New Cranberry Computer System example essay topic

Interoffice Memo Date: 5/4/2003 From: Melvin J. Fund RE: Advice to Bruno Bell weather, VP Human Resources CC: Terry Technotic, CEO Bruno, you were right about asking me to look at that memo for you. Our people have gotten pretty used to their Dell PC's and MS Word. It would be an understatement to say that we " re probably going to encounter some resistance to this change. However, I trust Terry and his judgment on the technology we need, and with what I've learned about change management, I am confident that we can make this change without disrupting the office too badly. To institute the change process, I recommend following a three step method. First we should focus on unfreezing the office staff to prepare and motivate them for the upcoming change.

This step will take us though this week. Starting next Monday the second step begins and movement is instituted with the installation of the new Cranberry systems and the conversion of all the Word documents to the new Phrase software. This step will take two weeks. The final step will be to refreeze the change, so that the office staff will adopt the new computer system and become used to working with it. We need to get together with Terry and take a look at how much will be left over from the change budget.

I have a few ideas below which we can present to him later today. For the unfreezing phase we need to implement some incentive to break down the resistance to change, or we may find the office reluctant to sign up for the Cranberry classes. I would suggest announcing an incentive package based on performance for those who complete the training. That should help motivate people to want to sign up and learn the new system and software. I would also suggest that Terry ask his brother-in-law if he knows where we might find some individuals who are already expert on the Cranberry system which we could hire to help lead the change effort. I fear that productivity problems due system delays will ruin efforts at encouraging the office to accept the new Cranberry computers; therefore, I recommend that we should have at least one or two resident experts on staff that will be available to troubleshoot problems and keeps the new systems running smoothly.

They can also field employee questions and concerns as they occur. The immediate feedback will help our people learn the new technology faster. For the movement phase, we will be implementing the change by installing the new system, training the employees and converting all the existing document files. To avoid confusion, I would appoint a change advocate who can address employee concerns and report any problems back to our people here in human resources.

As the employees attend the classes, outstanding performers should be recognized for their efforts and those individuals should be teamed together to act as mentors for the other employees. They can field basic questions and help the individuals which may not be catching onto the software as quickly. In this way we can begin to motivate the employees to help one another during the file conversion process. It would also be valuable at this stage to ensure that clear communication of progress is taking place, and that everyone in the office is receiving feedback on how well they are progressing individually and as a team.

The final phase will begin after the deadline for the file conversion. Now it will be critical to refreeze the change so that the new Cranberry system will be accepted as the norm for our office. The strategy here is to enable the employees to "take ownership" of the new system by encouraging office staff to establish standard processes for working with the new software and to document procedures to be passed on to new members joining the office. A forum should be instituted for the purpose of introducing or critiquing processes in order to continue developing productivity using the new system. Those who displayed outstanding performance or made strong innovations in processes during the change should receive some type of bonus and recognition as a reward for their efforts. Consideration should also be given to promoting those who demonstrated outstanding leadership through helping coach or train the other employees during the change.

At this stage I would institute an anonymous online evaluation of the new computer system so that employees may make critiques and suggestions regarding the new system without fear of reprisal. In this way we may gauge the level of acceptance the office has of the Cranberry system or the Phrase software. I have confidence that by instituting the suggestions above, the transition to the new Cranberry computer system can work to foster an environment of cooperation and learning among the office staff during the change. I believe that by spending the extra money and effort in incentives and rewards to motivate the employees, the company will reap the benefits in productivity.

I would advise distributing a revised version of Terry's memo which would read as follows: TO ALL ACME EMPLOYEES, One week from today, all employees of Acme Enterprises (AE) will have their Dell computers replaced by the new Cranberry Computer System. I realize that all of you have become used to the current computers and software, however, after extensive discussions with my brother-in-law (founder of Cranberry Computers) I have determined that Cranberry is the key to AE's success in the future. I am confident that once you learn and begin to use the new Cranberry computers and the Cranberry Phrase software you will be impressed with the improved features and functionality over your old Dell systems and Microsoft software. I ask for everyone's patience during the change, I am aware of the potential difficulties we may face. I have taken steps to ensure that all of you will be properly trained and I have arranged for Cranberry systems technicians to be on staff to answer employee questions and handle issues which may arise from the adjustment. I have also appointed a change manager from Human Resources to be available to respond to any issues which you may have arising from the change.

I will be offering bonus incentives for employees who attain certification on the new Cranberry systems, so I ask that everyone please sign up on one of the schedules in Reception for Cranberry training no later than Wednesday. After the new systems are installed next Monday, be advised that all existing Microsoft Word documents must be converted to Cranberry Phrase documents within two weeks. I have the utmost confidence that you will find the new system so user-friendly, this deadline should not be difficult to meet. /s / Terry Technotic, CEO.