Business Process And Change Management (ANY 4 CASE)
Mini-Case #1A: The Shrinking Business Cycle
"The marketable life of our best product isn't half of what it was ten years ago, but our time to market and time to ROI are the same. If we don't do something soon, this company's going to go under." This was the message CEO Jan Poolen shared with her top management team during an executive leadership meeting last week. Later in the day, Mary Singleburg, Poolen's vice president for information technology, had lunch with an old friend from college who had been a business major. She recounted the words Poolen had shared during the executive leadership meeting and then made the following comments to her friend: "I don't get this business cycle stuff. What does Poolen mean by time to market and time to ROI, and what difference do these things make anyway? Poolen makes it sound like we are about to go out of business. Is she just trying to frighten us into working harder, or is this business cycle stuff real?"
Discussion Questions
1. Put yourself in the place of Mary Singleburg's friend from college. How would you answer Singleburg's question?
2. Is what Poolen said about the business cycle real?
3. How would you explain the various interrelated elements of the business cycle to Singleburg?
Mini-Case #1B:The Failed Change Initiative
"I know this change initiative is the right thing to do, yet it is falling on its face. Any suggestions?" asked Kendra Washington, CEO of ITS, Inc. Washington's company is in the process of making a major technological upgrade that should improve quality, productivity, and competitiveness. Unfortunately, the company's performance is down in all three areas. The reject rate has increased, throughput is up, and ITS, Inc., has experienced two straight quarters of declining market share. "This change initiative is failing, and I want to know why," said the CEO to her executive management team.
Discussion Questions
1. Assume the new technology has been in place long enough to allow employees to adapt to it and work out the bugs in the various processes that depend on the new technology. If you were a member of Washington's executive team, what factors would you look for first in attempting to determine why the change initiative is failing?
2. What might the executives themselves, including Washington, be doing to inhibit the successful implementation of the change initiative?
Mini-Case #2A: Who Needs Benchmarking?
In the meeting they attended this morning, Don Edwins, Beverly Crawford, and the rest of Applicom's department directors learned how to benchmark processes as a way to anticipate the need for change. Edwins does not agree with the concept of benchmarking. "I think this idea of benchmarking our processes against best-in-class companies is a waste of time, Beverly. I don't understand why we don't just look at our two best competitors and make sure we can do everything better than they can." Crawford nodded her agreement and said, "What I don't understand about benchmarking is why in the world we would benchmark one of our processes against that in a company completely outside of our field."
Discussion Questions
1. If you had to explain the reasons for benchmarking against best-in-class companies to Edwins, what would you say?
2. How would you explain the issue of benchmarking against out-of-field companies to Crawford?
Mini-Case #2B: Success is Our Biggest Enemy
"You won't believe what I heard our CEO say during the weekly staff meeting this morning," said a wide-eyed Mavis Parsons who took the minutes for the meeting. Parsons is the executive secretary to the CEO of Tech Dynamics, Inc. (TDI). She is talking on the telephone with her good friend Melba Mathews, who works in TDI's engineering department.
"What did he say? asked Mathews.
"I don't remember the exact words," said Parsons. "But essentially he said that all the success we have had over the last 10 years is killing us."
"Are you sure you heard him right?" asked a puzzled Mathews. "How can our success be bad? It's been good for me. I'm making more money than I ever thought I would."
"So am I," responded Parsons. "They were talking about some big change the CEO wants to make, and I heard him say that success has become our biggest enemy. In fact, he got pretty upset and told the vice presidents that half of them were complacent and the other half were arrogant."
Discussion Questions
1. What do you think the CEO meant when he said, "Success has become our biggest enemy?" What must be happening in his company for him to make such a statement?
2. Discuss how arrogance and complacency can result from sustained success. Do you know of any specific instances in which something similar has happened in an organization with which you are familiar? Explain.
Mini-Case #3A: Are You Overlooking Passive Resistance?
"I understand that people will resist change." Said Melvin Torkman. "But I'm not seeing any resistance. At least there has been no resistance voiced during staff meetings." Torkman is vice president for product development at Technical Associate Corporation (TAC). He is trying to implement major procedural changes in this division.
"Have you had any success?" asked Norma Dresden, Torkman's colleague at TAC
"Not a bit," responded Torkman. "And I don't understand, because a couple of key people have actually spoken out in favor of the changes I am proposing."
"Melvin, are you overlooking passive resistance?" asked Dresden.
Discussion Questions
3. Have you ever experienced passive resistance to a change initiative? If so, explain.
4. Discuss the signs Torkman might look for to uncover passive resistance to his change initiatives.
Mini-Case #3B: If this Change Initiative Doesn't Work, We Are Sunk!
"Joan, you and I started this company in a garage. Now we employ 600 people and lease a five-story facility in the Commerce and Technology Park. We've done well for ourselves and our people. However, I've got to admit that things are not looking good for us. In fact, if this change initiative you are proposing doesn't work, we are sunk!"
"I know," said Joan to her business partner and friend. "But we can make it work. We've led this company through some tough scrapes before."
Joan VankArken and David Andrews started their company shortly after graduating from college because they were not happy with the job offers they received. There had been some difficult times along the way, but they had always found a way to hold things together and keep the company in the black. Now they face the biggest challenge in their careers. Foreign competition from off-shore companies is eating away at their company's market share. Every year for the last five, the business partners have seen their company's bottom line shrink. Van Arken is proposing a major change initiative she thinks will save the company, and Andrews agrees with her. But they both know they are going into a must-win situation. Consequently, they want to do everything possible to ensure a successful implementation of the change initiative.
Discussion Questions
1. What strategies can you suggest that will help ensure a successful implementation in this case?
2. If you were brought into this company as a change consultant, what would you do to help the owners of this company get their change initiative off to a good start
Mini-Case #4A: So Why Is This Change Vision So Important?
Larry Salandro, CEO of Valve-Tech, INC. (VTI), is now comfortable with what a change vision is, but he isn't sure why the change vision is so important. John Martin, a friend of Salandro's and a quality consultant, is discussing this issue with him. "Larry, as CEO, there is nothing you will do in helping VTI change that is more important than developing a compelling change vision" said Martin. "I understand what a change vision is now," said Salandro. "But why is it so important?"
Discussion Questions
5. Put yourself in Martin's place in this case. How would you answer Salandro's question about why the change vision is so important?
6. Discuss what might happen if VTI tries to initiate change without a cwell-crafted change vision.
Min-Case #4B: So What Do You Mean by Strategic Communication?
Man-Tech, Inc., (MTI) is undergoing major changes in the way it does business. One of the senior executives advocated strongly for a comprehensive communication plan. He stressed the need to achieve buy-in, especially from the employees of the former competitor of MTI had acquired. In making his case, he made the point that not only did MTI's change leadership team need to develop a comprehensive change communication plan, it needed to make sure that the plan was strategic. MTI's CEO had the following comment: "That's an interesting way to put it. What do you mean by strategic communication?
Discussion Questions
1. Assume you are the senior executive in this case who advocated for strategic communication. Explain what you mean to your fellow executives.
2. Give an example that will distinguish between a change message that is strategic and one that is not.
Mini-Case #5A: How Do We Know What Kinds of Training Will Be Needed?
Future Tech, Inc., (FTI) is going through a major transition period. As part of the change initiative being implemented, the CEO wants to provide training to ensure all manager, supervisors, and employees know how to carry out their change-related assignments.
"It stand to reason that we are going to need some training, but I don't know what kinds. How do we know what kinds of training will be needed to support our change initiative? Asked FTI's CEO.
"I agree we will need training," said the vice president for human resources. "I read somewhere that one of the main reasons change initiative break down is the people who are supposed to implement the changes don't know how."
Discussion Questions
7. If you were part of the conversation taking place in this case, what advice would you give the CEO concerning how to assess training needs?
8. What types of training are likely to be needed by almost any company undergoing major change?
Mini-Case #5B: Building Change into the Strategic Plan
"Jim, what do you think about the change leadership team's idea to build change into the company's strategic plan?"asked Mary Prevost. Prevost and Jim Andres had attended a meeting earlier in the day in which the CEO of their company, Mar-Tech, explained why change needed to be built into the strategic plan.
"I like the idea, but I'm not sure how to actually go about getting change built into the plan," responded Andres.
"I know, I feel the same way. My problem is that I've never been involved in developing a strategic plan," admitted Prevost.
"I haven't either," Andres said.
"Mary, you and I are going to have to be role models from now on when it comes to change-related behaviors," said Jim Andres. He was holding a memorandum from the CEO to all management personnel reminding and encouraging them to be good role models of change-positive behaviors.
"I know, and I'm ready to do it. The problem is, I'm not sure what to do," admitted Mary Prevost.
"To tell you the truth, I'm not either," divulged Andres. "You and I are going to have to put our heads together and figure this one out."
Discussion Questions
1. What is your opinion of including change in a company's strategic plan? Is this a good idea or a bad idea? Justify your answer.
2. If you were either Andres or Prevost, what would you recommend in terms of how to build change into Mar-Tech's strategic plan?
3. Why is it so important for managers to be role models of the behavior they expect from employees?
4. How can Andres and Prevost actually be good role models of change-positive behaviors? What specifically are some actions they can take?
Mini-Case #6A: Execution Is Not My Job
"We developed the change plan. Let's give it to our employees and let them get busy," suggested Marie Vanderbest, a member of the change leadership team at Vulcan Technologies, Inc.
"What about the details of execution?" asked Monica Jones, also a member of the change leadership team.
"That's not our problem," said Vanderbest. Everybody who has anything to do with implementing our plan has a supervisor. Execution is not my job. I'm a manager. The supervisors should be able to look at the change plans and determine what needs to be done in their areas."
"That's why change plans don't get implemented, Marie," said Jones. "You can't just hand the various departments the change plan and tell them to get going. That would be like letting our engineers hand their rough design sketches to the manufacturing department and saying, "Here, go make this."
Discussion Questions
9. What do you think of Marie Vanderbest's approach to executing the company's change plan?
10. If you were taking part in this discussion, what advice would you give Vanderbest concerning executing the company's change plan?
11. Do you agree with Monica Jones in this case? Explain your reasoning.
12. What do you think will happen if the change leadership team accepts the recommendation of Marie Vanderbest to simply give a copy of the change plan to all departments and tell them to get started?
Mini-Case 6B: We Need to Conduct a Roadblock Analysis
Monica Jones and Marie Vanderbest continue their discussion from the previous case. "Before we do anything else, we need to conduct a roadblock analysis of the change plan," said Jones.
"What are you talking about? Asked Vanderbest. "What is a roadblock analysis and why do we need to do one?"
(Later)
"Alright Monica, we have completed the roadblock analysis you proposed and I have to admit it was a good idea. Now can we get on with executing the change plan?" asked Vanderbest.
"We are almost ready," said Jones encouragingly.
"Almost! What else do we need to do?" asked Vanderbest.
Discussion Questions
1. Do you agree with Monica Jones that the change leadership team needs to conduct a roadblock analysis as its next step?
2. How would you answer the question posed by Vanderbest about what a roadblock analysis is and why it is needed?
3. Discuss how you would answer Marie Vanderbest's last question.
4. Discuss how you would recommend that the change leadership team maintain momentum once the execution is underway.