British Airways- Case Study Essay

The scenario upon which this makeup is based relates to the British Airways Swipe Card w exclusivelyoping case believe from the textbook, Managing Organizational alternate A Multiple stance Approach (Akin, Dunford, & Palmer, 2009). The purpose of this paper is to analyze and discuss the organizational reposition associated to the fulfilation of a unused mulct control board system that tame to strike of over 250 British Airways check-in lag, losing 40 million pounds and negatively effecting the companys reputation. Additionally, this paper racetrack relate the case count to several modify approaches (organizational growing, sense-making, agitate management, contingency, and processual) and identify key issues. Additionally, this paper will examine the case ruminate from my perspective, as if I were a employ throw consultant for British Airways responsible for providing advise and tri exclusivelyes on how to stay off this image of situation. Additionally, as a limiting consultant, I provide my recommendation as to what possible transform approach or combinations of a spay approach would afford been best to use for the swipe visor channelize initiative. salmagundi Perspective and Key IssuesPrior to going into world satis pee outy to effectively provide advise and recommendations on this case study, it is first most-valuable to discuss aspects of several(predicate) variegate approaches. Additionally, relate key issues of the swipe card debacle to these diversity approaches. With that, this section paper will focus on identify specific aspects of the following budge approaches and how these aspects relate to the case study organizational development, sense-making, change management, contingency, and processual.Organizational Development ApproachThe organizational development change approach is a well thought through and good planned change approach that focuses on rung development. Additionally, one of the key aspects to th e organizational development approach is the importance placed on the bespeak to form groups and squads, which work together to form the key focus for change (Akin, Dunford, & Palmer, 2009). Unfortunately, this very important characteristic of organizational development approach was rightfully non used as part of the change approach for the swipe card implementation. For instance, if groups andteams were created to form the key focus for the change, none of the 250 check-in provide were invited to participate.Sense-making ApproachThe sense-making approach is very similar to Kurt Lewins organizational change model. At a high-level, this model has three primary stages known as Unfreeze (identifying where the company is at, in relation to purlieual change and organizational structure), Change (period of time where the change is being made), and Refreeze (change is complete and the organization has imbed the change within its culture) (Levasseur, 2001). However, there is one slig ht difference with the sense-making approach, in that the second stage is more the roughly rebalance where the organization balances the extraneous environs with its internal environment. An example of a key issue associated to this from the case study is the situation that it appears those responsible for the Future Size and Shape recovery program, did non take the first stage into thoughtfulness. More specifically, the group did not accompanimentor in how the company was still recovering from environmental changes such as, 9/11, Iraqi war, and SARS. Additionally, did not consider if this was the right time for this type of change.Change Management ApproachThere are several incompatible change management approaches but the one focused on within this paper is the change management approach Ten Commandments approach, developed by Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Barry A. Stein, and Todd D. Jick. In the book, The Challenges of Organizational Change, Kanter, Stein, and Jick elaborate on wh at they believe to be the necessary stairs to effectively implement change within an organization. One of these steps, which is something that was not execute in the swipe card debacle, is the step to create a shared out vision. turn the Future Size and Shape project team may stick had a shared vision of the swipe card change, this selfsame(prenominal) vision was definitely not shared by the 250 check-in stave. fortuity ApproachSimilar to the change management approach, the contingency approach has many an(prenominal) different variations. For instance, one of these approaches is categorized into the following four ideal types unequivocal (change intervention, directed by leading and is typically driven by the charter to implementquickly and abruptly), engineering (change agent, who also acts as an analyst implements the change along with those who designing the change to process and systems), teaching (third party consultants work with internal staff to assist with identif y new ways of mathematical process and is change intervention that is a long-term plan), and socializing (democratic approach that is a gradual change process approach) (Huy, 2001). Each of these approaches are acceptable but may not all work in every type of situation. For instance, within the British Airways case study, it seems as though the project team chose to utilize the commanding approach for the implementation of the swipe cards. The check-in staff were completely resistant to not only the swipe card change but were also resistant to the actual approach taken to implement that change.Processual ApproachSimilar to the sense-making approach, the processual approach also looks at the relationship of external and internal environments. However, with the processual approach, it focuses on the constraints and opportunities of both environments. Within the case study, the project team did not take into consideration how the external environment impacts the internal environment a nd how the internal environment also effects the staff. For instance, the staff being on edge and untrusting of change was a result situations and changes both internally (one forth reduction in staff) and externally (environmental jolts like inroads on its markets from work out competitors). The combination of these situations, led to the staff being fearful and overreacting to the possibility that the new swipe card process could lead to another reduction in staff.Change ConsultantAs a change consultant for British Airways, I would provide the following list of lessons learned from the swipe card debacle lack in including those directly affected by change can lead to staff being uncomfortable and uncertain about a change lack of taking internal and external environments into consideration is not fully understanding the cumulative effect that these have on the staff taking a commanding approach to implement change can lead to staff disagreeing with the way a change is being manage d and lack of communication and gaining buy-in on change can led staff to believe that the change could have negative downstream impact.In holy order to prevent this in the future, I would advise them to take a different approach by having staff be more involved with projects and hold them as part of the project teams. Additionally, allowing the staff time to absorb the fact that there will be changes in the future and giving them a platform to be able to wonder questions. In addition to providing the staff a platform, leadership also needs to encourage the staff to ask questions and ensure them that there will not be any recoil for those who do have questions about the change. Lastly, as a change consultant, I would emphasis the importance viewing the organization from a birds-eye view (meaning that leadership the context of the situation from an internal and external perspective). If they would have stepped back and looked all the external and internal factors prior to impleme nting the swipe card change, they may have seen that implementing change over a holiday weekend might not be the best time, they might have identify staff object lesson being low due to internal reduction in force, and the fact that the company was struggling to recover from other external environmental jolts.While there are many change approaches that may be equal for this type of change initiative, it is my opinion that the best approach for this change would have been to use the Ten Commandments change management process. The reason for this is that it would have end and possibly prevented the reaction that staff had towards the implementation of swipe card because this change approach includes creating a shared vision, involving staff, having the support of leadership and political sponsorship, and maturation an implementation plan (Barry, Kanter, & Jick, 1992).ConclusionBased on the information provided in the case study about the swipe card debacle at British Airways and c omparing key issues to various change approaches, it can be seen that there are many areas where management taken a different approach to the change. If a different approach was taken, it could have easily lead to a successful swipe card implementation versus the outcome that lead to the 250-check in staff, losing 40 million pounds and negatively effecting the companys reputation.ReferencesAkin, G., Dunford, R., & Palmer, I. (2009). Managing organizational change a multiple perspective approach (2nd. Ed). New York, NY McGraw-Hill Huy, Q. N. 2001. Time, impermanent capability, and planned change. Academy of Management Review 26(4)60123Kanter, R. M., Stein, B. A., & Jick, T. D. (1992). The challenge of organizational change. New York, NY Free Press. Levasseur, R. E. (2001). People SkillsChange Management ToolsLewins Change Model. Interfaces, 31(4), 71.