7-2 Final Project Milestone Three: Kotter\’s Steps 5 and 6-Change Plan-Nursing Paper Examples

Change Plan (Leadership Change Plan-Nursing Paper Examples)

Kotter’s steps 5 and 6 can be used to navigate leadership change in Alaska Airlines, which has experienced a downward shift in operations in recent years. Lagi and Abocejo (2021) illustrate that step 5 of the model constitutes enabling action by removing barriers, which involves establishing a smooth path for the operations of employees toward the new vision. Every obstacle that may hinder their operations, such as bureaucracy, should be removed to ensure the successful pursuit of the organizational vision (Leadership Change Plan-Nursing Paper Examples).

Consequently, step 5 of the model requires change managers to recognize and reinforce short-term wins to motivate employees to realize further wins (Laig & Abocejo, 2021). The change manager should recognize and embrace short-term wins, such as a reduction in luggage mishandling at the airport, which must be reinforced to ensure positive progress towards the change vision (Leadership Change Plan-Nursing Paper Examples).

E. Enable Action by Removing Barriers

Forces, Barriers, and Hindrances

The barriers to organizational change include inadequate clarity of the change initiative, whereby the change managers inadequately explain the context of the change initiative based on organizational capabilities (Lauer, 2020). The change managers may fail to explain the need for the change initiative, its implications, and the strategies that must be implemented to achieve the expected change, creating mix-ups and laxity in implementing the initiative (Leadership Change Plan-Nursing Paper Examples).

Besides, ineffective communication also impedes change efforts by affecting the passage of vital information about the change effort across organizational levels. Li et al. (2021) explain that poor communication channels make it challenging to address employee concerns in the airline company, contributing to the misalignment of the change initiative objectives with the organizational needs.

Moreover, Lauer (2020) illustrates that inadequate strategy management, such as the establishment of unrealistic timelines and milestones, impedes the implementation of the change effort. The change managers may fail to establish holistic approaches to managing the strategic objectives of the change effort, forcing the employees to operate beyond their capacity and leading to poor implementation of the change initiative (Leadership Change Plan-Nursing Paper Examples).

Finally, the organization may have a culture that is resistant to change owing to adverse outcomes experienced in the previous efforts to implement a change effort (Lauer, 2020). Employees in such organizations may feel uncomfortable embracing the new vision, leading to challenges such as sabotage and non-cooperation when implementing the change (Leadership Change Plan-Nursing Paper Examples).

Resistance

Organizational resistance to change is compounded by signs such as internal power struggles among the top management on how to implement the change effectively. The conflicts are attributed to inadequate trust among the leaders, making it challenging to agree on a single strategy. Li et al. (2021) illustrate that effective and open communication channels can prevent organizational conflicts and enhance the establishment of trustful and collaborative relationships among the top management (Leadership Change Plan-Nursing Paper Examples).

Besides, reinforcement of bureaucratic organizational structures can signal resistance to the change initiative. Bureaucratic leadership structures rely on a command structure based on strict policies and regulations that do not allow flexibility for the change initiative. Lauer (2020) explains that change efforts succeed across organizations with flexible structures and policies to accommodate every aspect of the change effort. This type of resistance can be resolved by establishing a commission within the organization to establish flexible structures and policies for implementing the change initiative (Leadership Change Plan-Nursing Paper Examples).

Moreover, resistance to change can be recognized through employee concerns about job security and personality needs, which influence individual resistance. Employees raising such issues may be unwilling to embrace the change effort for fear of being laid off by the new Airline’s management. In this case, the resistance can be eliminated by exclusively assuring employees of their job security and establishing effective communication channels to update employees on the progress of the change effort (Yue et al., 2019) (Leadership Change Plan-Nursing Paper Examples).

Enable and Empower

The employees can embrace and drive the change effort by establishing a culture of trust. Trustful relationships assure employees of their value to the change effort and can be reinforced through honest feedback (Yue et al., 2019). Besides, the organization should support employee growth opportunities by allowing employee mentorship and training programs to equip them with the skills relevant to the change initiative (Leadership Change Plan-Nursing Paper Examples).

Such opportunities empower employees, enhancing their competency and confidence in executing the change effort objectives and milestones. Moreover, Ali and Anwar (2021) observe that the organization should establish a reward system at every step of the change effort to appreciate employees for accomplishing specific milestones (Leadership Change Plan-Nursing Paper Examples).

For example, awarding the Airline’s employees for improved luggage handling can motivate them to improve and maintain consistency, resulting in improved organizational outcomes. Finally, the organization should show empathy and compassion to the employees, assuring them that their interests are catered for within the change effort (Lauer, 2020). Compassion and empathy strengthen the employees’ emotional and professional health, enabling them to cope with potential challenges associated with the change effort (Leadership Change Plan-Nursing Paper Examples).

F. Generate Short-Term Wins

Short-term

The short-term wins will be generated by creating short-term goals, which can constitute milestones that build on the primary vision of the change effort (Rousseau & ten Have, 2022). For example, the change managers at the airline company can encourage employees to focus on time management within the first three months of change effort implementation. Such short-term goals can inform and reinforce the progress of the change initiative, enabling the employees to maintain a positive momentum toward the change (Leadership Change Plan-Nursing Paper Examples).

The win should be rewarded through recognition and bonuses to motivate the employees to increase the momentum in driving change (Ali & Anwar, 2021). Additionally, short-term wins can be generated by allocating adequate resources towards specific milestones of the change effort. Lauer (2020) observes that resource availability motivates employees to achieve milestone goals by eliminating excuses that may be raised to justify non-performance. The win can be rewarded through rewards and a guarantee of adequate resources for completing subsequent milestones (Leadership Change Plan-Nursing Paper Examples).

Moreover, celebrating the wins also encourages employees to pursue further short-term wins, which drives the achievement of the change effort objectives. Celebration of every short-term win influences success in subsequent milestones, leading to positive change effort outcomes in pursuit of the primary vision of the organization (Lauer, 2020). The organization should recognize and reward such wins through bonuses and the establishment of flexible work schedules to enhance employees’ focus and morale toward the change effort milestones.

Short-term Wins

The short-term wins are integral to the change effort’s success since they enhance consistency in accomplishing the change objectives. Rewarding employees for short-term wins enables them to maintain the momentum of pursuing the change effort, making it easy to implement every aspect of the change effort (Zukof, 2021) (Leadership Change Plan-Nursing Paper Examples).

Moreover, the organization can benefit from a charged and highly motivated employee team. Lauer (2020) explains that short-term wins assure employees of their value to the change effort and the importance of their sacrifices, which motivates them to continue working hard, leading to improved productivity. Also, the short-term wins prove the worth of the change effort by offering direct experiences with the benefits of the change effort (Leadership Change Plan-Nursing Paper Examples).

For example, Alaska Airlines’s improvement in luggage handling indicates the positive effects of the leadership change and justifies the organization’s resources and sacrifices in implementing the change. Finally, short-term wins enable change managers to identify gaps and ways of achieving maximum outcomes in the change effort (Zukof, 2021). This makes it easy to reinforce aspects of the change effort for improved outcomes in subsequent milestones (Leadership Change Plan-Nursing Paper Examples).

References

Ali, B. J., & Anwar, G. (2021). An empirical study of employees’ motivation and its influence on job satisfaction. International Journal of Engineering, Business and Management, 5(2), 21–30. https://doi.org/10.22161/ijebm.5.2.3

Laig, R. B. D., & Abocejo, F. T. (2021). Change management process in a mining company: Kotter’s 8-Step change model. Journal of Management, Economics, and Industrial Organization, 5(3), 31-50. http://doi.org/10.31039/jomeino.2021.5.3.3

Lauer, T. (2020). Change management: Fundamentals and success factors. Springer Nature.

Li, J. Y., Sun, R., Tao, W., & Lee, Y. (2021). Employee coping with organizational change in the face of a pandemic: The role of transparent internal communication. Public relations review, 47(1), 101984. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2020.101984

Rousseau, D. M., & ten Have, S. (2022). Evidence-based change management. Organizational Dynamics, 51(3), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2022.100899

Yue, C. A., Men, L. R., & Ferguson, M. A. (2019). Bridging transformational leadership, transparent communication, and employee openness to change: The mediating role of trust. Public Relations Review, 45(3), 101779. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2019.04.012

Zukof, K. (2021). The hard and soft sides of change management: Tools for managing process and people. United States: Association for Talent Development.