Samsung vs Apple Change Implementation

Samsung vs Apple Change Implementation

Introduction

Technological advancement has created many opportunities companies can leverage to improve operational efficiency and productivity. The changes in employee needs have forced companies to explore new work arrangements, such as hybrid and dynamic work arrangements. Apple and Samsung are among the companies that embraced hybrid work to sustain operations by creating a conducive work environment for employees through flexible work schedules. The two companies have had different experiences implementing the change, especially due to employees’ change acceptance and management approaches. The impact of the change on the organizations is also different. Therefore, it is essential to determine the role of management in implementing the changes in the two companies, the effectiveness of the changes, and what could have been done differently to increase the success of the change.

How the Management of Samsung and Apple Integrated the Six Images of Managing Change

Apple company had established a remote workplace routine where employees would work from the office three days a week and remotely for two days. The routine was then changed to allow employees to work remotely full-time for four weeks per year. On the other hand, Samsung embraced the use of hybrid work arrangements after the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Chau (2022), the company introduced a “Work from Anywhere” policy that was applied in six shared working spaces. The implementation of the changes in the two companies can be interpreted using the six images of change management. According to Buchanan et al. (2016), the six images of managing change include directing, interpreting, nurturing, caretaking, coaching, and navigating. The management at Samsung integrated directing to manage the company’s implementation of hybrid work arrangements.

Samsung Company’s management ensured that workspaces were designed to meet the needs of designers, developers, and marketers. The company’s management also provided the resources needed to implement the change, such as partitioned desks, open seats, meeting rooms, adjustable standing desks, and phone booths (Chau, 2022). Conversely, the management at Apple did not use directing, but it focused on nurturing to enhance the success of the proposed change. Nurturing includes motivating and encouraging employees to embrace the change. Apple focused on motivating employees throughout the change process by giving retail store workers many sick days, paid parental leave, and more annual paid time off (Evans, 2022). Apple also gave part-time employees parental leave and paid vacation. Notably, the management of Apple and Samsung integrated coaching to manage the change. According to Buchanan et al. (2016), coaching includes discussing employees’ perspectives about a change and providing feedback to reduce resistance to change. Apple considered employee feedback about the change to make necessary changes. For example, employee complaints were considered in adjusting the number of days employees could work from home to create a remote workplace compromise. Similarly, Samsung used coaching to understand employees’ needs to determine what was needed to enhance and improve the working spaces.

Change Effectiveness

The change at Samsung was successful due to limited resistance from employees. One of the reasons why employees were willing to accept the change was because it would promote innovation and create a flexible work environment. According to Chau (2022), employees responded positively to the workspaces because they enhanced creativity and reduced commute time. It also enabled employees to customize their work schedules without observing the minimum working hours in a day, thus making the workplace enjoyable. Conversely, the change at Apple was not successful. The main barrier to the success was employee complaints about how they were affected by the change. According to Evans (2022), software engineers wanted to work remotely permanently instead of the proposed three days of remote work. Developers also stated that they were more productive at home because they were free from workplace disruptions and could get a work-life balance. Management was also reluctant to embrace the change due to the fear that employees working from home would be unproductive and would not put in the same effort they would have put in when working from the office (Evans, 2022). Employees also expressed concerns that working from home would limit career development because supervisors and managers could not see their effort.

What the Organizations’ Management Could Have Done To Increase the Probability of Successful Implementation of the Strategic Change Initiative

One of the things Samsung and Apple management could have done to increase the probability of successfully implementing the strategic change initiative is to explain to the employees the importance of the change. Understanding the need for change would have encouraged employees to embrace the change based on how it would impact the organization. For example, employees would have accepted the change because of its positive impact on productivity because increased employee productivity enhances organizational performance. The company could also have used a training program to prepare customers and employees on what to expect from the change initiative, thus promoting change acceptance. According to Kalandia (2022), understanding a change is among the factors that prompt acceptance. When employees know what to expect from a change, they can adapt their mindset and behaviors accordingly to embrace the change, thus reducing resistance. Apple would also have tested the effectiveness of the change before formally introducing it. The testing could have enabled the company to understand the areas of resistance and design practical approaches to eliminate resistance. Management at Apple should also have involved the employees in designing and implementing the change to ensure that employee needs were considered when designing the change to prevent resistance.

References

Buchanan, D., Dunford, R., & Palmer, I. (2016). Managing organizational change: A multiple perspectives approach. McGraw-Hill Education.

Chau, C. (2022). Samsung moves to establish and strengthen flexible work culture. HRM Asia. https://hrmasia.com/samsung-moves-to-establish-and-strengthen-flexible-work-culture

Evans, J. (2022). Apple’s new workplace transition isn’t going well. Computerworld. https://www.computerworld.com/article/3650676/apples-new-workplace-transition-isnt-going-well.html

Kalandia, A. (2022). Acceptance of change: Exploring factors of employee resistance to organizational change. GEORGIAN SCIENTISTS. https://doi.org/10.52340/gs.2022.04.04.11.

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The Change Analysis Paper (Milestone 1) is due this week. This paper should focus on evidence that demonstrates how the management of the organizations integrated one or more of the six images of managing change, how effective the change was, and what organizational management could have done differently to increase the probability of successfully implementing the strategic change initiative. Again, this is a compare and contrast paper, to include information about both companies in your report.