International journal of Innovative Research in Management
ISSN 2319 – 6912
(July-August 2015, issue 4 volume 6)
Strategic management: Improve the Process for Managing Change
Talil Hanna Abrhiem, Ph.D.
Professor of Business and Technology, Strayer University
I hold a Ph.D. in Organization and Management technology with a specialization in
Human Resource Management from Capella University and along with that I
received a Master of Science in administration (MSA) degree from Central
Michigan University. I feel I can contribute my education and strong commitment
for learner success.
Author’s Note: The information and views expressed in this article are solely those
of the author,
and do not represent the opinion of Strayer University
ABSTRACT
This study will discuss how leaders can successfully implement urgency in order to try to change
a colleague’s behavior. Often time’s leaders may underestimate how hard it is to drive people out
of their comfort zones, overestimate how successfully they have already done so, or simply lack
the patience necessary to develop appropriate urgency. A good leader understands the
importance of a creating a sense of urgency and will be able to successfully take the pulse of their
company and determine what state the organization is in. A sense of urgency should also be
implemented when an organization is trying to execute change as well as break through
complacency.
Keywords: Strategic Plan, Strategic management, Pressures for Change, Management Performance,
Managing Change, Communication Skills, and urgency of globalization
I define crafting change by having a strategic plan that achieves. A strategy is a plan that
understands what it is going to take to exceed expectations in order to achieve success change. A
company must have a sense of direction and deliver the best in value and innovation.
Managing change is important in helping to coordinate activities across an organization.
Strategies provide a sense of direction and framework. A successful strategy involves the what, where,
and how. In Jack Welch's "Winning," he explains 1) come up with the big aha for your business to
gain a sustainable competitive advantage, 2) put the right people in the right jobs to drive the big aha
forward, and 3) seek out the best practices to achieve your big aha, whether inside or out, adapt them,
and continually improve them. Welch also explains although best practices do not sound like a
strategy, they are sustainable in competitive advantage if you are continually improving them.
I think improving best practices is a form of innovation to any organization and this is where
growth begins and strategy is starting to become implemented. Strategy boils down to this, finding the
best way to become successful.
Managing change will impact the way I make decisions because I am always looking for the
most efficient way to keep our brand and reputation at the top of its game. Having a solid
understanding of what strategy really means will help me to cultivate a culture of successful strategy.
At my consulting firm, we are constantly looking for innovative ways to implement programs, promote
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healthy organization, and stay on top of trends. Being part of an elite consulting industry staffing is
very important to me.
I believe aligning trainers who are masters of their trade or have niches is a way to exceed
expectations for our firm base. I would like to design a strategy that as a team we are able to execute
and lead from the front. I would like our consulting firm to set the standard by having the best
practices and by understanding how to implement successful strategies we will be able to do so.
Having a strategy means as an organization and as a team we are not complacent.
Strategic plans can make or break a business. They steer the company to their objectives and
goals, and by having a strong vision and mission statement as part of the plan, nothing should be left in
doubt as the overall direction of the company. When one deviates from the plan, that is where chaos
could ensue and businesses may fail. But knowing the steps to a good plan is important and crucial to
maintain a successful business.
Importance of a Strategic Plan
Creating an effective strategy could be critical for the success of a business. And it all begins
with a strategic plan. A good plan could send a fledgling business into the stratosphere, but an illconceived one has the potential to sink a business, no matter any previous success. The size of a
business does not discriminate; small and large businesses alike should have a strategic plan for
success. A plan for one business may be the right direction for another, so it is important to think of
not copycatting others’ plans, but adapting one to fit the company’s specific purpose and goals. Many
good things can come out of strategic plans. William Cordeiro has laid out a set of benefits for having
a good strategic plan. Among them are: the ability to allocate a business’ resources that will place an
emphasis on the company’s goals and to be better prepared for a potentially volatile environment
outside of their walls (Cordeiro, 2013).
A number of organizations aren’t warming up to even holding strategic meetings. Often what
happens, according to Olivier Sibony, to avoid the issue, businesses would actually simply throw in the
word “budget” into a meeting at random times to make it look like they are loosely talking about
strategy, but it is not the case (Sibony, 2012). Another problem deals with confidentiality.
Some of the managers may actually try to hide any kind of plan until it is ready to implement;
of course this means that the company as a whole will not have input, and could skew the plan to cater
to only those few that created the plan in the first place (Sibony, 2012). Another point Sibony makes is
about the concept of groupthink, meaning that a company could just go along with whatever other
people, especially upper-level management, tells them is a good strategy (Sibony, 2012). In today’s
economic climate, companies are under increasing pressure to not only succeed but remain profitable.
In light of the Enron/Arthur Anderson scandal, Accounting/CPA companies are under the microscope
to succeed. However, in order to maintain sustainable growth accounting firms needs to plan for
success.
The majority of businesses have written strategic plans that outline how they will achieve
sustainable growth and profitability. Accounting businesses either do not have a strategic plan or fail
to use the one they created. (Remsen Jr., 2003) This study will examine the importance of a strategic
plan, and the value of both a mission statement and a vision statement for accounting firms.
Pressures for Change
Pressures for change can come from a variety of sources including the environment, the
discovery of deviations from standards, new desires and visions of the future, or the fundamental
nature of organizations themselves (Palmer & Akin, 2009).
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Businesses don’t plan to fail. They just fail to plan. When a team decide to take a trip, whether
the destination is close or far, they need to determine the best route to take to get there. A business’
strategic plan can be likened to road map. A team will have a starting point and an ending point and a
lot of options in between. A strategic plan steers the business in a purposeful direction, focusing on its
goals and objectives.
Accounting firms now have to operate in line with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The SarbanesOxley Act (SOX) is administered by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB).
The PCAOB oversees accounting firms and establishes accounting standards. (Bredeson, 2010)
Accounting firm must develop a strategic plan with these new regulations in mind. There are several
steps to drafting a strategic plan and depending on the size of your organization, they can be extensive.
However, the basic steps to drafting a strategic plan are:1) analysis, 2) formation, 3) execution, and 4)
evaluation.
Analysis involves examining the company’s current condition. A SWOT Analysis will help to
determine the internal and external conditions in which you operate. It will give a clear picture of
what the company does well and where it needs to improve. A SWOT analysis will also show areas
that are beyond the company’s control, such as SOX regulations. (Bailey, 2013) Be honest in your
evaluation. Don’t sugar-coat the issues.
Formation is the development of the plan itself. This can be accomplished by creating focus
groups, brainstorming sessions or company surveys. Company surveys are relatively new but they give
feedback to the company of how they are doing. They give a fresh insight into the company from the
viewpoint of others. (Rivers, 2011)
Execution of the plan is where upper management translates the plan into action items that
work hand in hand with day to day operations. Without management buy in, the plan is no more
valuable than the paper it’s written on. The plan should not be a “top secret” or a “for your eyes only”
document designed only for upper management. It should be shared with everyone in the organization.
(Atkinson, William, 2013)
The final step is evaluation. The company must evaluation its plan on an on-going basis in
order to refine it and measure its success. A strategic plan drafted when the company was initially
formed should not be the same the following year or 5 years down the road. As the company grows
and additional services are added or discontinued, the plan should be re-evaluated to make sure it is in
line with current operating conditions.
Ideas of Strategic Partnership
A human resource leader must re-conceptualize the human resource role and explore the ideas
of strategic partnership and human resource as a source of competitive advantage. There must be
frameworks in approaching and managing the workforce. Some of the core competence that needs
implementation is personal qualities rather than skills. Core competence is a vital criterion in the
selection process and staffing. The specific roles of the employees can be achieved through training,
education and experimental development. The reward and recognition systems need re-examination
and address the question of resources and speed of change.
The company must present broad strategies for growth to harness the technological power to
expand the business to more diversified portfolio. The firm must build a good consumer foundation in
medical and professional film and imaging products and services. The company must balance and
diversify its product to become a leader in digital products market. The plans should include
leveraging its strength in growth and presence in the health imaging, commercial markets, improving
research and development in million dollar ideas. Accelerating the investments in the commercial
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market and the acquisition of other corporations is a key strategy towards achievement of the revenue
goals.
Mission Statement
The success of any company depends on its customers and how satisfied they are with the
services they are being offered. Regardless of whether the customer is internal or external, if they are
satisfied with your service, they will become repeat customers. They will extol and praise your
company to friends resulting in referral business. This will increase the company’s reputation and
increase revenues. On the other hand, if customers are not satisfied, they will never return and they
will denounce you to all their friends.
Vision Statement
The vision statement should be in line with the company’s mission statement of providing
exceptional customer service. The vision statement is to differentiate firm services from competition
by going the extra mile in preparing annual reports, financial statements and tax returns.
Five Key Objectives
The five key objectives of the firm should be:
1) KYC – Know Your Customer
2) Understand the industry in which the customer operates
3) Be knowledgeable of governmental regulations
4) Employ the right people for the job
5) Encourage community involvement
Why Five Objectives
The company’s mission and vision statements deal with providing exceptional customer
service. The only way to accomplish this is to first know the customers you deal with. Know the type
of business they are in and the services that they require. Being knowledgeable of governmental
regulations will help you to guide your customers and provide the best services that will create a happy
medium between them and governmental regulators. However, without the best educated and certified
employees the vision and mission statement have no value. The foundation of any organization is its
employees. The best qualified employees make the best qualified company. Community involvement
is good for the company. It will demonstrate that you are willing to give back to the communities in
which your employees live and work.
As outlined above, all companies should have a strategic plan in place, in particular, accounting
firms. A strategic plan can assist firm in developing harmony within the organization. It also helps the
firm to properly allocate its resources. With upper management’s support of the strategic plan, vision,
and mission statement, the firm can develop sustained profitability and a loyal clientele.
Quality execution of a strategic plan often involves much planning and brainstorming. A
mission statement and vision statement could draw customers into your business, if it successfully
paints a picture of your objectives and goals. When a business decides to make the creation of a
strategic plan primary to the success of the business, there is a good chance that it will happen. Not
everyone will be on board with it, at first or even at all. But the goal is to bring in everyone in open
communication to flesh out ideas and set a specific and clear vision and mission for the company.
Many believe a company’s success stems from a great strategy, impeccable marketing, and
flawless operations, but researchers have recently learned that people are the primary drivers of
success. It’s also important to consider that a flourishing company in today’s economy heavily relies
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on human assets. The economic environment is considered unstable due to the unprecedented change
in technology and innovation, which calls for new skills to be put into place quickly and effectively.
As a result, making great people decisions not only become significant, but vital for an organization’s
survival. The urgency of globalization also requires people decisions to become more challenging. The
demand for talented employees is high and the supply is limited, which means soon countries will be
struggling for talented people. For that reason, both organizational and professional success is
important when making great people decisions.
There are three general areas of people management. This includes focusing on the existing
line up of strategic talent, practicing the concept of differentiation, and putting the right people in the
right places. The most important factor for a manager’s career success is his/her ability to select,
develop, promote, and manage the right people. Once a manager becomes skilled at making great
people decisions, their value to employing the organization will continually increase as they are
appointed to more senior and complex positions.
Palmer and Akins states: Images of Pressures for Change
Image of Managing
Change
Director
Navigator
Caretaker
Coach
Interpreter
Nurturer
Pressures for Change
Change is a result of strategic pressures and controllable by managers’ ability to
direct the organization’s response
Strategic change is in response to internal and external pressures. Multiple pressures
facing managers will need to be taken into account.
Managers have little control over the inevitable pressures on the organization.
Managers have little choice in the organization’s actions.
Pressures for change are constant and result in the need to develop and shape the
organization’s capabilities to better enhance organizational outcomes.
Pressures for change are internal and external and managers need to understand and
give meaning to these.
Pressures for change are large and small and the manager’s role is to enhance the
adaptive capacity of the organization.
The environmental pressures for change are one way of explaining why change occurs in
organizations.
Welch says: “Ranking Works Pays 20/70/10!”
Jack Welch (retired president of GE) is identified with a performance system for employees he
calls “differentiation.” On the street it is known as “Rank and Yank.” The system identifies the top
20% of employees and they are nurtured and rewarded for excelling. The middle 70% are rewarded too
but at a lower level. The bottom 10% is told they are not measuring up and if they do not measure up it
would be best for them to find other places to work. This approach has been condemned by some but
Welch believes a rigorous evaluation system restricts politics.
If you wish to encourage staff to research change further, useful sources of information are:
 Business Week: http://www.businessweek.com/
 Economist: http://www.economist.com/
 Fast Company Magazine http://www.fastcompany.com/
 Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/
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The purpose of this article:
You will learn and gather of this article the achievement of these objectives includes remodels
and appropriation of creative innovations in the daily operations or processes of the company. In
addition, the change of the organization's worker experience is worth attention. Since employees'
experience and competency have a huge impact on the execution of the organization, the organization
ought to keep tabs on procedures to enhance workers' experience and eagerness to serve the
organization. This would help in the retention of desirable talents that are competitively on demand in
the market.
Transferring of competencies constitutes the usage of a different competency created in one
specialty unit and actualizing it in an alternate unit, normally a gained specialty unit. Then again,
leveraging of skills includes making another specialty unit or division utilizing the notable competency
that was created in an alternate specialty unit.
The Benefit of this article:
The benefit of this article is to evaluate the organizational change process related to the
principles and practices of various types of organizations. Change processes and techniques used to
facilitate change will be examined and applied to systems such as information technology,
communication, policy and procedures, corporate culture, and leadership.
The key stages of strategy development also involve asking the right questions. The right
questions can generate insights in any business. This is an opportunity for businesses to focus on
overlooked corners and generate improvements in their business. We can also generate strategy
development by determining the strategic objective and identifying the organization's strategic
advantages. Both depend on the company's business environment and particular characteristics.
Author’s Reflections: Dr. Talil Abrhiem
Key players rely heavily on the company's top leadership. The leadership team must possess
passion and understand what is required to successfully implement the strategy by setting priorities,
aligning organizational resources, and communicating with suppliers, employees, and shareholders.
Business unit heads are also key players as they set the strategy.
When it comes to change within any organization communication is the key. How you
communicate the change to everyone involved will make or break how the people involve respond to
the change. One of the commonly cited causes for the lack of success of organizational change is
“resistance to change” (Palmer and Dunford, 2009). Resistance to change is the act of opposing or
struggling with modifications or transformations that alter the status quo in the workplace.
Change within an organization can cause strong responses from the individuals the change
impacts. There are many reasons why people have a resistance to change which can include dislike of
the change, discomfort with uncertainty, perceived negative interests, an attachment to the established
organizational culture/identity, lack of conviction that change is needed, lack of clarity as to what is
expected, belief that the timing is wrong, excessive change, belief that the specific change being
proposed is inappropriate, belief that the timing is wrong, excessive change, cumulative effect of other
changes in one’s life, perceived clash with ethics, reaction to the experience of previous changes and a
disagreement with the way the change is being managed (Palmer and Dunford, 2009).
Lastly, company specialists play a significant role such as marketing, operations, finance, and
engineering. Every link on the team must clearly understand, communicate, and understand the
strategy in order to execute successfully. Strong leadership lays the path, but to actively develop a
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strategy you must define the objective and define ways to achieve that objective, based on your
competitive advantages.
This article really focused on how to put your plans in action across the board with
management, communication, and getting everyone on board. Even drafting a plan of how to get
everyone on board is extremely important and necessary. Good managers will understand the
interrelatedness of three components: dissatisfaction, vision, and change process. These are all
essential for success. It's important to keep the efforts, initiative, and enthusiasm high throughout the
organization. Mangers will also learn the significance of becoming deeply engaged with developing
and defending the competitive advantage. You will be implementing this in your workplace, by always
having a very detailed plan on how we are going to implement the strategy.
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References
Atkinson, William. (2013, July 1). Strategic Planning: Looking Forward More than One Year.
Distributor Focus, pp. A-B.
Bailey, R. (2013, April 22-28). Effective strategic planning for your organization. Corridor Business
Journal, 20.
Bredeson, D. P. (2010). Student Guide to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Mason, OH: South-Western
Cengage Learning.
Cordeiro, W. P. (2013). Small businesses ignore strategic planning at their Peril. Academy of Business
Research Journal, 322-30.
Palmer, I., Dunford, R., & Akin, G. (2009). Managing organizational change: A multiple perspectives
approach (2nd Ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Remsen Jr., J. L. (2003, November-December 1). Isn't It Time for Your Firm to Develop a Strategic
Plan? Tax Practice Management, pp. 29-30, 46.
Rivers, W. (2011, April 1). What is a Strategic Plan and Why Do You Need One? Part 1. Family
Business Institute, p. N/A.
Sibony, O. (2012). Collaborative strategic planning: Three observations. Mckinsey Quarterly, (2), 9497.
Welch, J. & Welch, S. (2005). Winning. New York: HarperCollins
About the Author: Dr. Talil Abrhiem
I have exceptional teaching skills and a unique ability to motivate students through a positive
learning environment and have sincere passion for their success. I possess over thirty years of small
business entrepreneurial management and corporate management experience with several Fortune 500
companies. Central to the success of these business activities was the ongoing development of general
strategic management leadership capabilities and succession planning programs as well as targeted
organizational communications strategies.
EDUCATION
Ph.D. - Organization and Management
Concentration in Human Resource Management
Capella University, 2005
225 South 6th Street, 9th Floor Minneapolis, MN 55402
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International journal of Innovative Research in Management
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Master of Science in Business Administration
Concentration in Human Resources
Central Michigan University, 2002
1200 S Franklin St, Mt Pleasant, MI 48859
Bachelor of Science - Agricultural Engineering
Concentration in Soil and Environmental
University of Mosul, 1979
Al-Majmoa'a Street, Mosul, Iraq
PUBLICATIONS
BOOKS
Abrhiem, T.H. (2015). Crafting Organizational Change. Germany: OmniScriptum GmbH & Co.
KG- VDM Publishing. ISBN-13: 978-3-659-74274-3
Abrhiem, T.H. (2015). Developing Employees for Future Success. Germany: OmniScriptum
GmbH & Co. KG- VDM Publishing. ISBN-13: 978-3-659-70560-1
Abrhiem, T.H. (2015). Astute Manager: Maintaining Positive Employee Relations.
Germany: OmniScriptum GmbH & Co. KG- VDM Publishing. ISBN-13:978-3-65
40361-3
9-
Abrhiem, T.H. (2015). Management Performance through Functional-Level Strategies.
Germany: OmniScriptum GmbH & Co. KG- VDM Publishing. ISBN-13:978-3-65967343-6
Abrhiem, T.H. (2014). The Four Bells Small Business Model. Germany: OmniScriptum GmbH &
Co. KG- VDM Publishing. ISBN-13: 978-3-659-61981-6
Abrhiem, T.H. (2008). A Successful Arab-American Marketing Strategy.
OmniScriptum GmbH & Co. KG- VDM Publishing. ISBN-13: 978-3-639-06716-3
Germany:
ARTICLES
Abrhiem, T. H. (2015). Organizational Behavior: Vision Attracts the Best People. International
journal of Innovative Research in Management, ISSN 2319 –6912 (May-June 2015, issue
4 volume 5).
Abrhiem, T. H. (2014). The Role of Parenting Styles in Psychosocial Development Adolescents.
Business and Management Review, 3(11), 47-52.
Abrhiem, T. H. (2014). The Principle Diagnostic Methods used to devise Intervention: Employee
Governance. Business and Management Review, 3(06), 01-11.
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International journal of Innovative Research in Management
ISSN 2319 – 6912
(July-August 2015, issue 4 volume 6)
Abrhiem, T. H. (2013). Managing Transformation and Change for the Business Leader.
Management Review, 3(02), 14-22.
Business and
Abrhiem, T. H. (2013). Training on Succession Planning and Policy Decisions: Enhancing
Organizational Productivity. Business and Management Review, 2(11), 13-23.
Abrhiem, T. H. (2012). Products and services: Creating a sustainable competitive advantage.
Business and Management Review, 2(6), 34-45.
Abrhiem, T. H. (2012). Ethical leadership: Keeping values in business cultures. Business and
Management Review, 2(7), 11-19.
Videos by Dr. Talil Abrhiem
Resistance to change
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmLeRVpVvkU
Managing Organizational Change
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFAsXRdzkzg
Recruiting, Selecting, Training, and Developing Employees
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeQWf0bx1VU
Small Business and Entrepreneurship
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5K8IR-qno8
Motivation Enhancing Performance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=653-6JEhwXc
The Global Environment-by Dr. Talil Abrhiem
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFL93NpQFqk
Strategic Leadership, SWOT analysis, and Competitive Advantage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryWQkaHutXo
Corporate-Level Strategy: Horizontal Integration, Vertical, and Strategic Outsourcing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRBsNeq52ss
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