The fate of our world has always been unknown; however, nearly every individual and organization has attempted to affect its direction and path. The principal difference between the changes of today and the changes of previous generations and centuries, as we have learned, is the exponential pace upon which change is occurring.

The purpose of this assignment is to develop an understanding of change and to begin to understand how an organization can best address/manage change. Choose an organization that you have familiar with that has undergone profound, systematic change (for instance, Facebook and Best Buy would be two examples). Write a critical review of approximately 250-300 words that addresses the following:

Provide a brief background of the organization you have chosen.
Discuss the principle 2-3 reasons or conditions that are causing the change for the organization you have chosen.
Finally, propose 2-3 strategies the organization should adapt to better manage these change conditions in the next 1-2 years.

Change Management in Facebook Inc.

Change Management in Facebook

Introduction 

Change management in organizations has the primary purpose of continually renewing an organization’s processes, business models, structure, and capabilities, among others. Change involves alteration and modification for the betterment of customer service providence. The economic and business world keeps changing and evolving due to the changes in market trends, new and advanced technologies, changing consumer needs, new regulations, and even new competitors (Abel Anyieni, 2016). To survive, grow, and compete effectively, organizations must embrace adaptive strategies. The pressures from both internally and externally environments force organizations to change for better results and performance. However, if the change is poorly managed, adverse negative consequences are likely to occur, affecting the organization and involved stakeholders.

Facebook Company 

Change management in organizations varies as they adopt different change management techniques, models, and tools. Facebook Incorporation is not an exception, as it has undergone various changes to ensure its business operations and models are efficient and meet customer needs. Facebook Inc. is an online social media and network-servicing company based in California and founded in 2004 (Reuters, 2019). Facebook creates several products and services that enable the connection, communication, sharing, and socialization of people all over the world. Some of these products include Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, Oculus, and Instagram. These products are accessible in mobile phones and personal computers (Reuters, 2019). Facebook is an international company with high revenue and cash flow. Thus, the expansive nature of the company, as well as its brand portfolio, requires effective changes and management. Operating in the social media and advertising industry requires Facebook to embrace technological changes, and consumer needs to maintain its competitive nature and satisfy customer needs.

Reasons for Change in Facebook Inc. 

Early this year, Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook would undergo various changes in its business model and user privacy. According to the statement written by Zuckerberg, the CEO, the company was under pressure. The main reasons for the necessary and required changes include political pressures and changes in the technologies that necessitates the digitalization of economies. Primarily, Facebook wants to change its privacy models by encrypting people’s conversations free from the reach of governments (Farrell, 2019).

Political pressures have mainly been seen when it allowed the Cambridge Analytica to gather highly controversial user information. Countries such as Russia have been recorded to use Facebook to spread its messages, and there have been new European rules that have been developed that leave Facebook vulnerable to legal, political problems, and many court cases. Secondly, Facebook has announced changes in its business model to embrace digital economies that have been a result of advanced technology (Farrell, 2019). Users will not only communicate but also use various payment systems to send money and even conduct commercial activities.

Change Management Strategies 

When choosing the most appropriate change management strategies, it is imperative to consider consistency and situational attributes. Managing the changes effectively and efficiently, Facebook should plan carefully for the proposed change. This is using effective management strategies such as the Result-Based management strategy that will clarify the expected results from the changes (Abel Anyieni, 2016). Secondly, communicate the change, train the involved stakeholders, and ensure any possible change resistance is addressed. Finally, the company should adopt effective monitoring, control, and evaluative measures with the use of KPI or the balanced scorecard strategies, among others (Abel Anyieni, 2016). These will track the performance of the change, whether it is successful or lagging while identifying potential risks.

Conclusion 

To survive, grow, and compete effectively, organizations must embrace adaptive strategies. The absence of effective change management strategies can result in disruptive change. The main reasons for the necessary and required changes in Facebook Inc. include political pressures and changes in the technologies that necessitates the digitalization of economies. Some of the proposed strategies include effective planning, effectively communicating the change, and monitoring the change for efficiency.

References

Abel Anyieni, O. C. (2016). Organisational Change: A Critical Review of the Literature. International Journal of Professional Management , Vol 11(2) pp: 1-6.

Farrell, H. (2019, March 7). Zuckerberg’s announcement changes everything for Facebook. The Washington Post.

Reuters. (2019). Facebook Inc. Retrieved from Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/companies/FB.O