time basis for a limited range of products. While the products did not generate a substantial amount of revenue, it did prove that customers of the Company were willing to buy the company’s products online, thereby justifying an investment into proper packaging and distribution of products ordered and instituting necessary arrangement and training to achieve those ends. The value of a pilot project to a Company is that it allows an organization to test-run a new marketing approach and to guage whether or not it is successful. It allows a small investment to be made at the initial stage so that in the event that the venture is not successful, the losses are not great. If the pilot project succeeds however, then it justifies a greater investment into a larger scale operation because the chances of success are multiplied. 8. The tempered change strategies are as follows: (a) Disruptive self expression: This is the change undertaken on an individual basis where there is a quiet self expression that disrupts others’ expectations. The individual functions as a source for gossip for others at first, then slowly becomes a model for others to also take up the change. (b) Verbal jujitsu: In this strategy, an individual responds with calmness, control and intelligence to the negative remarks, slights, verbal or physical aggression of colleagues. In this way, managers can ensure that valuable employees who may otherwise become the target of ridicule for different reasons would be provided with some support and protection, so that this can form the basis for instituting change in company policies towards different employees. (c) variable term opportunism: This kind of strategy requires organizational executives to remain creatively open to potential opportunities that could come along to institute proactive and favourable change. By recognizing such short term, serendipitous opportunities, an organization is able to benefit from them by immediately instituting the necessary changes to take advantage of such opportunities. (d) strategic alliance building: This strategy requires individuals within the organization who recognize the need for change to work in a sustained team work with other individuals in order to bring about the necessary changes. Such an approach is necessarily team based rather than instituted through radical individual action, the individual desiring the change seeks to slowly and continually persuade others to switch over to his or her way of doing things. An example of such a person is the 2. Patrick Connolly can be characterized as an effective agent of change, he is the first person who has seen the potential inherent in the Internet and brought it to the attention of the other executives. He has used the strategy building strategy and sought to slowly influence other executives around to his way of thinking. The greatest barrier he faced was the resistance of other executives who were afraid that the investment in the Internet would prove to be a loss. Furthermore the lack of success with the kiosks had also dampened the enthusiasm for further similar investments. Connolly was able to overcome these barriers by his persistence and continuous interaction with other executives to bring them around to his way of thinking. He convinced them to try a pilot project to test the efficacy of the Internet as a marketing tool and provided continuous support and encouragement to keep the venture going. The President Lester’s entrepreneurial classes also revealed the extent of enthusiasm existing among young people for the Internet, which prompted the President to agree to implement it in one division – the Weddings site. Michael Dunn was able to take up the challenge by keeping two objectives in mind to ensure that the substantial investment required for the project would come forth: (a) to ensure that the operation produced adequate scope for extending the brand of the company (b) ensure that it was not a drain on the organization’s finances. One of the major challenges he had to face was the integration of the Internet and the stores, so that the distribution, marketing and packaging was tailored to meet the requirements of individual orders rather than being sent in bulk to retail outlets. The company chosen to implement the website further underestimated the costs, so that fresh estimates were out forward at triple the original cost. There were delays and bottlenecks as new packages were negotiated with the executive, but Dunn helped to develop a plan that capitalized on the existing strengths such as the call center and customer service reps, as well as the knowledge on management of demand curves, but new business processes had to be designed to fill in the gaps where knowledge, skills and processes were lacking, such that each department could be integrated into the Internet operations. The challenges still remaining for Nandkeolyar to face include confronting internal organizational obstacles and resistance, so that the company recognized and valued e-commerce as an essential part of its business strategy. Additionally he also needs to ensure that Williams Sonoma is able to secure a dominant position in the web marketplace, so that its sales levels can be ensured rather than being jousted out by some other company. He is a new radical who has been imported into the organization, so he has to ensure that his lack of knowledge about the brand in implementing his new policies will not compromise the existing brand. The remaining change frameworks that need to be executed include the seamless integration of the various departments with the Internet to strengthen the e-commerce division of the organization. There is also the need to implement a separate e-inventory for the products being sold through e-commerce. Once Williams Sonoma has been brought completely online, the next challenge is to ensure that the sense of urgency during e-commerce implementation is maintained, with the thrust being driven towards sales. References: Moss Kanter, R, 2001. “E-commerce at Williams-Sonoma”, Cambridge: Harvard Business School Press. Meyerson, Debra E, 2001. “Radical change: the quiet way”, Harvard Business Review, pp 92-100 Read More