Introduction of the firm and industry
The paper provides an analysis of how RBSGROUP would change its employees’ training and development programs through the application of Kotter’s 8 stage process model to reflect the current needs of the industry and improve its competitive advantage. RBSGROUP is one of the consultancy firms within the European Union and provides a wide variety of consultancy services ranging from project management to logistics and supply chain. Also, the firm provides consultancy services to a wide variety of firms from diverse industries within the EU and North America. Since its establishment in 2004, the firm has grown to serve over thirty thousand clients consisting of both large and medium-sized companies. The firm has also captured a reasonable market share within the highly competitive consultancy industry.
Changing the Employee Training and Development Programs
To improve the capability and enhance its human capital, the firm should allow continuous career development of its workforce. The HR department should develop training programs that reflect the current needs of the firm, industry, and clients (Kleiman, 2010). Given the fact that the firm offers services in diverse fields, which are applied in diverse environments and cultures, employees should be equipped with the skills and competencies that reflect these diversities. Therefore, the training and development programs of the firm should reflect these changing needs and enable employees to gain the necessary skills and competencies as well as build confidence while delivering the services (Lado & Wilson, 2004).
Reasons for Changing the Training and Development Programs
The firm should change its training and development programs to allow employees to develop the skills and competencies that reflect the current and diverse needs of the clients (Lado & Wilson, 2004). Besides, the training and development programs should be changed to reflect the diverse need of the organization and employees as well as taking consideration of the changes taking place in the industry. The training and development should be transformed to reflect the cultural diversity of the organization and employees as well as the needs of the clients.
The Recommended Change
The firm is recommending a change in its training and development programs that would enable employees to attain the required skills and competencies for their services delivery. One of the changes is to adopt advance technology in the enhancement and conducting training programs. The second is to adopt new changes in the employees’ training and development landscape. Adopting these changes would enable the firm to move away from the traditional forms of training where employees are briefed on the assigned tasks.
The Strategies for Change Using the Kotter’s 8 Stage Process Model
For the organization to succeed in the change initiative, the firm’s human resources management would adopt the Kotter’s 8 stage process model
Creating the Sense of Urgency
The firm will make employees feel that they need to put up new training and development programs are urgently needed and should immediately be established. In other words, employees will be made to understand that there are increased opportunities with the newly required changes and the need to make real progress every day. The urgency for the changes would be achieved through connecting to the true values of the employees and inspire them to attain the greatness (Kotter, 2012).
Creating the Guiding Coalition
The firm would establish a leading team with enough power to lead the required transformation. The team would be required to develop the right vision, communicate the vision to the employees, find ways of eradicating the critical obstacles, and generate short-term wins (Kotter, 2012).
Developing the Change Vision
The firm would develop clear visions that provide real guidance to the change process. The vision would be focused, flexible, and easier to communicate. Besides, the vision would inspire the required action and guide the required changes (Kotter, 2012). The vision would form the basis of most of the decisions. However, the vision would be flexible enough to increase the possibility of empowering the needed action.
Communicating the Vision
The firm would ensure that the established vision for the required change is understood by the majority of employees to acknowledge the new obligations and be committed to the new directions (Kotter, 2012). The new goal of the training program is to change the parameters that enable most employees to gain the required skills and competencies that would make them remain competitive in the European Union and beyond. Besides, with the adoption of new changes, the firm would become faster in the industry at satisfying the needs of the clients.
Empowering Broad-Based Action
The firm would, at any given time, do away with barriers that prevent the attainment of the required changes (Kotter, 2012). The firm would restructure its internal systems to realign it with the visions of the required changes. Also, the firm would transform the management information systems to facilitate powerful communication of the desired transformations.
Generating Short-term Wins
The firm would create rapidly observable and unambiguous success within the shortest duration (Kotter, 2012).
Consolidating Gains and Generating Additional Changes
The firm would reduce the pressures from the resistances to the required transformations (Kotter, 2012). Besides, the firm would emphasize the gains that have been made and tend to add more people into the program as well as design new changes in other areas.
Fixing the New Training Program into the Firm’s Culture
The training program would become the benchmark for rating all employees within the firm (Kotter, 2012). In other words, the program would be used to promote, reward as well as offer other incentives to the organizational employees.
Possible Sources of Resistance to the Required Transformation
The possible source of resistance to the required transformation is the internal structure of the firm in terms of management layers and large staff groups. The highly differentiated management divisions and huge staff groups are likely to initiate costly procedures that undermine the required transformations (Noe, 2006). Besides, an inappropriate information management system could slow down the implementation of the required changes. Lastly, the rogue supervisors and managers who are characterized by interrelated behaviors that could inhibit the implementation of required changes.
Communication Strategies
The firm would adopt a strategy that would enable employees to understand the required vision at all times (Noe, 2006). The communication will be in the form of memos, speeches, emails, presentations, meetings, and actions. The message would be made clear, simple, repeatable, and invitational. Besides, the message would be followed by the required actions.
Strategies to Sustain the Change
One of the strategies to sustain the gained changes is to emphasize on the achievements and encourage progress (Noe, 2006). The second strategy is to incorporate the program into the overall goals of the organization as well as establish the program as a continuous practice in the HRM department.
References
Kleiman, L. S. (2010). Human resource management: A managerial tool for competitive advantage. Cincinnati: South-Western College Publishing
Kotter, J. (2012). The 8-step process for leading change. Web.
Lado, A. A. & Wilson, M. C. (2004). Human resource systems and sustained competitive advantage: A competency-based perspective. Academy of Management Review, 19(4), 699–727.
Noe, R. A. (2006). Human resource management: Gaining a competitive advantage. Boston: McGraw-Hill.