Assignment Sample on Critical Analysis of a case study
Introduction
Task 1 – Strategy Report
1. Introduction
Highways England was established in 2015 as a government company. As per the case study, the company works on 5-year cycles that are known as road investment periods. The first such period was between 2015 and 2020, while the second period started in 2020 and will go till 2025. The responsibilities of Highways England are to operate, maintain, and improve motorways and major A roads in England. The company along with TMC have been working hard since its inception with a fleet of 598, which predominantly consists of cars. The current report is based on Highways England and has discussed its current strategy, change management model, and the drivers of change.
2. Drivers of Change
| Elements | Factors | Impact |
| Political | ● Stability of the government
● Low rate of violence(De Frenneet al. 2021) |
Positive |
| Economic | ● Negative impacts of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic(theglobaleconomy, 2023)
● Gradual increase of tax rate in the last few years |
Negative |
| Social | ● People from different cultures working together
● The median population age of 40 years(Piaoet al. 2020) |
Positive |
| Technological | ● Citizen’s love for innovative technologies
● Steady technological growth in the last couple of years(Román-Palacios & Wiens, 2020) |
Positive |
Table 1: PEST analysis
Drivers of change refer to any internal or external pressure that helps in changing the shape of an organisation. This may include changes to strategy, designs, plans, operations, products, and services. In order to analyse the drivers of change for Highways England, a PEST analysis is performed. It can be seen from the table that political, economic, social, and technological elements of the external environment of the UK have an impact on the strategy of Highways England. One of the major political factors that can be marked drivers of change for the company is the stability rate of the UK government, which is currently at a level of 0.05 (theglobaleconomy, 2023). A stable government of the host country is always a positive factor for businesses.
Another political factor that contributes to the same cause is the reduced criminal activities across the nation, which helps Highways England to operate its business smoothly. Illegal activities as well as political violence in the UK have gradually decreased in the last few years, which is undoubtedly a positive driver of change for Highways England. Conversely, economic factors like the gradual increase of tax rate in the country are not a positive sign for Highways England as the current tax rate in the UK stands at 64.7 (De Frenneet al. 2021). This combined with the negative impact of Brexit and the most recent phenomenon, the Covid-19 pandemic made the situation worse for the company. Therefore, it is clear that the economic environmental element is a negative driver of change for Highways England.
Subsequently, the social elements are seen to be positive change drivers for Highways England. For example, the median age of the UK population is 40 years, which makes it easier for the company to devise strategies without any modification (Piaoet al. 2020). Moreover, a cross-cultural work environment is promoted in the operations of Highways England as the UK is filled with people of different cultural backgrounds. The company recruits them into its business and takes their inputs into consideration to plan and implement strategies. Hence, it is marked as a positive driver of change.
The UK is currently in the fifth position on the list of technologically sound countries across the globe, which is definitely a great advantage for a company like Highways England that relies on technology. Furthermore, the people of the nation also love to experience new innovations and technologies regularly. This acts as a motivator for Highways England to implement new innovative technologies in its operations (Román-Palacios & Wiens, 2020). Thus, technology appears to be a positive change factor for Highways England. Apart from these, decisions of the UK government regarding the proposal of good policies and regulations to help businesses in the country also contribute to the change in the planning of Highways England to a large extent. Therefore, it is clear that Highways England has to continuously investigate major global trends and issues along with its internal changes so that a better strategy can be implemented.
3. Strategy
Organisations always look for ways of improvement, and Highways England is no different. Organisations look for ways to stay relevant and profitable in the industry. However, it does not happen automatically; a strategy and a model to incorporate that strategy is necessary in this regard. These are known as strategic planning, which proves highly beneficial for businesses, irrespective of their sizes (Bansal et al. 2019). These models help the organisation in planning a project and implementing organisational objectives in a structured manner. Each strategic model is different from the other as the type of organisation dictates the strategic model, which will be used. Highways England is a technology-driven company that requires constant modifications in its strategy as technology is changing every day. Highways England follows the balanced scorecard (BSC) strategic model, which is based on clear communications regarding the objective being accomplished (Klofstenet al. 2019). The model aligns activities with the overall strategy and helps the company in processes like prioritising, measuring, and monitoring progress.
The underlying purpose of Highways England to incorporate this strategic model is to maintain a balance between its strategy and financial measurements. The company gets to see the connections between each part of “strategic management and planning” with the BSC model (Grainger-Brown, J., &Malekpour, 2019). Thus, the model proves useful for Highways England in implementing new strategies and monitoring their progress. Nevertheless, the organisation further needs to develop new ideas for improving it in the future. Highways England can utilise the BSC model to adopt strategic objectives. This can be improved by assigning tasks to different areas of the company so that its operational and financial operations can get a boost at the same time. In this way, the bottom line of the company gets a huge improvement (Alblooshiet al. 2021). Highways England can also reduce its reliance on inefficiencies in the process with this strategic model.
4. Change and Change Management
Change is something that can be defined as an inevitable, yet difficult aspect to grow a business. Every business in the current fast-moving market scenario hopes to slow the pace of change. However, they do not get anything but utter disappointment from this expectation (Baptista et al. 2020). The world is changing at a rapid pace and with that, its population, customer trends, technology, and the economy are also changing. Businesses that fail to adopt these changes quickly, cannot survive in the picture and become unable to compete under these circumstances. In this context, change can be referred to as growth opportunities in the business world. Change allows employees in a business environment to learn new skills, grab new opportunities, and implement their creativity in a way that benefits an organisation ultimately (Arasanmi & Krishna, 2019). However, preparing employees to counter these changes requires a thorough analysis of training and tools that prove helpful for them to learn new skills. This, in short, is defined as change management.
Change management is a systematic approach that helps an organisation deal with the transformation and transition of its goals, technologies, and procedures. The main purpose of change management is to incorporate strategies that can effect and control change, and help people to adapt to it. In order to make the most out of it, processes like the way an adjustment can impact systems and employees of the organisation need to be taken into consideration (Martínez-Caro et al. 2020). The presence of a process to plan, test, communicate, schedule, and implement change is essential within the organisation, which can be defined well by change management models. These models are developed to act as compasses that can be beneficial in navigating tough transitions and guiding a team towards something more than just success. Change management models are nothing but theories, concepts, and methodologies, providing an in-depth overview of organisational change. A variety of these models exist in the business world that companies adapt to ensure that changes are accepted and put into reality (Barreiro-Gen et al. 2023).
Bruke and Litwin model
Implementation of new management approaches based on organisational performance is playing an effective role for companies to increase their organisational performance. Bruke and Litwin model are allowing companies to make effective alterations in their internal and external business environment.
Figure 1: Bruke and Litwin model for change management
(Source: Exeter, 2023)
Figure 1 is highlighting the critical factors involved with the change management model, which are creating operational effectiveness for Highways England for managing their new change management approaches. The external environment, Mission and strategy, leadership, and organisational culture structure are different significant factors involved with the change management model that will provide the necessary help for the organisational management to make effective alterations in their project management activities (Exeter, 2023). The critical factors involved with the change management processes can provide the necessary help for the company managers to make positive changes in their work approaches as well.
Task 2 – Launch Materials
Introduction
- The SAP program is chosen as the change management program for launch to manage employees in Highways England
- This program of change management will consist of an appropriate logo and tagline so that employees recognise it easily
- The SAP program will involve proposing change initiatives and executing those in the most seamless way possible
SN
Highways England follows Lewin’s approach to change management, which describes the change as a three-phase process. The first stage of change involves processes of making the organisation ready to accept necessary changes. This includes the breakdown of the existing status quo so that a new to operate can be set up. This uncertainty leads people to the next stage, known as change, where people start finding ways to deal with uncertainties. However, this transition does not happen overnight as people need time to go in a new direction and take part proactively. When changes start taking shape and people embrace new ways of working, the organisation is termed to be ready to refreeze. Some signs of refreezing are consistent job descriptions, a stable organisation chart, and others. This stage also demands help from people and the organisation to make the changes applicable in every set-up. As a result, employees start feeling confident and comfortable working in a new way.
“Tagline for SAP program: RUN SIMPLE with change management program”
Description of the program
- The rationale of the program is to implement a new sense of stability in the ever-changing world (Yue et al. 2019)
- The program is designed to allow leaders to help their subordinates succeed and propose ways when trouble is likely to appear
- The key focus will be on results and for that, a goal-oriented mind-set by setting up non-negotiable and clear goals will need to be maintained (Tang & Tang, 2019)
SN
The launch program will be implemented to overcome challenges by figuring out the most affected employees first and working towards predicting and managing the risk of change. Repetitive communication in simple and powerful ways with employees will be ensured so that the way an affected workforce works and reacts to a situation can be understood. After that, sponsorship will be secured and it will be allowed to reach all organisational levels equally so that the organisation can facilitate the change in a proper way. Decision-making programs will be reorganised with the help of the development of a system that can identify and execute the most important decisions on time. In the final stage, the progress will be monitored on a regular basis and it will be made sure that the advancement is going as planned.
Reasons to implement the program
- People have a tendency to change as they know uncertainty and insecurity will appear at some point (Galli, 2019)
- The program of change management is necessary to launch because the feelings of resistance need proper management otherwise, it will have negative consequences (van Ooijen et al. 2020)
- Most importantly, a change management plan helps in speeding up transformations and ultimately, makes this ability a key characteristic of the company
SN
The proactiveness of Highways England will determine whether it is able to adopt a new system or not. Hence, the change management plan will be launched to make the organisation capable of adopting the transformation. People are always affected by the consequences of changes made within an organisation. Therefore, their support is essential to implement a change. The ways to adapt and manage change are a great representation of professional leadership as leaders act as agents of change in this context. The main advantage of this program is that people who are aware of organisational changes grow more with the success of the company and develop more skills. In order to do this, trust in management needs to be necessarily fostered. It also acts as a great influencer for other colleagues.
Potential challenges
- Managing changes throughout the organisation can often appear stressful if the right tools and processes are not sought (Hopwood, 2019)
- The introduction of changes adds new phases of complexity to the organisational context
- The barriers or challenges to implementing a change management program can vary from organisation to organisation, however, there are some common challenges as well (Harrison et al. 2021)
SN
Change often proves difficult when a lack of a clear vision is there. In case, the current state of the organisation is unknown, it is quite impossible to achieve the desired future state. The drivers of change and the factors to implement will lack clarity if the vision is unclear. As a result, the entire derails at the initial stage. Communication is very important in the implementation of a change management program. However, if it does not dwindle down the ladder, the program is bound to fail. Therefore, it is recommended to work on devising an effective communication strategy instead of expecting adjustments from employees. The outcome of any initiative to change is decided by an effective change management strategy and therefore, the need for change and resources required to manage that change need to be identified as quickly as possible.
Conclusion
- The discussion shows that the implementation of a change management plan in Highways England is a tough job due to a number of reasons
- The SAP program is selected as the change management program for Highways England to launch
- A lack of a proper change management plan can hamper the company through the failure of its ventures
SN
A plan of change management is defined as the explicit description of ways that different business segments take to navigate transformation and innovation. The change management plan of an organisation reflects its vision and the way it can be achieved through actionable processes and achieve the results being sought. The company is aiming to follow a plan of change management to successfully propose and manage changes within the organisation. The plan will be typically used for complex changes that can create a significant influence on job roles. Hence, a strategic approach to implementing change management plans properly is essential. It proposes the necessary steps of transition from the initial state to the projected state in the future. The organisation can get help from “Lewin’s Change Management Model”, which properly describes the significance of change in organisations.
Task 3
Reflection is defined as an effective process for evaluating the personal perspectives and experiences of individuals based on their daily interactions. Personal reflective models help individuals to understand the changes in their behaviours and skill gaps involved in their character. Gibb’s reflective cycle is considered an effective reflective model that enables individuals to understand the areas for improvement in their character (Alcarde et al. 2022). Leadership style is important criterion of effective productiveness of business structure in an organization that can be optimized by obtaining a democratic leadership style.
Encouragement for engagement of employees can be dependent upon the feedback of consumers and other employees (Specchia et al. 2021). Here according to the case study, simple and plain leadership have been acknowledged as easy and adopting criteria for governing the workers to work in the correct and progressive pathway. With the help of proper analysis it can be recommended that ideal leadership should be strategic and innovative in a way that is democratic which means listening to others and ruling over others with positive criticism.
Following is a detailed analysis of the different stages involved with Gibb’s reflective cycle based on the challenges faced by me while completing this module
Description
I was responsible for communicating with my fellow project members for completing the group project activities for my educational activities. I was responsible for sharing effective information with the members of my group and updating the project coordinator regarding the progress of the overall project. There were issues regarding the communication between the project members, which creates issues involving the outcome of the overall project. My team members were fairly angry regarding the present situation in the project as there were significant delays in completing the project work. The project coordinator involved in this project was not happy with my leadership performance as the project communicator.
Feelings
I was fairly angry with my role as the project communicator as several team members were not contributing to achieving the overall outcome involved with the project. I thought that my team members were not convinced about my leadership and communication abilities to improve the performance of the whole group. However, I was happy regarding my understanding abilities to recognise the problem fairly quickly without deteriorating the overall outcome of the project.
Evaluation
I felt that I was not able to understand the requirements of an effective leader in completing the project activities. I realised that I need to improve my communication and technical abilities to increase the performance of my team members. However, my ability in understanding the gaps in my own skills was a positive factor in this particular experience.
Analysis
I think that leaders need to have effective emotional intelligence to increase the performance of the respective group members in a project. Furthermore, I think leadership activities based on digital communication approaches are playing an effective role in a modern business environment. Iannotta et al. (2020) addressed that, technological implementation in completing the assigned tasks is enabling organisationla leaders to create a flexible worek environment for their business operations. I think improvements in emotional intelligence and technical knowledge are essential for improving my leadership abilities.
Conclusion
I realised that I need to make changes in my technical knowledge to create a positive work environment for the project members. I realise that I need to increase my emotional intelligence as well to create a sustainable operation for my future employers as well. Increasing communication skills based on effective technical knowledge based on communication devices and software will allow me to increase my performance in similar situations.
Action Plan
I can utilise online learning platforms such as LinkedIn Learning, Udemy, and Blackboard to improve my communication and emotional intelligence skills. The online review approach across online platforms can be implemented to make effective changes in the learning abilities of individuals.
MBTA leadership style
The action for implementing collective activities in a strategic process for completing operational activities is defined as leadership. MBTI leadership style is often used as an effective approach for helping individuals to make positive changes in their leadership approaches.
| Key leadership skills | Current | Required | Time required |
| Communication skills | 4 | 10 | Approx. 3 months |
| Leadership skills | 6 | 10 | Approx. 5 months |
| Emotional intelligence appraoches | 5 | 10 | Approx. 4 months |
Table 1: Table for key leadership skills
Table 1 is highlighting the key factors involved with the key leadership skills involved with my character. I realise that I need to make changes in my leadership approaches to develop a sustainable work environment for the organisation in a modern business environment. My leadership abilities based on effective communication skills are significant areas for improvement in my character.
Professional development plan
SMART recommendations
Communication skill is the chosen leadership skill, which can be improved by following the activities mentioned in Table 2
| Specific | ● Improving leadership approaches by instigating effective changes associated with communication skills |
| Measurable | ● Timely completion of the project activities |
| Achievable | ● Using online learning platforms for increasing communication skills (Ferri et al. 2020) |
| Relevant | ● Increasing operational productivity within the company |
| Time-bound | ● Approx. 2-3 months |
Table 2: SMART recommendations 1
Emotional intelligence is the chosen leadership skill, which can be improved by following the activities mentioned in Table 3
| Specific | ● Using emotional intelligence for understanding requirements of the employees |
| Measurable | ● Employee performance in project management |
| Achievable | ● Using online platforms such as LinkedIn learning (Linkedin, 2023) |
| Relevant | ● Increasing change management efficiency of the companies |
| Time-bound | ● Approx. 3-4 months |
Table 3: SMART Recommendations 2
Success celebration with team members reflects a potential effect of motivation and inspiration to other employees with a positive attitude for skill growth and the adaptation of training skills.
References
Task 1
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Task 2
Galli, B. J. (2019). Comparison of change management models: similarities, differences, and which is most effective?. R&D Management in the Knowledge Era: Challenges of Emerging Technologies, 605-624.Retrieved on 28th July 2023, from: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-15409-7_24
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Hopwood, A. G. (2019). Accounting and organisation change. In Management Control Theory (pp. 357-368). Routledge. Retrieved on 28th July 2023, from: https://api.taylorfrancis.com/content/chapters/edit/download?identifierName=doi&identifierValue=10.4324/9780429422553-24&type=chapterpdf
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Yue, C. A., Men, L. R., & Ferguson, M. A. (2019). Bridging transformational leadership, transparent communication, and employee openness to change: The mediating role of trust. Public relations review, 45(3), 101779. Retrieved on 28th July 2023, from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0363811119300360
Task 3
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Alcarde, M. L., Gordon, A. J., & Ponesto, C. B. (2022). Challenges and opportunities faced by working students amidst pandemic. ISSRA Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Studies, 1(3), 9-17.Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/John-Erwin-Pedroso/publication/362312748_Challenges_and_Opportunities_Faced_By_Working_Students_amidst_Pandemic/links/62e2a04b4246456b55f0cb05/Challenges-and-Opportunities-Faced-By-Working-Students-amidst-Pandemic.pdf.Retrieved on 2nd August 2023
Ferri, F., Grifoni, P., & Guzzo, T. (2020). Online learning and emergency remote teaching: Opportunities and challenges in emergency situations. Societies, 10(4), 86.Retrieved from: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/10/4/86/pdf.Retrieved on 2nd August 2023
Iannotta, M., Meret, C., & Marchetti, G. (2020). Defining leadership in smart working contexts: a concept synthesis. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 556933.Retrieved from: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.556933/pdf.Retrieved on 2nd August 2023
Kakovkina., V. (2023). MBTI 16 personalities: Which types make the best entrepreneurs and what can we learn from them?.Retrieved from: https://nethunt.com/blog/mbti-personalities/#:~:text=ENTJ%3A%20The%20Commander,charismatic%2C%20outgoing%20and%20inspirational%20leaders..Retrieved on 2nd August 2023
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