Introduction
The strategic change initiative is an important part of the strategic change as the aspect that influences the whole organization and all employees. The first step in implementing strategic change is usually called ‘strategic change initiative’ (Anderson, 2003, p. 89). As it is impossible to start without knowing what to change and how the staff members will react, a common strategic change initiative includes evaluation of the current situation and information provided to employees on the importance of change and the influences of it for them.
Palmer, Dunford, and Akin (2008) provide a clear explanation of change images and actions performed in each case (pp. 24-32). The image of change manager affects greatly the way the change is applied to the organization. Thus, in the case of McDonalds, it would be reasonable to choose the image of Director for a change manager because it ensures that the control over the situation is in the hands of a manager and that he adequately treats the situation and understands that some changes (internal or external) can influence the success of events.
Application Analysis
It is important to take into account specific nature of the business and choose the right image that can be applied to strategic change initiative. Thereby, Anderson (2003) suggests three contributions for successful implementation of strategic change initiatives for organization development. Thus, bottom-line organization development “Fully integrates evaluation into change management. Builds mastery in the mechanics of evaluation.
Maximizes the value of pilots” (p. 89) which can be really effective in this case. When the McDonalds organization decides to implement strategic change initiatives, it would be necessary to take into account the importance of evaluation methods and processing of results so that they are used to the full capacity in the future. The more information is gathered on the issue, the more appropriate image can be introduced as strategic change initiative.
Lessons Learned
I have learned that information and its evaluation are of primary importance for implementation of strategic change initiative because change management cannot be carried out effectively without sufficient information on the issue. The value of information and its assessment are of great importance for further changes that can be introduced in the process of strategic change initiatives implementation and after critical assessment. Moreover, different images of a change manager can influence greatly the process of change hence affecting the outcomes and motivation of employees.
A practicing manager can apply the knowledge obtained earlier to better manage change by means of assessment of effectiveness of change in terms of effectiveness of work performed by employees (this can be conducted through direct observations, interviews, or surveys and questionnaires), effectiveness of business (by means of monitoring of weekly results in terms of sales), and reputation of the company because changes can be as positive as negative but always influential. Besides, a change manager can use both images of managing control and shaping to ensure that the outcomes are achievable regardless of the external changes.
The change concept of evaluation of information was applied effectively and according to the situation. However, it is important to have some hypothesis to be ready to change the strategy in order not to ruin the positive effect produced by changes implemented earlier. So, critical assessment and inferring from results are very important in this situation.
Reference List
Anderson, M. C. (2003). Bottom-line organization development: Implementing and evaluating strategic change for lasting value. Burlington: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Palmer, I., Dunford, R., & Akin, G. (2008). Managing organizational change. 2nd ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill.