Shell Corporation Managing Change

UNDERLYING CHANGE MANAGEMENT CONCEPTS 7 3. STRENGTHS, WEAKNESS, AND LIMITATIONS 9 Conclusion 9 Executive Summary This is a proposal to Shell Corporation Chairman Jeroen van der Veer addressing the issue of resistance to the change program from the internal company stakeholders. As a consultant, the best strategy the company should employ is the eight-step change model developed by Katter. The concepts for the project have been borrowed from change theories like the Kanter theory, Levin’s change management model, and Katter model. The project will take an estimated timeline of eighteen months from the start to the end. The best change concept to deal with resistance from employees is implementing gradual transitions in systematic steps, instead of an abrupt change. The transformation should be initiated to the employees at all levels in the organization.

ii) The scope of the Work. Resistance from internal shareholders in any Corporation can lead to failure of the management change program such as the one that is spearheaded by the Shell corporation chairman. As a consultant, I recommend that Shell Corporation should adopt the eight-step change model which was developed at Harvard business school by Professor John Kotter. The first step is to urgency creation. This is probably the hardest but most crucial step for the management. The chairman should make sure that at least three-quarter of the company management buys into the change program. This involves creating discussions and giving convincing reasons that will get shareholders thinking and talking. The leading change team should, therefore, help the organization to identify potential threats opportunities that should be exploited.

The stakeholders should them be encouraged to practice the company vision on regular basis. The fourth step is making the vision known in a powerful and effective manner. The chairman and the leading change team should call for special meetings in which the vision of the corporation will be communicated to everyone. It is also paramount to put the talk into action. The selected lead team should incorporate the expected behavioral changes in their actions in their daily operations. One advantage of short-term wins is that they lower the critics and retrogressive thinking from some stakeholders. This step basically requires the company not to choose any early target that is expensive and one that can be easily justified. This calls for an analysis through to identify the pros and cons and the best way to reward the winners.

Building on the change is the second last stage of the model. According to the Kotter, the main reason why projects fail is the due declaration of victory prematurely. The change agents should, therefore, make progressive efforts to make sure that change is realized in all parts of Shell Corporation. This will ensure that the new change program has a solid place in the culture of the organization. It is also very crucial that the change leaders and agents support the change in a continuous change. This entails bringing the existing leaders and staffs to support the change program. If you lose the support of the internal shareholders, you will back to the zero point. The eight-step Change management model will help the internal stakeholder in Shell to understand the necessity of change management and why they should adopt it and move forward.

Change is beneficial to the company employees because it will give them the opportunity of trying new things and better skills. The model will also help to promote open communication in the corporation and enable the management to know the underlying reasons for resistance in the corporation. In addition, the change model will allow Shell Corporation to compete favorably with their rivals like Exxon Mobil and also bring the profits high. Underlying change management concepts Levin’s Change Management Model Change seems to be a collective thread that runs through all organizations irrespective of size, age and industry. When it comes to an organization, the first level (unfreeze) encompasses preparing the business (shell company) to consent to the change which means getting rid of the existing status quo.

To achieve this chairman should realize that the crisis had a great impact on the share price and therefore necessary change is obligatory. The initial stages of changes are normally difficult because it can evoke reactions from the stakeholders; therefore, starting at the core is crucial. After the unfreeze change, the second stage is the change stage where individuals start to resolve their uncertainty and start using new methods of handling things. This transitional process is not easy and needs patients because people take time to embrace change since they need to comprehend how they will benefit due to the changes,( Laschinger, 2014). The chairman should consider using formal methods when trying to involve its internal stakeholders in change. They should ensure that their stakeholders understand the advantages changes bring in an organization.

Strengths, weakness, and limitations The concept of this proposal is based on Kotter’s model, a professor at Harvard School. The model was developed more than 20 years ago targeting human resource managers trying to implement change programs on a large scale. One of the strengths of this proposal is the creation of a sense of urgency in the corporation. The model is also mechanistic in its approach to its checklist. The step to step change prescription is less effective as compared Lewin's change theory. Kotter’s model has been criticized by many people because it tends to treat people as machines in implementing changes, (Appelbaum, 2012). Another weakness is the weakness of the program in sustaining change. Although the model is strong in initiating change, the steps do not give the way forward on consolidating realized benefits and production of more change.