Question

Bob has completed another year here at XYZ as a plant distribution employee. Bob's primary responsibilities include, ensuring that each outgoing shipment is complete, all items are free of defects, and there are no discrepancies in inventory. Within the past few months, there have been multiple customer complains about their shipments. In two cases, nearly every item in a shipment contained a defect. Upon further investigation, we discovered that all of the orders in question fall under Bob's responsibility.

   Having defects in our shipments are not only going to hurt our sales, but also our reputation here at XYZ. It is of the utmost importance that Bob is able acknowledge these mistakes and implement a change to avoid defective shipments in the future. I believe that Bob should follow along with a shipment checklist that has detailed explanations, as well as visuals, of the proper methods we have established. I will use the verbal delivery method to get my points across to Bob effectively.

   Prior to my sit-down review with Bob, I am going to write up a step by step process, with visuals, to present to Bob and request that he start using this method. I will discuss with Bob the issues that have been arising and make sure he is aware of the changes that need to be made. Within each shipment, the items need to be checked and the exact status of each item will need to be written down prior to leaving the warehouse. This is going to be a first step, and Bob and I will have a follow up, non-professional, review in a month to check up on the status of his shipments and make sure that changes are actually being made.

   It is important to address Bob verbally and not with a written delivery for multiple reasons. First, Bob can observe nonverbal cues that I am giving him with my presentation of the checklist. I can also easily demonstrate my intentions right away. Clarification and explanation can help Bob to remit his old habits. Lastly, Bob can have a chance to respond to the concerns immediately and have an open discussion about his job. Although people do not like to get bad news, they expect the truth" (Cardon 2016) I backup this statement because if we are not honest with Bob he will never truly learn and therefore he won't be able to change his actions.

Required

Describe how the changes proposed in the above post could be implemented on a larger, department-wide scale to ensure all employees are informed and the issues can be avoided. Would the same change management principles work when applied to the organization, or would changes have to be made?

Answer 1

In my opinion, the company should frame a policy for every business process (right from the start till the end) and communicate these policies to employees at regular intervals. It is essential that employees understand the importance of activities handled by them and how their contribution helps the organizaton in achieving its objectives. Training and induction of new and existing employees is a must to ensure that the employees are aware of the changes happening within the organization, the external environment and their respective business processes. Regular online/offline tests on company's policies and procedures should be conducted and employees should be provided with certificates on successful completion of such tests. The company should follow an open door policy allowing employees to communicate their issues to higher management without any hestitation and fear. Two way communication is essential to encourage free flow of information throughout the organization. To simplify, the department managers should focus on developing SOPs (standard operating procedures) for each process. These SOPs can be used by employees to understand how a particular process works, what is their role in the process and how they are supposed to act in case of any problem/issue. While verbal communication is quick, written communication/documentation acts as reference point and can be accessed by employees at any point of time.

While same change management principles would apply on a broader scale, some changes would have to be made depending on the business process and level of employees handing the process. Some people may accept change with ease, while others may have to be convinced of the benefits associated with the change. This may require modification to change management methodologies procedures keeping in view the employee requirements and feedback. While implementing a change management process, it is important to anticipate employee responses/reactions and changes that may be required to made to ensure employee acceptance and satisfaction with the proposed changes.