Reflectingon my professional development plan
Iwork for the Medco Energy Oil and Gas Company, which islocatedin Jakarta Indonesia and have identified various drivers of change inthe organization. They include the external environment whichinvolves factors like the economy, competition, legislation, andmarkets. As determined, the company wants to expand its market bothnationally and internationally through innovations and to improvethose products that already exist. Other drivers of change for theorganization include leadership, organization structure, individualskills/abilities and the task requirements and employee motivation.All these factors have a crucial role in the change that needs to beimplementedin the company and an initiative by one driver has an effect on theother.
Thesechange drivers are a basis for some opportunities for the enterprise.These include the ability for the company to expand its business andmarket both locally and internationally. The company also has theopportunity of improving its products and developing new productsthrough the initiative for all the parties involved in the effort.There is also an opportunity for the company to create a lastingbrand in the oil market and also preferences among consumers. Thereare however threats created by these drivers of change. Some of thesethreats include losses that might beincurredin the course of implementing the plan and some drivers not playingtheir role which may lead to failure of the project.
Somecrucial areas which need change have beenidentifiedfor the company. Throughout its existence, Medco has worked onimproving its market and transactions. It is, however, clear that thefirm lags behind when it comes to innovations for its products andservices. Thisis,therefore, an area where change is required. The innovations will,however, need to be environmental friendly and bepackagedin a way that caters for the different social classes in thecompany’s market. The process will involve the initiative ofvarious stakeholders. The investors will need to give theircontribution towards the change to ensure that their desires aremet.Investors are crucial for this company and working with their viewwhen implementing the plan will show them that their opinions areimportant. Itmeansthat the investors will do their best for the success of the proposedchange.
Themanagement will also be involved in the change considering that theyknow the company well and how best it functions. Management will becrucial in identifying the special needs required by the changeand the best way the change will beimplemented.Employees will also be essential in the implementation of the change.They are directly involved in the process and provide the hands-oninitiative in this process. Their view will, therefore, be importantbecause they understand how best the change will be effected and beeffective.
Changeagents need to possess certain skills to ensure that the plannedchange isimplementedsuccessfully. An effective change agent needs to have a clear vision,be patient yet persistent and be able to ask tough questions(Cummings, & Worley, 2014). He/she also needs to be knowledgeableand always lead by example. An effective change agent also needs todevelop strong relationships which arebuilton trust with the parties involved in the change process. All thesefactors depend on a relationship built on trust for them to work.People will not have the desire to grow and develop if they do nottrust the individual behind the change. All these factors aretherefore important for the change agent to ensure that the processis successful. As an individual, I am capable of developing a visionfor the company’s initiative for change. The visionwill bebuiltaround the achievements expected at the end of the change process.
Iam also patient and persistent because I am aware that the process ofchange does not take place immediately but is a long process withvarious challenges. I can ask tough questions in instances where Iidentify that people are not delivering as expected. It will also behelpful in implementing the change plan. Over the years in theemployment field, I have learned how to interact with others andcreate relationships with them which arebasedon trust. I can, therefore, say that asan agent of changeI possess the required skills to implement the needed change.
Asa change agent, individuals may feel that when creating andcommunicating a vision it is a way of trying to control them. I willensure that my vision does not suggest a single way of doing things.I will incorporate the strengths of all parties involved and showthem that there are various ways to achieve a common goal.Persistence and patience are not usually easy to obtain. People willalways want to give up if the first attempt fails. I will, therefore,take the available opportunities to help myself and those involvedget a step closer to the change and not give up.
Todeal with situations that might be difficult in the course ofimplementing the change, I will need to get as much knowledge as Ican on the change at hand. It will provide a guideline for effectingthe change and will help avoid getting stuck during the process. Iwill also be able to lead by example as an agent of change. Duringthe process, it may not be easy to connect with every individual tocreate a relationship based on trust. I will, therefore, interactwith everyone involved at a personal level to know how I caneffectively earn their trust.
Bibliography
Cummings,T., & Worley, C. (2014). Organizationdevelopment and change.Cengage learning.
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