MBA 755 - Reflections on Module 6 Concepts

What is it that appears to make implementation of a renewal strategy so difficult?

In general, the need for change is one of the biggest challenges. People do not like change and renewal almost always requires a change in the way things are done. Also, renewal often requires a stab at the unknown… will the new strategy truly be what the customer wants and reinvigorate the company?

Which of the identified implementation pitfalls have you observed in your own experience with organizations?

One of the biggest pitfalls I’ve seen is a failure to give due diligence to a process or strategy. Oftentimes, decisions are made by one department without consulting others to see the impact. A great example came from a previous employer. Their marketing determined there was a great product to be released to the marketplace. So marketing undertook a big R&D initiative and came up with this outstanding product idea. Marketing sold the idea to executive leadership. The product was going to do great things for the company… but no one bothered to pursue engineering’s testing for the long term. The product ended up failing more often than it operated… and the company ended up with a huge recall and product refund on their hands. If all departments had communicated strongly, this may have been avoided.

How did the pitfalls impact the overall outcome of the change implementation?

As mentioned already, the product ended in failure. There was no renewal achieved from this “great” new release.

What elements of the implementation process seem particularly relevant to your own experience?

One of the biggest areas where I see a need is to develop strong communication plans. In my current organization, when changes are to occur, there is lots of communication to answer the five “W”s. The employees know why something is happening and are not left out. In implementing a new direction, I see the communication of these changes being the most critical step. If employees are educated as to why a change is being made, in most cases they are more willing to work with that decision.

How does communication fit into implementation planning?

See my previous response. When there is a lack of communication, people become suspicious of everything and will often not perform up to the task.

Which aspects of change theory seem particularly useful during renewal implementation? Why do you think so?

One of the biggest is a need to get away from complacency or to address the “irritant”. Something is not working as it is, so the need to fix it or recreate it becomes stronger than the need to maintain it. This leads to renewal.

What could you do differently as a result of your learning in implementing a change in your own organization?

Develop better communication materials. Better inform the entire team of why a change is being implemented. Also make sure everyone on the team recognizes their importance in the change process.

What strategy did your team decide to adopt during the renewal stage of the simulation?

We focused on an enhancement strategy in order to provide better value to our loyal customers. We also adopted the generic strategy of being the best cost provider.

How did the strategy work?

Quite well, as we had the highest shareholder value among our competitors.

What concepts from the course did you see reflected in the game play?

Mostly the ability to use conceptual tools in order to see how our options would play out. The ability to think through our strategy and it’s ramifications were very beneficial.

What could your team do differently if you were to play the simulation again?

Mostly focus on better understanding of operations required to maintain product. We were somewhat inefficient in estimating the facility and employee capacities needed to produce the product.

October 31, 2007 | Filed Under MBA 755 

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