MG630 Change Management and Organizational Development Assignment Sample

Introduction to MG630 Change Management and Organizational Development Assignment Sample

Business environment and marketplaces are changing regularly due to the emerging technologies and growing competition. Most of the business organisations are embracing the changes to stay relevant in the market. Change management may be served as a procedure of planning, applying and solidifying the changes within an organisation. The report is based on the Elegant Delights Ltd. (EDL), a small regional chain of artisanal desserts stores, headquartered in Chester.

The small store was originally established by Olivia Green and at present shares of the company owned by the family members and friends of Thomas Green (current managing director). Currently, EDL has increased business through taking over desserts and kitchenware stores in the local towns. EDL has 6 stores and now is aiming to increase to 10 stores. Referring to this, the report is going to discuss about the VUCA environment along with the relevant change management model to outline the planned change. Further, the report will highlight the possibilities of organisational and individual resistance due to the proposed change plan.

This Change Management and Organisational Development Assignment Sample examines how Elegant Delights Ltd. plans to expand from six to ten stores while managing organisational change. An Assignment helper can support students in understanding the VUCA environment, applying change management models, and evaluating employee and organisational resistance to business transformation.

Main Body

Identification and rationalization of strategic change which EDL should take

Elegant Delights Ltd is a small regional dessert stores that makes regular changes in the business to stand out in the market. Now, EDL wants to expand their business by increasing the number of shops. The enterprise aims to introduce an online ordering service by using a new online software package. The company should focus on strategic change such as online ordering service in order to stand out in the market. Change is necessary for EDL to thrive in the competitive and VUCA environment. This strategic change is important for acquiring the market opportunities as well as achieving long term growth. The necessity of strategic change and unpredictable environments where business operate can be understood by VUCA framework.

VUCA framework

VUCA stands for volatility, uncertainty, complexity & ambiguity and it is crucial for the change management. It offers company leaders with the mindset and capabilities needed to handle effectively in the times of uncertainty.

Volatility: Volatility or instability in business is defined as quick and irregular changes like market disruptions, technical changes and competition (Syamsir, Saputra and Mulia, 2025). EDL works in competitive and dynamic market in which preferences and demands of the customers change quickly. This kind of fluctuations and issues can be overcome by offering the online ordering services. Nowadays customers, especially younger customers prefer online services. If EDL will provides the online ordering option then firm would become able to enhance customer base and thereby increases revenue as well.

Uncertainty: It is related to the future that means absence of assurance and probability in future outcomes and incidents is known as uncertainty (Taskan, Junça-Silva and Caetano, 2022). EDL focuses on adaption, innovation and creativity like online ordering platform to deal with the unpredictable conditions prominently.

Complexity: It refers to the correlation and differences of variables which influences decision-making as well as problem-solving procedures. Financial crisis may make things complicated for the management (Garavan, Darcy and Bierema, 2024). The strategic change such online platform for ordering products enable the firm’s management and leaders to improve its financial situations.

Ambiguity: It happens when facts are challenging to differentiate or oppose one another. Ambiguity makes it hard to comprehend and make the informed decisions (Bennett and Lemoine, 2014). As the Elegant Delights Ltd. market changes regularly, the business experiences problems from increasing competitors, shifting customer demands and emerging technology. By introducing innovative service like online ordering platform, EDL can meet the changing demand of customers.

Rationalisation/justification of strategic change

Competitive advantage: Strategic change in the current business procedure allows EDL to achieve high level of competitive advantage in the UK dessert market. Through offering innovative services and products, enhancing consumer experience and applying new business models, the firm can grab the attention of customers. Online platform attracts more customers towards the EDL that helps the organisation to accomplish its long-term goals like achievement of financial stability and increases loyal consumer base.

Market expansion and growth: Online service enables Elegant Delights Ltd. to access to new markets, especially younger generation who often order products online (Bartosova et al, 2023). By introducing e-commerce platform, the company targets the new customer group and expand reach of business. This helps the organisation in achieving the substantial growth in the business and market.

Increase innovation: Now most of the organisations are offering the online shopping to meet the changing needs of the customers. Through launching the online ordering service, Elegant Delights Ltd. not only attracts customers but also boosts innovation within the organisation. This helps the company to survive in the artisanal dessert market for the long term and prevent the customers to choose other dessert store over EDL.

Brand image: Utilising online ordering solution, sustainable and ethical approaches enhances image and reputation of EDL and satisfies the customer expectations (Bagga, Gera and Haque, 2023). The company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts may improve customer perception as well as stakeholder trust towards the Elegant Delights Ltd. The company focuses on reducing waste and optimising resource distribution that enhance sustainability.

Change management model to outline proposed change approach to change

When a company is going to make changes in the working methods, business process or in any other field, utilisation of relevant change management model assists the company to execute the change effectively. As Elegant Delights Ltd. is going to launch an online ordering facility utilising new online software, the company needs to adopt and implement the change model. Lewin’s change model is suitable for the EDL’s to execute the strategic change and associated changes.

Lewin’s change management model

This change model was developed by the Kurt Lewin to facilitate the businesses. The model involves three stages such as; unfreeze, change and refreeze.

Unfreeze: EDL should identify the requirement for change and prepare employees by explaining the benefits of change. Company’s leaders & managers must openly and honestly communicate with the staff members and address their questions as well as concerns. Without preparing the staff, EDL cannot gain success in their upcoming changes. The company get supports from the staff members by developing awareness as well as motivation among them (Harrison et al, 2021). Leaders can conduct meetings and make sure that staff members of all the stores must attend the same. In meetings, managers can describe the reasons for this change. Through using infrographics, presentation, videos and staff newsletters leader can communicate the vision. Motivating store managers to act as change supporters and providing feedback are also useful in the change process (Adam, 2022). The feedback system enables the leader to find out the major resistance, create strategies and solutions to reduce the resistance. The company can carry out all the activities and tasks of unfreeze stage in weeks 1 - 2.

Change: Throughout the change procedure, Elegant Delights Ltd. must introduce new job roles and procedures like training of pastry chefs, appoint regional managers and establishing e-commerce team. In this stage, the company can apply change through adjusting structures and procedures. EDL can apply the new staffing structure like introduce a regional manager and hire pastry chefs and drivers (Memon, 2021). It is crucial for the company to increase the number of staff because the firm is planning to expand stores and to successfully operate the new shops, EDL needs sufficient workers. Further, the firm must recruit employees who have ability to manage online business. Organising training sessions for new as well as existing employees is equally important as without training employees are unable to perform according new working ways (Rawson and Davis, 2023). Moreover, EDL can offer the coaching and mentoring to the store staff members so that they can adjust to new roles. Timeline for this stage is 3 - 8 weeks.

Refreeze: This stage is related to solidify and assimilate the strategic changes. It includes strengthening new behaviours, recognising efforts of employees and incorporating changes into the culture. Only make changes in the business is not enough, it is most important for the Elegant Delights Ltd. to celebrate the short term success with staff (Aktas, 2024). Once, the company makes change successfully then it can embed new job roles as well as appraisal systems. This approach contributes in motivating the staff members and they will take more interests in their work. EDL must carry out the performance review process and conduct feedback sessions on regular basis. This assists in explaining the strengths as well as areas that need improvements (Smith et al, 2022). The managers can also suggest solutions so that employees can improve their weak areas. Due to the lack of feedback, there is a high chance that employees go back to their old ways. EDL should offer reward to the employees for their hard work.

Lewin’s change model is suitable for the EDL because the company is going to implement the technology related change and it works best in this kind of change. It offers a structured and reasonable framework to carry out and manage the change. This is very simple model and while applying the model the company will not face any or less issues.

Organisational and individual resistance of planned change

Change in the organisation is necessary but it is not easy for the company to make changes in the current business process. There is a high chance that strategic change can raise the organisational as well as individual resistance in the workplace. Thus, the resistance can be reduced or eliminated by using suitable solutions.

Organisational resistance with solutions

Lack of alignment: Some departments may show the resistance or employees since they do not want to do other complex work. As the proposed change is related to technological change which quite complex in nature (Doeze Jager, Born and van der Molen, 2022). To reduce the resistance from other department and to make sure the alignment with change objectives, it is important for the EDL to openly interact with the departments and employees and explain the requirement of change.

Fear of losing job: Staff members may worry regarding their jobs and feel that they may lose their jobs. They also feel anxious that the company change their job positions because of restructuring. In this case, through maintaining transparency regarding changes in the job roles can be helpful to reduce this issue. Through organising sufficient training, the company can prepare the employees to manage new responsibilities and duties.

Lack of trust: Resistance because of strategic change may happen when staff members do not trust the change leader. Some employees doubt about the ability of the leader to carry out the change successfully (Spring, 2021). The leaders can involve the workers in decision-making process it facilitates in increasing the trust of staff on leaders. They must available for employees whenever required in order to clear their doubts and worries.

Individual resistance and its solutions

Fear of failure: It’s not easy for the staff members to embrace new changes and do work accordingly. Employees often feel stressed when the company make changes in the workplace, particularly when change is related to technology. Employees feel that they face failure by suing new working ways (Khaw et al, 2023). Through organising mentorship and coaching programs, the company can help the staff to enhance and learn essential skills that help in doing tasks and activities.

Loss of control: Employees usually feels that they will lose the control over the job because of changes in the workplace. To solve this problem, the company can give detailed information regarding change, including how the change will be implemented. Once, workers get essential details regarding upcoming changes, it will definitely facilitate the employees and they will support the strategic change.

Attachment with routine process: It is obvious no one wants to change their working ways and leave the comfort zone. Employee may resist and will do not change the routine due to strong attachments with existing procedure (Dierking, 2025). In this situation, EDL requires to explain the advantages of new techniques of working. The company can also offer necessary tools and resources to workers that assist them during the changes.

Recommendations

From above analysis, it is recommended to the EDL to make a proper budget before implementing the plan. The company should allocate the budget to each department according to their needs so that they can execute the plan properly. The firm can take help from external finance expert to get knowledge on how much capital required for integrating new service.

It is also recommended to invest in staff training because without training, Elegant Delights Ltd. cannot achieve the change related goals. Align with the behaviourism theory, the company can utilise positive reinforcement such as; rewards and appreciation to motivate the staff members to actively take part in training programmes and gain knowledge regarding e-commerce platform.

Conclusion: Change Management and Organizational Development

By summing up this report, it has been concluded that change is quite difficult process but important for the businesses to survive in this complex and dynamic environment. Elegant Delights Ltd. a small chain of dessert stores is going to implement a technological change in the business such as; online ordering service. This change is necessary because most of people are now using the online platforms to buy products. This change would definitely help the EDL to achieve growth in business, increase customer base, increase business reach and operate efficiently in the dessert market. It has discussed that if the company uses the Lewin’s change model, then it would be easy for them to incorporate change successfully with less resistance and issues.

Further, during the change procedure, EDL may experience several organisational and resistance such as; poor alignment, fear of job loss, lack of trust, fear of failure and many more but these can be reduced through applying rights solutions like open communication, training, detailed information about change etc. The strategic change such as online platform would help the small dessert shop to increase their reach and convince the customers to buy products from EDL. If the firm would get full support from the employees and successfully implement the change, then it demonstrates that the company gain success in their proposed change. The firm will major the success through using key performance indicators such as; employee satisfaction and change success rate.

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References

Books and Journals

• Adam, N.A., 2022. Employees’ innovative work behavior and change management phases in government institutions: The mediating role of knowledge sharing. Administrative Sciences, 12(1), p.28.
• Bagga, S.K., Gera, S. and Haque, S.N., 2023. The mediating role of organizational culture: Transformational leadership and change management in virtual teams. Asia Pacific Management Review, 28(2), pp.120-131.
• Bartosova, V., Drobyazko, S., Bielialov, T., Nechyporuk, L. and Dzhyhora, O., 2023. Company strategic change management in the open innovation system. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 9(2), p.100087.
• Doeze Jager, S.B., Born, M.P. and van der Molen, H.T., 2022. The relationship between organizational trust, resistance to change and adaptive and proactive employees' agility in an unplanned and planned change context. Applied Psychology, 71(2), pp.436-460.
• Garavan, T.N., Darcy, C. and Bierema, L.L., 2024. Learning and development in highly dynamic VUCA contexts: a new framework for the L&D function. Personnel Review, 53(3), pp.641-656.
• Harrison, R., Fischer, S., Walpola, R.L., Chauhan, A., Babalola, T., Mears, S. and Le-Dao, H., 2021. Where do models for change management, improvement and implementation meet? A systematic review of the applications of change management models in healthcare. Journal of healthcare leadership, pp.85-108.
• Khaw, K.W., Alnoor, A., Al-Abrrow, H., Tiberius, V., Ganesan, Y. and Atshan, N.A., 2023. Reactions towards organizational change: a systematic literature review. Current Psychology, 42(22), pp.19137-19160.
• Memon, F.A., 2021. Improving employee’s engagement in change: Reassessing Kurt Lewin’s model. City University Research Journal, 11(1).
• Rawson, J.V. and Davis, M.A., 2023. Change management: a framework for adaptation of the change management model. IISE Transactions on Healthcare Systems Engineering, 13(3), pp.198-204.
• Smith, T.G., Norasi, H., Herbst, K.M., Kendrick, M.L., Curry, T.B., Grantcharov, T.P., Palter, V.N., Hallbeck, M.S. and Cleary, S.P., 2022. Creating a practical transformational change management model for novel artificial intelligence–enabled technology implementation in the operating room. Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes, 6(6), pp.584-596.
• Syamsir, S., Saputra, N. and Mulia, R.A., 2025. Leadership agility in a VUCA world: a systematic review, conceptual insights, and research directions. Cogent Business & Management, 12(1), p.2482022.
• Taskan, B., Junça-Silva, A. and Caetano, A., 2022. Clarifying the conceptual map of VUCA: a systematic review. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 30(7), pp.196-217.