Evaluating Pressures for Change Example Paper

Being able to recognize potential pressures that require an organization to change its practices or processes is a vital for its success. Examine an organization in the field or industry in which you work, or are planning to work. In 1,000-1,250 words, evaluate the pressures the organization currently faces and discuss the potential effects these pressures could have on the organization. You will use your evaluation of this organization for your Implementing Change assignment.
Include the following:
1. Identify and describe the organization you are evaluating. Provide an overview of the industry within which the organization operates.
2. Identify the environmental and organizational pressures currently driving organizational change in your field or industry. Explain the origin or reason for these pressures, and explain how they directly affect the viability of your organization.
3. Predict what type of organizational changes (first-order/second-order) these pressures may cause within the organization.
4. Provide support for your analysis and prediction.  Evaluating Pressures for Change Example Paper
Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

Evaluating pressures for change

Organizations are regularly facing a changing and dynamic environment that in turn requires them to change and adapt. In fact, change has become the norm in most business entities. In this case, responsiveness, flexibility and adaptation are terms that describe change in the organization with a view to meeting competitive challenges. In the past, change would be addressed by focusing on excelling in one area – such as cost, reliability or quality. But that is no longer the case today, with the nature of competition and business environment demanding excellence in all operational and performance areas. Irrespective of the forces pressing for change in the organization (whether they are from internal or external forces), the organization must forge ahead to survive (Kahle, 2017). The present paper discusses the specific internal and external forces that exert a pressure on Hexel Carwash Services (HCS) as a business organization.

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

HCS is a carwash service that has been operational for eight months. The company is a sole proprietorship that offers cleaning, washing and waxing services for the interior and exterior of cars, as well as cleaning services for furniture and carpets. The organization operates two facilities providing full-service carwash with attendants who manually conduct the cleaning, washing and waxing services. A review of the carwash industry and competitive environment reveals that HCS should expand its services in order to gain a competitive advantage in the face of increasing demand for carwash services from growing consumer incomes and new car sales. The industry conditions reveals a sense of urgency whereby the organization can either change to capture a new market while expanding its market base or face stagnation and decline. To be more precise, a review of the market shows that HCS can expand its business operations and capture a large market through offering fully automated carwash services that involve the use of programed equipment to conduct car cleaning, washing and waxing services as well as collect payment so that no personnel will be required. This change is anticipated to increase its market, acting as second-order change since it creates a new way of doing business and requires new learning as new technology is introduced (Mitra, 2017).  Evaluating Pressures for Change Example Paper

The environmental and organizational pressures that drive the change are identified as external and internal forces of change. These pressures are identified based on the acknowledgement that they are interdependent and influence the organizations action plan, strategic decisions and functioning even when challenging competition. In essence, they determine the organization’s readiness and preparedness for change through influencing HCS’s survival, nature and actions. The external pressures are characteristically beyond the direct control of the organization, affect the whole industry indiscriminately, and are typically addressed through adaptation. Firstly, technological pressures refer to the technological innovations and advancements that have revolutionized the carwash industry. The carwash industry has seen rapid technological innovations with the organizations that are unable to keep pace with the innovations losing the ability to keep pace with the competition. The automated carwash service substitutes direct human control for indirect computer control thereby resulting in a wider span of management control. This implies that the change brought about by technology does not only change the way in which carwash services are conducted, but also the organizational structure, responsiveness and work relationships (Hisrich & Kearney, 2014).

Secondly, political pressures have an influence on the change. This is particularly so with the government encouraging entrepreneurial efforts and local businesses development through favorable business policies and economic frameworks. The government also has an influence through interactions that determine the need for change, through interfering to safeguard the industry. For instance, the government can act through protectionism and deregulation. Thirdly, economic forces have an influence on the change through presenting challenges and opportunities in the form of growing competitive pressures and economic uncertainties. For example, changes to the deflation rate, inflation, business cycle in the economy, ax structures, economic policies, recession, interest rate, and financial stability. Fourthly, competitive pressures have an influence through the pursuit of economics of scale, reduced costs, increased earnings, and capturing a larger market. Finally, changes in the preferences and needs of customers have influenced the organization through compelling it to innovate and adapt its carwash services (Roetzer, 2014).

The internal pressures are characteristically within the direct control of the organization. Firstly, resource constraints that affect the change through limiting resources. As a business entity that seeks to maximize earnings and profits, the organization faces the reality of inadequate resources that limit the scope of the change, especially with regards to how much can be spent on making the changes. Secondly, profitability has an influence on the organization change with the organization likely to support the change if it is anticipated to be profitable, and unlikely to support the change if it is anticipated to be unprofitable. Thirdly, organization speculations can have an influence on the change through factors such as ambitions, competencies, achievement drive, insecurities, complexes and fears. Fourthly, administrative processes can have an influence on the change through presenting sets of regulations, rules and procedures that are aligned with the change to result in organizational effectiveness. Finally, systemic forces can have an influence through interactions between the organization’s interconnected subsystems, particularly how the existing carwash services will influence the proposed change and vice versa (Hisrich & Kearney, 2014; Nickels, 2019).

It is evident that both the internal and external pressures have an influence on the discussed change through setting priorities. In fact, these pressures are potent forces that shape the process of shape. In addition, it is evident that although the organizational change is important to enable HCS gain a competitive advantage, the organization must explore all the associated pressures and ensure that they are aligned with the change and it makes strategic sense. Adapting to the internal and external pressures necessitates a first-order change since the organization is already in business, and does not require radical organizational changes. To be more precise, the adaptation would occur in management since an automated carwash facility does not require as many personnel as a full-service carwash with attendants (Kahle, 2017). As a result, HCS must consider new organizational forms as it shifts responsibilities, restructures roles, modifies objectives, shifts focus, and develops new forms as adaptive efforts targeted at improving the odds of success for the change.

References

Hisrich, R. & Kearney, C. (2014). Managing innovation and entrepreneurship. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

Kahle, D. (2017). The Good book on business: lessons from the #1 best seller of all time. Washington, D.C.: DaCo Corporation.

Mitra, J. (2017). The business of innovation. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications Inc.

Nickels, W. (2019). Understanding business (12^th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Roetzer, P. (2014). The marketing performance blueprint: strategies and technologies to build and measure business success. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Evaluating Pressures for Change Example Paper