What this has resulted in, is the upward progress of averagely performing staff simply because he/she is from the dominant tribe. This is in violation of the espoused “fair career management practices”. The fact that 85% of the workforce is from one ethnic group implies that the company is really not getting the best in terms of a varied selection of talent. c. Reality Shock (4): Most employees high expectations of working for CN are dashed when faced with the reality of what is on ground.
The shock is a killjoy that dampens high spirits and has led to staff resigning almost immediately.d. e. Despite the espousal of employee involvement schemes, several company initiatives are launched without recourse to employees’ suggestions. One interesting thing is that despite the above differences, some of the subcultures in CN display strong cohesive features. The sales department for example, is a team that is admired by other teams, for the fact that it is seen as a place to work hard and have fun. More importantly, the power distance level is low, unlike what obtains in the larger company.
In addition, the team head is seen as a boss who is there for his people, hence he commands a lot of commitment and high performance from subordinates. Despite the success of this team, there are some elements of groupthink in its’ operations, such as the recent resistance to the deployment of a new sales software. Indeed, culture is too complex to fully comprehend. Conclusions/Recommendations Recently, Cadbury Schweppes launched a global change program. Entitled Sharpening the culture, it aims to identify lapses in the espoused and actual cultures of its’ operating companies.
However, it appears that CN does not realise the value of effective change management. HR does not also know that it is the primary cultural change agent in the company. Obviously, CN is still in the early growth stage (5) If cultural change is to have any meaningful impact, CN must: Involve employees in the formulation of what requires change and how this is to be achieved. In other words, involve employees in business strategy in order to set the basis for a win-win agreement.
This important aspect is often overlooked. Communicate effectively i. e.ensure that all stakeholders fully understand the implication of change initiatives. The success of this lies mainly in the use of multiple sources of communication eg. E-mail, company publications, presentations, speeches etc. Practice transformational leadership by example, where leaders practice espoused beliefs rather than communicate alone. Get the unfreezing strategy right, before moving to the actual change phase and do not move till it is done. Realise that organisational development is key to sustaining change and achieving its’ full benefits.
The retraining of HR staff in modern HRM techniques and methodologies will equip the company with competent change agents. Finally, CN’s management should realise that change is the only phenomenon that will provide the impetus for a sustainable competitive advantage. If it wants to remain in business, it must embrace change whole-heartedly.
