Cleaver’s Sausage House & the Implementation of MRP

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strategy for introducing a new technology--cooperation. The executive committee did not see the implementation of this system as a good decision for the company, they agreed it could turn into a costly disaster and were not open to taking the risk. Championing an idea successfully requires roles in organizations, and voting down the MRP system showed organizational issues. As a champion, Elam was looking to the executive committee as a sponsor role, approving new ideas and removing barriers. From there, a cross-functional task team could help by challenging the concept and providing helpful critique, in order to introduce innovation and change their current workplace operations.

III. Evaluating Courses of Action

There are several courses of action Elam could use to achieve her end goal of obtaining cooperation from her staff and implementing an MRP. First, she could nominate a task force. Elam originally turned down the idea of a task force assuming the deliberations over the proposed MRP technology change would slow down the implementation process. Taking an ambidextrous approach and forming a cross-departmental employee-participation team, however, would be one solution to the obstacle of resistance to change. It would encourage more open-mindedness and flexibility and reduce the fear of change amongst those who will be utilizing the new software. Cooperation from everyone involved in the transition is of utmost importance.

Elam should also explore possibilities of improvement that do not utilize an MRP system. By taking a bottom-up approach to this task force idea, she can hear alternate solutions from employees that would be using the system. She would present these ideas to top executives. She could hold an innovation contest or create an idea incubator to get the staff to submit alternative solutions to the MRP. Having the opportunity to express opinions would be a big morale booster for the employees.

A second means of forcing the staff to accept the change would be coercion. Elam could implement the new software by instructing managers to be more strict and forceful about use of the new software and adherence to deadlines. Staff must either accept the change or lose their bonuses, or even their jobs. However, with Elam already facing stiff resistance this may not be the best solution. Such forcefulness may only inspire anger and frustration amongst the employees. This would take a negative toll on their work ethic and the company’s overall performance.

A third solution would initiate a training and development program. Educating would be a simple, though somewhat more costly way of influencing people’s mindsets, at all levels. By encouraging participation, the employees will feel like they are more involved, a better part of this change, and therefore more flexible in making the transition. By the time the software is being implemented, the staff will also be more confident and less hesitant to the adjustment in their everyday operations. The cons of such a program are its costs and the mandatory participation of employees that still may not see eye-to-eye with management on the solutions being presented.

A fourth and final option would utilize organizational development. This behavioral approach would be issued in three phases. Unfreezing would make staff, top managers most importantly, aware of the issues at hand, or the driving forces behind the implementation an MRP, including inventory management, waste, and the costs incurred with the way the business is currently being operated. This would motivate managers to better consider an MRP as well as encourage staff to adjust their everyday behaviors and means of completing tasks. The changing phase would begin with managers guiding the implementation of the new software. The third and final stage, refreezing involves rewarding the employees for making a successful transition. The managers could show their staff how the new software is saving the company money in the long run. However, this plan does not require the support of the employees that will be utilizing the software. This is more of a top-down approach.

IV. Conclusion

A cross-departmental task force/idea incubator will be the most effective solution to implementing new internal procedures pertaining to supply chain management, whether this incorporates an MRP or not. Initiating such a task force will allow the employees to feel like they are a part of the decision. Also, the staff will be more flexible in making the transition. From personal experience, one of our team member’s work place received quotes on several software programs to help track orders, finished product, and raw materials (ingredients, boxes, pallets, etc), but no one in upper management thought it was worth the expense, in terms of both time and money. After a meeting involving both managers and staff, it was agreed that adjustments needed to be made and the software was given a trial run. This trial resulted in implementation of the MRP after 4 weeks.

Allowing the employee-base to feel like they are a part of the decision making process will cause less resistance and more participation. It will also be easier to delegate smaller responsibilities that Elam may not have time for, such as meeting attendance. Also, there is a huge possibility that innovative ideas may come from the task force that Elam would not have come up with on her own.

Bibliography

1. Ante, Spencer. "Avoiding Innovation’s Terrible Toll." Wall Street Journal [New York] 07 Jan 2012, n. pag. Print.

2. Daft, Richard, and Dorothy Marcic. Understanding Management. 9. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning, 2015. 310-343. Print.