CHANGE MANAGEMENT

Change Management



EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Change management models are amongst the most constructive contributions that have paved way for eminent progress and results. Change management models have been promoted for multiple reasons; strategies, tactics, tools and techniques not only would be able to make way for progress, but also would provide direction and insight for the company to continue delivering beyond-par performance. Pioneers and torchbearers of change management - Kurt Lewin, John Kotter, Robert Waterman, Tom Peters, Richard Pascale and Anthony Athos - all have contributed significantly regarding the contributions that have been made and the problems that have been intended over the passage of time. For this paper, our focus and concentration not only revolves around British Airways, which has managed to implement John Kotter's eight-step process and has managed to yield outstanding performance and also make way for events to streamline, in order to contribute towards eminent progress. The conclusion resulted in positive aspirations for the company and also in order for British Airways to make way for attempting successful, future endeavours.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARYii

Change Management1

Introduction1

Current Issues1

Change Model - John Kotter3

Company in Focus - British Airways5

Change Proposition5

Results of the Change6

Problems with 'Compete 2012'6

Alternate Recommendations7

References9

Change Management

Introduction

British Airways is a household name given its lengthy history of consistent performance. The primary regions of operations of British Airways are US and UK where it has a strong image as a full-service airline. Founded in 1919, the company has been a pioneer in civil aviation.

In 2008, the company decided to transform itself in light of the dynamics of the modern airline industry and came with a plan to change, titled 'compete 2012'. This plan to change was in line with UK hosting the Olympic Games in which British Airways was a partner. (British Airways Plc., 2009, p. 28)

In light of the changes in the macro-environment of the company, and in order to answer the challenge that low-cost airlines posed, the company has been going through change, and this paper is a critique of the change efforts of the company in light of theoretical underpinnings (Marketline, 2012, pp. 3-4).

Current Issues

The macro-environment, in which airlines are operating in Europe today, features saturation of the market in terms of competitors, pricing wars, low-fare airlines, and value-conscious customers. Air travellers today are extremely conscious of the deal that they get from airlines. Customers discern services with regards to the safety record of the company, the aircraft, features, and prices (Datamonitor, 2011, p. 4). Therefore, the demand for a flight is highly elastic in light of the multitude of options that travellers have to choose from (Datamonitor, 2011, p. 4).

Airlines, in order to combat decreased brand loyalty among fliers, have introduced programs such as frequent flier miles, but price discounting and low-cost-carriers are providing customers with amazingly low prices that full-service carriers can not match. In addition to these customers tend to prefer low-cost carriers on short-haul routes because customers do not need comfort or entertainment features for a trip that is only a couple of hours long (Marketline, ...