ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE FOR INCREASED

COMPETITIVENESS
The new scenario that organizations are subject, are hasty changes that
demand high flexibility and adaptability to the demands of their
environment. In this sense, the changes must be seen continuing challenges,
which can ensure the success or failure of an organization.
Consequently, it is very important for companies to know the degree of
maturity and willingness to be taken in time to face the changes. A positive
experience is given when the acceptance by employees of new policies,
positive attitude towards innovation and success is reflected in previous
processes.
A key to the acceptance of cultural change element is communication. The
transmission of values, beliefs through effective communication processes.
Clarity of expectations is related to communication openness in relation to
the subject, at all levels of the organization, and relevant and timely
information on the process of change to be implemented.
For many organizations an organizational change management also means
moving from a traditional culture in which prevailing bureaucratic styles,
motivational and values for power and affiliation, and a climate of
conformity; to a performance culture, where you can bring new ideas;
people can take calculated risks and is encouraged to set challenging goals
through the recognition of merit and excellent results.
If the human side of the change process is checked to adapt to a more
competitive environment, you may think that the organizational structure,
the team and the process of change implementation, require personal
characteristics mainly aimed at making an increasingly better job,
standards of excellence, which increase productivity and organizational
effectiveness.
In other words, it is essential that people possess a set of skills directly
related to excellence in their respective areas of responsibility, in order to
ensure greater competitiveness.




GLOBALIZATION IN THE PROCESSES OF CHANGE
Globalization is seen as a process of change to reduce costs and develop
products, generating more competitive in foreign and domestic markets.
Globalization requires a dramatic change in the national focus for
employment, development and management principle.
Globalization is characterized by strategic linkages between industrial
conglomerates, is that managers are alert when recruiting, selecting
educated people, which comes to be, the driving force behind the
organization to achieve the objectives also provided by the initiative,
determination and commitment to producing the organization's success.
Today more than ever, organizations must be learning generators in order
to train and develop capabilities to capitalize knowledge. This premise has
recently become competitive advantage coupled with the survival of the
organization in a rapidly changing environment.
The globalization of markets, increased competition, rapid technological
development and growing, and demographic trends and demands of the
labor force, force organizations to rethink and reconsider under new
perspectives on human development.
To be the change processes in humans from individual levels to the
institutional leadership that takes into account the cognitive, emotional and
behavioral issues that may require the organization to a true
transformation is necessary.
Finally, the image and the thought of the leader are essential to give
direction to the change process to achieve coherence and consistency in
the human team in decisions that will make an organization more
competitive in a market economy where everyone should have the same
opportunities and the same risks.






HOW TO MANAGE THE ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE
The term change management is one of the most important aspects of the
process of globalization of business management, since both the manager
and the organization begin to face complex situations that change in their
environment should not be addressed in a dispersed manner but require a
minimum platform to ensure successful organizational change.
However, initiating a process of change management is not as easy as one
might think at first due to the large number of elements involved, in
addition to that we must be absolutely sure that the organization can
absorb the changes, particularly, that their human resources understand
their importance and commitment of fact in its performance, bearing in
mind that it is a continuous process that should be treated as such and not
as something temporary.
Moreover, it is necessary to make a preliminary diagnosis of the
organization displaying its real situation and define both his real mission
and strategic guidelines that should direct it at the same time to facilitate
the identification of those variables that may affect the environment
negatively or positively, on the main areas of management, which could be
envisaged potential obstacles, weaknesses and threats, in addition to their
own potential.
THE MANAGER AND COMMUNICATION IN THE PROCESS
OF ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE
Every manager in an organization should take into account that upward
communication is much more difficult and less efficient to achieve the
objectives downward communication, so it is necessary to improve the
internal channels of the organization, noting that there can be no real
communication in one direction.
While the ability to understand and manage all the processes of the
organization is vital to develop effective leadership, the modern manager
must not only master the technical, logistical, financial and strategic issues
as a whole, but must give a special importance human resources of the
company. The leading manager needs to communicate effectively with their
employees at the same time he must project the image of the company and
objectively evaluate what the staff needs to make it, its own corporate
identity.
The modern manager must be aware that his performance as leader is
closely watched by everyone in the organization and beyond, and it is
precisely through their behavior, attitudes and personality that begins to
permeate the corporate image of the company.
Moreover, the manager must always keep in mind that not only must know
the organization through information previously leaked by his management
team (called "staff" of the organization), but should be more interested
and involved in all aspects, behaviors and internal levels of the organization,
without necessarily mean that he should not delegate responsibility to his
team to analyze problems and situations, manage resources and support the
needs of their staff.
















MANAGEMENT OF RESISTANCE TO CHANGE
When life presents us with a change, it is likely that our first perception to
this is to concern about the potential loss that the change may represent.
We do not resist change itself, but the possibility of loss. The steps that
Repsol went through when he acquired Shell was:
Negation: We assume that it is not true that things have changed or
will change.
When in April 2004, at the headquarters of Shell in Portugal finally
was confirmed the news that the company was to be sold, all
employees felt shaken by feelings of anxiety and fear. They could
not believe that Shell, the oil company oldest in Portugal, had
decided to sell their assets after 92 years in the country. During
months the rumor ran through the halls of the company and was the
subject of comment in the canteen, cafeteria and in the corridors of
the headquarters of the company in Lisbon, but nobody really
believed that Shell could be sold. Then in a further informative
meeting, it was reported that the purchasing company was Repsol,
and their representatives attended, almost all of Shell staff got up
from their seats and left room.
Resistance: We get angry, as a way to deal with reality, when it can
no longer be denied. When this stage is given in organizations,
acquires great relevance all that has to do with providing abundant,
frequent and consistent information.
After the merger, the early years were marked by confusion and
resistance to change. One of the first approaches that was
performed, probably wrong, was to assume that Repsol Portugal
should behave as a one more region of Repsol in Spain. This did not
lead to good economic or social results.
Continuous and profound changes in the strategy that took place in
this period, some concerning Portugal and others concerning
international Company, did not helped the transmission of a
clear objectives and vision. After several years of workforce
reductions and other reorganizational projects, the company staff
was confused also staff from Shell, not assumed to Repsol as his
company and expressed emotional resistance.
Exploration: When this stage occurs in organizations, usually, people
have begun to assimilate change and have initiated some efforts to
adapt to the new system. This is a transition period in which the
change has partially won some adherents.
In order to mitigate the differences, in the period 2006 to 2008 the
steering committee, formed by managers from the old Shell Portugal
as Repsol, made several trips outside Lisbon, with the help of a
external consultant team, to work leadership skills and group
cohesion through exercises and sessions outdoor. Despite the
efforts made, after four years since the merger of the two
companies, the results appeared to be not satisfactory. A work
environment survey showed that employees from Repsol Portugal still
not seeing the way.

Engagement: This stage is reached when people decide to accept
change and adopt new attitudes, having achieved an ability to work
effectively in the new environment. Productivity is increased a
feeling domain, relief, achievement and growth through change is
acquired, not to return to the past and the new forms are accepted.
The change is now the norm and it feels strengthened to cope with
the next change initiative.
After getting the engagement from senior management whit the
project, the next step was to achieve the same with the next level of
the company, three hundred people collective spread between
different areas and functions of the company.
A series of measures were initiated in coordinated manner, looking
for become missions in plans action and concrete improvements and
on the other, all employees were aware of how, through projects and
actions carried out, they contributed with a common mission.