| Change indeed is fundamental in life. The reality of | | | | property market. The effect of illiquidity is high |
| the complexity and vagrancy in the environment | | | | property inventory for sale and to let within |
| (external or internal) is that organisations and | | | | Adeshina Adeleke's property bulletin. |
| individuals are constantly being pressurised to | | | | Sales and letting are down and consistently for a |
| change in one form or the other. Change could be | | | | quarter.Sales teams could not meet their targets. |
| rapid or slow, perceptible and imperceptible, minor | | | | The result of the performance variance analysis |
| or substantive. | | | | triggered a need for strategic and operational |
| Vecchio (2006) in a tone of finality submitted that | | | | change on the part of the firm. As a firm, we |
| all organisations (whether profit or nonprofit, | | | | were caught off guard as the scenario we found |
| military or mutinational corporations) have no | | | | ourselves in was never anticipated. |
| choice but to change so as to keep up with the | | | | Management felt a need to increase sales and |
| pressure from the environment (internal and | | | | profitability and also to reposition the firm through |
| external). It is a compelling case of "change or die" | | | | necessary transformation. Although at the time, |
| (Vecchio, 2006:365). | | | | we were neither guided nor constrained by any |
| Pressures to change can be obvious or implicit. | | | | model in managing the desired change, it would be |
| Managers are expected to anticipate and direct | | | | useful to adopt Lewin's planned change process to |
| change process so that organizations can benefit | | | | analyse Adeshina Adeleke and company's change |
| from it. Infact Pantea (n.d) of the University of | | | | management process. |
| Aard,Romania suggested that underlying the | | | | To kickstart the freezing stage the leadership of |
| Lewin's Change Process model is that the change | | | | the firm created an awareness of the need to |
| process eventually involves a learning experience | | | | change, first among the management staff and |
| as well as the expediency to abandon the | | | | later among the sales teams. Performance results |
| "current attitudes, behaviours, or organizational | | | | for three months were discussed and analysed at |
| practices". | | | | management meeting. |
| The forces of change can sometimes be | | | | Management as a whole was made to understand |
| intimidating and might include forecast of changing | | | | the emerging pattern and be sensitised on the |
| economic conditions, changing consumer | | | | need for a turn around. Subsequently a |
| preference, technological and scientific factors, | | | | management staff was mandated to meet the |
| globalisation and competition, and last but not the | | | | sales teams and middle level managers to educate |
| least, changes in legal landscape. | | | | them on the firm's predicament and the need to |
| Response to the forces of change may require | | | | develop a sense of urgency for change. |
| strategic change or operational change. Strategic | | | | Once a consensus was built on the urgency of |
| change is organizational wide and has to do with | | | | the need for change, a management and staff |
| organizational transformation. While strategic | | | | committee was constituted to look in depth at |
| change has a long term focus, operational change | | | | the firm's predicament with a view to proffering |
| has immediate effect on working arrangement | | | | solutions. The committee's recommendation |
| within a part of the organization. Operational | | | | include the following: |
| change focuses on elements like new systems, | | | | Wider consultations with the rank and file so |
| procedures, structures or technology. | | | | as to sell the change to the majority of staff |
| Organizational change can be static (Lewin's | | | | especially the influential ones who are capable of |
| model) or dynamic (Contineous Change Process | | | | building a coalition to resist the change. It is |
| Model). | | | | important that such groups be made to |
| Change management requires strategic thinking | | | | collaborate in the change process. |
| and planning, good implementation and | | | | Sales team members be sent on training to |
| stakeholders consultation. The change desired | | | | acquire further skills in marketing especially on |
| must be realistic, attainable and realistic. | | | | selling during economic down turn. |
| Lewin's view of the change process provides us | | | | Abuja branch manager be replaced with |
| with a tool or model of ascertaining the need for | | | | Porthacourt branch manager who has been |
| change, its implementation and monitoring. (Lewin, | | | | making waves in Porthacourt. |
| 1951). Armstrong (2006) identifies a plethora of | | | | A third of the sales team members be made |
| change models including those of Bechard (1969), | | | | to work on commission basis to reduce the |
| Thurley (1979), Quinn (1980), and Bandura (1986). | | | | overhead especially during transition period. |
| Lewin's process model of planned change has the | | | | That networking and cold calls should take a |
| following underlying assumption: | | | | paramount place ahead of media campaign |
| 1. Change process involves new learning as well as | | | | That our media campaign should be sustained. |
| a paradigm shift from current attitudes, | | | | That an interventionist or a change agent |
| behaviours and organizational practices. | | | | should be allowed to lead the change. |
| 2. Occurrence of change is predicated on the | | | | Report of the committee was adopted and an HR |
| existience of motivation to change. This is critical | | | | practitioner was appointed to lead the change. |
| in change process. | | | | Suffice it to say that we are still in the changing |
| 3. People are central to organizational changes. | | | | stage of the project. Sales staff are in and out of |
| Whatever the type of change desired at the end | | | | training both out and in-plant. Consultation is on |
| of the day it is the individuals that is the target of | | | | going corcerning those to be converted into |
| change. | | | | commission based staffs. |
| 4. Deisirability of the goals of change however | | | | A committee is looking into our business process |
| intensive does not preclude the existence of | | | | and value chain activities with a view to eliminating |
| resistance to change. | | | | non productive activities. Contributions of strategic |
| 5. If change must be effective, new behaviours, | | | | business units are also being looked into so that |
| attitudes and organizational practices must be | | | | decisions could be taken on their relevances. |
| reinforced. | | | | Performances of members of our strategic group |
| Lewin's planned model of change comprises of | | | | are being studied with curiosity. Our IT |
| three steps described as unfreezing, change and | | | | department is looking into the possibiliy of massive |
| re freezing. At the unfreezing stage, there is need | | | | deployment of Ecommerce solutions for increased |
| to create awareness to change. The equilibrium | | | | performance. |
| that supports the existing practices, behaviours | | | | CONCLUSION |
| and attitudes must be altered. | | | | The firm is yet to get into the refreezing stage, |
| Data collection may be necessary at this stage | | | | rather it is still in transistion. Time will tell whether |
| for further analysis so that the need for change | | | | those measures are worth the hassles and |
| may be apparent to all. At the changing stage the | | | | whether new knowledge will result. |
| goal is to transform people, structure, task and | | | | I am of the opinion that the change project gives |
| technology as indicated in Vecchio (2006: 373). | | | | opportunity to mine data from all aspects and |
| The refreezing stage requires that assessment of | | | | elements of the firm further analysis and decision |
| result be carried out with a view to making | | | | making. It does appear the change project is |
| necessary modifications. | | | | slanted toward financials than the human element |
| New responses could be developed based on the | | | | that ultimately make the change happen. |
| new information received. Reecho (2006:374) has | | | | BIBLIOGRAPHY |
| identified forces of resistance to change to include: | | | | 1. Armstrong, M., (2006) A Handbook Of Human |
| employee desires for security, contentment with | | | | Resource Management Practice, 10th Ed, Kogan |
| the status quo, narrow force of change, group | | | | Page. London. |
| inertia, threatened expertise, threatened power, | | | | 2. Bandura, A, (1986) Social Boundaries of |
| and changes in resource allocation. | | | | Thought And Action, Prentice- Hall, Eaglewood |
| CHANGE MANAGEMENT AT ADESHINA ADELEKE | | | | Cliff, NJ. In Armstrong, M., (2006) A Handbook Of |
| AND COMPANY | | | | Human Resource Management Practice, 10th Ed, |
| Adeshina Adeleke and company comprises of a | | | | Kogan Page. London. |
| group of professionals specialising in property | | | | 3. Beckhard, R,. (1969) Organization Development: |
| services it is a single line firm with headquarters in | | | | Strategy and Models, Addison-Wesley, Reading, |
| Lagos Nigeria. Adeshina Adeleke and company has | | | | MA. |
| branches in Abuja and Porthacourt, Nigeria and | | | | 4. Lewin, K (1951) Field Theory in Social Science, |
| has developed competencies in Agency, Valuation | | | | Harper & Row, New York. In Armstrong, M., |
| and Facility Management. | | | | (2006) A Handbook Of Human Resource |
| It has a diversified and yet a cohesive workforce. | | | | Management Practice, 10th Ed, Kogan Page. |
| Its workforce diversity is in terms of gender and | | | | London |
| ethnic groupings. The company has flat and yet | | | | 5. Pantea, M.I.I.V.V (n.d) "Managing Change In |
| optimally centralised structure. At the apex of the | | | | Organizations. Aard University, Arad, Romania. |
| structure is the Principal Consultant who is the | | | | 6. Quinn, J.B, (1980) "Managing Strategic Change", |
| Chief Executive Officer. | | | | Sloane Management Review, 11(4/5), pp 3-30. In |
| Subordinated to it are the units/ branch heads. It | | | | Armstrong, M., (2006) A Handbook Of Human |
| has a strong and strategy ally culture. In terms of | | | | Resource Management Practice, 10th Ed, Kogan |
| strategic grouping, the firm falls within the SME | | | | Page. London |
| group and operate within the services segment of | | | | 7. Thurley, K (1979) Supervision: A reappraisal, |
| the property industry. | | | | Heinemann, London. In Armstrong, M., (2006) A |
| Adeshina Adeleke and company is affected by | | | | Handbook Of Human Resource Management |
| forces of change both in a systematic and | | | | Practice, 10th Ed, Kogan Page. London. |
| unsystematic sense. The present economic | | | | 8. Vecchio, R.P (2006). Organizational Behaviour: |
| downturn has a great effect on the Nigerian | | | | Core Concepts. |
| economy resulting in lack of liquidity in the | | | | |