-1-

MB0022

Case Study

Registration No.: 520911739

January 07, 2010

MB0022 - Case Study – Maverick Learning

 -2-

Q (1) What kind of reactions towards change is seen in this

case?
Answer:

Change has become a constant in the corporate and business world. Many factors that
influence change such as globalisation, technological advancement, re-engineering and
downsizing are in one form or another here to stay. When people are impacted upon by
change that influences their own team the process they go through psychologically can
actually mirror that of personal grief.

There are 6 major stages that can easily be identified in a response to change. People will
progress through them at different rates and the introduction of new change initiatives
atop existing ones can actually force people to go up and down these stages or to regress.

Stage 1 - Shock

In a similar style to a grief reaction people may take some time to address the reality of
what has just occurred. People can't really do much at this stage but come to grips with
what the new situation entails.

Stage 2 - Denial

A common reaction may be to deny the impact of the change. "It doesn't relate to me, and
it doesn't affect my department". A ritualised form of 'farewell" to the old ways akin to a
funeral sometimes helps.

Stage 3 - Anger

It is important to openly deal with what angers people. "Why did we need to change at all
when the way we were doing things was fine?" Some may actively resist or attack the
change. Anger de-skills and can engender a mood of self-preservation. This may promote
risk avoidance and hold back innovation.

Stage 4 - Passive Acceptance

The commencement of accepting that the way things are done has indeed changed and
that the old ways are in fact gone. "I suppose if we have to deal with this, we might as
well get on with it"

Stage 5 - Exploration

A willingness to look at actual methods for implementing and taking the change process
forward. "How do we actually go forward from here?"

MB0022 - Case Study – Maverick Learning

 -3-

Stage 6 - Challenge

Actually going forward. Ensuring that the change process is the catalyst for continuous
improvement and not just there as an obstacle. What stage is the team in now, and how do
we move forward?

Q (2) What steps are taken by Mr. Shantaram to drive the

change successfully?
Answer:

Productivity during change can be affected positively and negatively by restraining forces
and driving forces respectively. Productivity can reach a state of equilibrium between
these two opposing forces. However, this balance can be punctuated by a disturbance in
one or both of the opposing forces. Therefore, at any given time, the productivity can go
up or down depending on the strength or weakness of either the restraining or driving
forces. This view of change and transformation is known as punctuated equilibrium.

A leader can use this theory in preparing for change in order to evaluate whether the
change is possible to implement and/or to plan actions to better implement the change. To
do so, the leader should conduct a force field analysis of both the driving forces behind
the change and the restraining forces against the change. He or she can then estimate if
there is a reasonable possibility to implement the change or not.

Restraining forces may include market pressures, internal structures and capabilities or
resistance from employees. Resistance can be passive or overt. For example, employees
may be unenthusiastic to make a change because they have been through previous change
efforts which were not totally successful. Because of this, their will to take up another
project may be low. In some cases, employees may totally check out of the process, either
passively or actively resisting the change. This could include talking negatively about the
project with other team members, starting an employee campaign against the project, or
other actions which can hurt the successful implementation of the change.

Leaders can do eight steps which will help them manage change efforts more
successfully. These include the following:

1. Build an environment of trust with the employees in order to create an environment

where employees are more open to ideas and more willing to discuss possibilities and
problems associated with change.

2. Link the change effort to a common team value in order to help employees feel they
can relate to the change effort at a personal level. This increases the desire and
motivation to change.

MB0022 - Case Study – Maverick Learning

 -4-

3. Articulate and communicate a clear message about why the change effort is needed and
will help the team. This links the facts and figures supporting the change to the team
value. Communication should frequent throughout the effort.

4. Establish a vision with the employees regarding the possible advantages of making the
change in order to help the team define for themselves where the change will take them.

5. Collaborate for solutions with team members so that employees have the opportunity
to identify the driving and restraining forces in the change effort and identify action
steps for implementing steps to implement the change and overcome the restraining
forces.

6. Establish and celebrate wins along the way. The leader should actively orchestrate wins
and celebrations so employees can see that the change effort is important and see that
changes in behavior will lead to positive outcomes.

7. The leader must manage performance around the change. This includes coaching those
who need support with the change, disciplining or removing those who continually
resist the change or have decided to fight against it, rewarding positive changes, hiring
employees who have the new capabilities needed in the change effort, etc…

8. Constantly monitor the process and the results to ensure that the change effort is on
track.

Q (3) What steps shall be taken to overcome resistance to

change. Do you find any examples in this case that illustrates
taking steps to overcome resistance?
Ans:

Overcoming Resistance to Change

Some approaches can be taken to reduce the resistance to change. Some of them are
listed below (Schermerhorn, Hunt, and Osborn 2000):

Education and communication – Open communication and proper education help

employees to understand the significance of change and its requirement. For that, proper
initiative should be taken to provide the information regarding the type, timing,
implication, purpose and reason for change.

Employee participation and involvement – People generally get more committed

towards the change, if they are directly involved in the change process. This way, they
have the opportunity to clarify their doubts and understand the perspective and
requirement of change for the organization. The management also gets the chance to
identify the potential problems that may occur in the workplace and the chance to prevent
it.

MB0022 - Case Study – Maverick Learning

 -5-

Facilitation and support – Change agent can offer a range of supportive measures to
reduce resistance. Empathetic and considerate listening can reduce employees’ fear and
anxiety towards change. Counseling sessions to reduce stress, trauma, etc., can be an
effective measure.

Negotiation and agreement – Organizations which have a fair chance to face potential
resistance from the union representatives, can defuse the resistance by involving them
directly in the change process. They should be properly briefed about the need and value
of change. However, this can be a costly proposition when there is more than one
dominant union in the organization, as all the contending parties would fight for power
and recognition.

Example

Mystery - Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth -
Part 4 by Charles Crosby
As the iron of King Nebuchdnezzar's image brings us into the Christian era we begin to
see the modern Roman Empire taking shape and all prophesied by Daniel 2,600 years
before the events. If you think, like my late dear old Dad, that the Old Testament is book
of myths and fairy stories, then think again. Daniel's prophecy isn't yet complete so this
makes the Old Testament all very relevant for our world today. If you are a real Christian
held captive by the curse of religion you need to read this article in order to set yourself
free from its tentacles.

The Power of Words as Manifesting Commands by Anita Briggs

This article discusses the limiting and negative effects of everyday words and word
habits, and teaches how to eliminate them from your vocabulary, replacing them with
powerful words that act as positive manifesting commands. Words are a manifesting
power that is one level closer to manifesting in form than is the power of thought.

MB0022 - Case Study – Maverick Learning