Ultimate Office Products
Laske, Chad - Assignment 8
Leadership 372
Trumpy
Ultimate Office Products
Successfully implementing a large system change in an organization can be very challenging. It also requires a unique set of leadership qualities to do it well. Richard Kelley, the newly hired Director of Information Systems for Ultimate Office Products, was called to this challenge. Richard needed to replace the obsolete order processing system company-wide to improve their customer service and deliver products more quickly. This would allow them to be more competitive and move forward with their technology. The project kicked off and Richard immediately ordered the new system that would meet Ultimate Office Products goal. He then attempted to engage with his business partners to start using the new software when he immediately ran into resistance. In Richard’s hurried desire to accomplish this goal, he alienated his peers by not included them. He, nor the CEO, met with them to explain what they were trying to accomplish and discuss the vision of the project effort. Richard also neglected to gather any requirements from his peers to see what may have been working well and what needed to be improved. This would have informed Richard to the type of system purchase he should make. He certainly ran the risk of the new system not meeting some critical requirements which would have caused more issues and delays. As Kotters explained in his 8 Stage Change Management Process, one of the first steps in implementing a major change is to create a sense of urgency about the need for change. This was entirely missed by both Richard and his CEO. Employees need to understand the change in order to support it. “Even people who initially endorse a change will need support and assistance to sustain their enthusiasm and optimism as the inevitable difficulties and setbacks occur.” (Yukl) When Richard’s initial attempt failed and the CEO began questioning his effectiveness, he decided to take a
Leadership 372
Trumpy
Ultimate Office Products
Successfully implementing a large system change in an organization can be very challenging. It also requires a unique set of leadership qualities to do it well. Richard Kelley, the newly hired Director of Information Systems for Ultimate Office Products, was called to this challenge. Richard needed to replace the obsolete order processing system company-wide to improve their customer service and deliver products more quickly. This would allow them to be more competitive and move forward with their technology. The project kicked off and Richard immediately ordered the new system that would meet Ultimate Office Products goal. He then attempted to engage with his business partners to start using the new software when he immediately ran into resistance. In Richard’s hurried desire to accomplish this goal, he alienated his peers by not included them. He, nor the CEO, met with them to explain what they were trying to accomplish and discuss the vision of the project effort. Richard also neglected to gather any requirements from his peers to see what may have been working well and what needed to be improved. This would have informed Richard to the type of system purchase he should make. He certainly ran the risk of the new system not meeting some critical requirements which would have caused more issues and delays. As Kotters explained in his 8 Stage Change Management Process, one of the first steps in implementing a major change is to create a sense of urgency about the need for change. This was entirely missed by both Richard and his CEO. Employees need to understand the change in order to support it. “Even people who initially endorse a change will need support and assistance to sustain their enthusiasm and optimism as the inevitable difficulties and setbacks occur.” (Yukl) When Richard’s initial attempt failed and the CEO began questioning his effectiveness, he decided to take a
References: Yukl, Gary A. Leadership in organizations (8th ed.). Boston: Pearson, 2013.