Page 52 - DMGT520_ORGANIZATION_CHANGE_AND_DEVELOPMENT

Unit 3: Models of Change

Notes
coming together on a single platform, the employees of the erstwhile companies developed
a better understanding and trust and many apprehensions were allayed. The task of welding
the combined field forces in the main line of the business which is tea and coffee, therefore
called as the beverages business, into a cohesive team must be viewed against the
background that for decades they have been market rivals and now they have become
members of one family overnight. Innovative gestures and work locations helped to
solve the initial awkward phase. At the branched Sangam Meetings, the initial apprehension
was whether Sangam Hoga Nahin Hoga, but Sangam Meetings brought together the
combined force, where the youngest salesman of one erstwhile entity garlanded the eldest
salesman of the other and exchanged sweets. By initiating production of Lipton tea brands
at Brooke-Bond factories and vice-versa, the mindset of factory employees changed for the
better.
The last lesson is: Build teams aggressively. The vitality of an organization lies in its
ability to mix its people together and again, a motherhood statement, and impart the
feeling of kinship and belonging to a team. Here, both Lipton and Brooke-Bond inherited
a favorable base fortunately. Constructive relationship between the employees’
representatives and the management was cemented with key agreements with the All
India Brooke-Bond Employees’ Federation as well as the site-based Lipton Unions. There
was restructuring of sales and distribution systems, which were two different systems in
the erstwhile companies, into one single integrated system as regards the tea and coffee
business or the beverages business was concerned.
Hard Decisions

Lastly, in all this, some hard decisions had to be taken. An organization has to take risks
as well as tough decisions if its competitiveness is to be continuously strengthened. All
over in Indian industry it is increasingly being realized that employee expectations for a
life-time employment can no longer be fulfilled, either for the management or non-
management staff and, indeed, the Japanese who propounded the life-time employment
have also started redefining the concept. Over manning or under performance are issues
that can no longer be brushed under the carpet because these not only add to costs but also
sap competitive ability and erode the well-being of an enterprise. Therefore, employees
and their representatives need to be prepared about the possibility of separation for a
small number, in the interests of the majority.
Culture Audit

As part of the whole process culture audit was done. Typical of the culture audit, 75% of the
managers and officers voluntarily participated. The electronic mail in an innovative manner
was used to pick up their responses, their perceptions about the current performance
standards, and whether team spirit was prevalent. These were, of course, scored on a five-
point scale for clarity of task and objectives. The decisions are built around a fair amount
of analysis-paralysis syndrome. Comments were sought regarding various practices e.g.,
response to the speed, relevance to the market environment, whether there was the problem
of affliction of bureaucracy and how much bureaucracy existed and whether rewards had
led to performance. Yet another electronic mail like survey was carried out to determine
the managers’ perception about what should be the positive behaviour and attributes they
display and where they should be. So gaps give some indications for action.

The satisfaction with respect to speed and style of change was also assessed and essentially
five dimensions in this questionnaire were listed and whether managers feel that we
should make more bold and big changes. Essentially they had to give their ratings in

Contd...

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 47