Question

Read the case below and share your perspectives to the 5 questions that follow.

Aircraft Components Manufacturing experienced many internal and external sources of change. Of course, economic trends and aircraft sales will potentially affect a business like Aircraft Components. The new customers and increased sales lead to a number of changes. The new customers had different quality standards that had to be met. The increased sales required increased output. To meet these requirements, more overtime was scheduled and more employees were hired.

There were several changes in personnel. More employees were hired and different types of employees were hired. For example, the newly hired engineers had much more education than the old engineers. However, the new engineers had less experience. The company hired its first women engineers. A new building was added to the facilities. Departments were divided and new departments added. This meant that some employees were assigned to departments that were supervised by a newly promoted supervisor.

Many of the employees didn’t understand why the company was making some of the changes. For example, they didn’t understand why they were hiring new engineers when they didn’t have the same amount of experience as the old engineers. They also didn’t understand why departments were divided into two departments. Employees didn’t like it when work groups were broken up and assigned to different departments. In one case, several employees went to the president of the company to complain that the supervisor didn’t know what he was doing. If the team was assigned to different departments, they were sure product quality would go down. Supervisors believed many of the employees’ concerns were not realistic.

What type(s) of conflict exists in this case?

What are the sources of change and why are the employees resisting these changes?

Supervisors don’t usually initiate companywide changes but are responsible for implementing these changes. How would you handle these changes?

What type of power would be most effective in resolving the conflict(s) and resistance to change?

What strategies for organizational politics would be most effective in resolving this case?

Answer 1

What type(s) of conflict exists in this case?

One can see that employees are acting in such a manner because of the change happening around in the company. Thus, the types of conflict existing in this case are conflict with the changing environment, conflict with the change in the relationships and conflict with the people and duties around in the organisation.

What are the sources of change and why are the employees resisting these changes?

Sources or changes in this organisation are both internal as well as external sources. As the company is becoming bigger, more services and better quality products are to be offered to make sure new customers are happier. This is one source where the change in number of customers, change in the company's structure, change in company's no. of employees, change in company's authorities and responsibilities and also change in company's culture are the sources causing the employees to resist to many changes happening around.

Employees are resisting to all these changes because all of these changes are happening very quickly and it is in the human tendency to resist the changes as fast as they happen. No communication and feedback were taken from the employees making this change to be resisted by the employees.

Supervisors don’t usually initiate companywide changes but are responsible for implementing these changes. How would you handle these changes?

As mentioned above, changes is introduced in a better and slower manner and also with including the employees effectively would help in making sure the change is implemented and handled in a better manner. Being a supervisor, I would never introduce a change without considering the existing employees. To make the change effective and successful, it is important to consider your existing employees, do communicating, conduct feedback analysis to make sure everyone is included and everyone is ready to accept this change slowly but gradually.

What type of power would be most effective in resolving the conflict(s) and resistance to change?

The power of leadership especially the transformatinal leadership and motivation would be the most effective solution to solve this conflict in the organisation.

The transformational leader has the ability to make sure everyone is included and transforming their lives as according to the organisation. He would make sure the conflict is handled effectively where the power of communication and personal relationship would help to solve and manage the conflict in the most reliable manner. The right leadership and guidance power would help to solve this conflict effectively.

What strategies for organizational politics would be most effective in resolving this case?

The strategies for effective communication through negotiation, training, growth and inclusive programs would help in making sure the organisation is able to manage and resolve the conflict effectively. Negotiating and communicating effective would help in making the employees understand why the change happened and why the new employees are acting in newer and better manner. Training modules and developmental programs would be designed to make sure everyone learns how to adapt to this change and make it the most effective. Feedback and control analysis would be conducted to help to solve the conflict in the organisation by including everyone and making everyone feel like a family in this organisation to work and get the best out of this change mechanism.