Smart Connection Company Pty Ltd

t/a Australian College of Applied Business

ACN 086 185 248 | ABN 50 086 185 248

Samson Media
Updated Change Management Plan
Note: delete the prompts under each heading before submitting your plan

Introduction
Provide background, link to strategic goals and other changes

Samson Media publishes a number of high-end fashion publications. As well as being

a large source of advertising revenue, it has close relationships with a number of high-
profile fashion houses whose products appear in the magazines. Primarily, the
periodicals' readers are women aged 35 to 55.
Over the last two years, the number of readers has decreased. Many other fashion
publications have made their products available electronically, and the consumer trend
of consuming their content digitally is largely responsible for this shift. Profits have
also declined by 20 percent as a result of the dip in readership, and the stock price
has dropped as well. Therefore, to control and cope up with this critical situation,
Samson media is to lead change management project.

Project Sponsor
This person leads the change project and is accountable for ensuring the project and
change plan are implemented

Project sponsor would be the General Manager of Samson Media as he would likely to
lead the change project and would consider to be accountable for ensuring the project
and change plan are implemented effectively.

Project Objectives
Detail what the project will achieve.

+61 0422 568 755

+61 02 8677 7407
 Smart Connection Company Pty Ltd
t/a Australian College of Applied Business
ACN 086 185 248 | ABN 50 086 185 248

 Objectives: The following are the objectives as stated in the scenario information:

 Within two years, raise the return on capital employed to 8%.

 Implement a company-wide transformation that will see all magazines
converted to a digital-only format.
 The printing and distribution facility should be shut down.
 Save money by shifting the corporate headquarters to a smaller location.
 Reorganize the head office personnel by reducing the number of permanent
employees and increasing the number of contract employees.

Change Objectives and Principles

Provide details of:

 What the change process will achieve

 Principles that underpin the change plan

Ethical issues that need to be considered and how will the change plan will address
them.

 Information sharing, involvement, and input into proposed changes will be

achieved through the change process.
 Inclusion and consultation are examples of principles that guide the change
process.
 Restructuring based on job roles rather than unique people is an ethical issue that
should be explored.

Change Plan Elements

What are the main elements in the change plan? [e.g. people/culture,
systems/technology, documentation, positions/roles, process, skills] Each of these
elements may require a particular focus in the change plan.

+61 0422 568 755

+61 02 8677 7407
 Smart Connection Company Pty Ltd
t/a Australian College of Applied Business
ACN 086 185 248 | ABN 50 086 185 248

People (restructuring, skills for new digital technology, fewer permanent employees,
new HR processes) are key parts in the change strategy, as are new technology –
digital format, and office relocation.

It is advised that, in order to successfully execute the update:

 Implement initiatives for improvement such as job descriptions, digital media

training and coaching, and so on.
 Train employees on new processes, systems, and digital marketing techniques
 Recognize areas of concern and develop a plan of action
 In order to transmit more and more expertise, provide product-specific training
(digital marketing).
 Hence, holding a meeting to convey the change management strategy is
crucial. Employees are most motivated when their ideas are taken into account
and included into the plan. To ensure employee retention, have one-on-one
sessions with each employee to resolve any problems.

Rationale for the Change

List the drivers and constraints for change.
What are the risks for the change process?

As Over the past two years, the number of readers has decreased. Many other
fashion publications have made their goods available electronically, and the consumer
trend of consuming their content digitally is largely responsible for this. As a result of
the loss in readership, profits have fallen by 20 percent and the stock price has fallen
which force Samson to lead change which is to Initiate a company-wide transformation
that will result in a shift to a digital format. Moreover, closing the printing and
distribution facility and transferring the head office to a smaller facility will result in cost
savings. In addition to it, downsizing the head office employees by moving to a smaller

+61 0422 568 755

+61 02 8677 7407
 Smart Connection Company Pty Ltd
t/a Australian College of Applied Business
ACN 086 185 248 | ABN 50 086 185 248

core of permanent staff and more contract staff. Change process is to face the
following risks;

 Disruption to publication

 Inferior quality of leadership

 Unexpected appearing issues

 Prolonged and difficult discussions over redundancies with the employees.

 Reduced work’s quality

 Resistance to adapt change

Digital marketing-

 It is possible that it will end up in a niche market; nevertheless, by monitoring

subscriptions and the breadth of publications, it can be ensured that it will remain
broad. 3rd risk priority
 A digital magazine may not be purchased by buyers due to competition from
brands that specialise in digital magazines.
 To counteract the effect of fierce competition, include high-quality material. 1st risk
priority
 Customer loyalty could be affected if new types of material are introduced to the
magazine - Due to the fact that buyers would not identify it with the brand and, as a
result, it would not be remembered, Customers should be informed about the new
features so that they can be prepared which would be Second-highest risk priority.

Key Stakeholder Analysis

Identify the key stakeholders and:

 Analyse their response to the change [e.g. what will be their main
concerns/fear, where is there likely to be support for the change];
 Identify their needs in terms of change management and consider the style of
communication required [language style & level]; and

+61 0422 568 755

+61 02 8677 7407
 Smart Connection Company Pty Ltd
t/a Australian College of Applied Business
ACN 086 185 248 | ABN 50 086 185 248

 Identify the preferred media for communicating or consulting with them about
the change [e.g. sessions involving dialogue about the changes, newsletters,
briefings from project team members, frequently asked questions].

 Key stakeholders: Management, employees, and customers are the most

important stakeholders.
 Answer to change: Change is likely to be met with resistance, as they are major
changes that will result in job losses.
 Staff who want to work as contractors may be supportive of the change.
 Email and newsletters, as well as face-to-face meetings, will be required for
communication during the change management process.
 As a result, communication must be direct and empathic.

Assessment of Readiness to Change

Comment on the status of the change so far [e.g. is there a high level strategy in place
that stakeholders are already aware of and committed to that provides a framework
for the change].
What elements might support the change [e.g. dissatisfaction with current processes;
a workplace culture that supports change and innovation].
Is there strong senior support for the change?

Leadership has committed to the change, but employees have not been informed
about it. The transformation is being driven primarily by external reasons, most notably
the shift to digital reading and the downfall of the magazine publishing business.

Key Change Messages

Identify 6 key messages to convey about the change process, being upfront about
gains and losses. Consider:

+61 0422 568 755

+61 02 8677 7407
 Smart Connection Company Pty Ltd
t/a Australian College of Applied Business
ACN 086 185 248 | ABN 50 086 185 248

 What will be gained/lost for the key stakeholder groups in the change process;
 The messages from the stakeholder perspective;
 What will be their main concerns; and
 Presenting changes in a positive light even whilst acknowledging loss.

Currently, the corporation is working to recover lost revenue and reform the entire
process in order to give existing competitors a fighting chance on the market. A
positive and correct change will be implemented in a positive and exact manner.

Key statements about the transformation process to send to your audience:

Stakeholders will be informed in a transparent manner based on respect to guarantee
employee acceptance. As a result, the organisation places a high value on teamwork,
which is essential to the plan's success.

 Well, the transformational change would take place which will to shift from
offline media toward a digital format of media in upcoming year. The plan's
success is entirely reliant on each employee's cooperation, and the
organisation values collaboration.
 To maintain job stability, the company will share its plans in a transparent
manner and strive to become the industry leader within the next few years.
 It was decided by the management due to a large loss that print magazines
would be replaced by digital ones. Changes to processes and systems will not
have a significant impact on employees.
 Depending on the job and authority, the necessary quality and training support
will be made available.
 Even after suffering a loss, the organisation is hoping that each and every
stakeholder would contribute to moving this project ahead.

Identify Change Elements

Structures/Processes/Responsiblities/Resources/Timeframes/Performance Measures

+61 0422 568 755

+61 02 8677 7407
 Smart Connection Company Pty Ltd
t/a Australian College of Applied Business
ACN 086 185 248 | ABN 50 086 185 248

Consider the need for particular change support structures [e.g. a change team, super
users/specialists who are trained first and can support people in the workplace,
involvement of users and key stakeholders at various stages, change champions in
the workplace].
Consider if there is a need for transitional arrangements to support and whether the
introduction of the change process needs to be staged.
What will be the impact on workloads and how will these be managed?

Aspects or elements of change could include:

• strategy for communication and education which is known as communication and

education plan
• professional advice
• A change management strategy which is associated as change management plan
• A strategy for transitioning which is considered as transition plan

Develop Change Plan

Develop a change plan including performance measures [how will you know the
change plan is effective?]. Ensure the plan is adequately resourced.

Actions Resource Who When Performance

requirements Measures

Updating the Human Human Throughout the There are new

policies and resource staff resource change systems in
procedure for department management place for
human process analysing
resources training needs,
reviewing

+61 0422 568 755

+61 02 8677 7407
 Smart Connection Company Pty Ltd
t/a Australian College of Applied Business
ACN 086 185 248 | ABN 50 086 185 248

performance,
and
developing
professionals.

Ensuring the Private space Human At the initial Exit interviews

opportunity to for debriefing resource stage of reveal that
be provided for or career department change career
the debriefing guidance management counselling
and career alongside process was given.
guidance for Human
printing and resource staff
distribution staff

Assuring the Human Human Beginning of Correct

redundancy resource staff resource change redundancy
payments to be Moreover, department management payments and
calculated and costs which process notice periods
out redundancy are are to be
letters to be associated delivered to all
sent to all with the staff.
printing and redundancy
distribution staff payments to
be calculated
by human
resources

+61 0422 568 755

+61 02 8677 7407
 Smart Connection Company Pty Ltd
t/a Australian College of Applied Business
ACN 086 185 248 | ABN 50 086 185 248

Reporting arrangements
Identify and explain the reporting arrangements for the project.

Each week, staff members meet to discuss progress and brainstorm solutions. Weekly
emails are sent to all employees.

Consolidation
Ensure policies, procedures and performance measures reinforce the changes.
Remove organisational barriers to the change.
Reinforce how changes have provided benefits.

Changes are reinforced through policies, procedures, and performance metrics.

 Job satisfaction among Samson media employees has increased as a result of the
company's reforms in work culture, as well as the adoption of strategic objectives.
 KPI's and timeframes will be used to track effective implementation and accurate
data collection and reporting.
 A standard operating procedure manual for Samson Media will be distributed to all
new employees throughout the company's induction and training sessions.

Eradicating organisational obstacles to the shift

 Risk analysis was performed by Samson Media, who also prepared an

implementation strategy to eliminate any hurdles that would impede change. All of
the company's stakeholders have been taken into account.
 Risk analysis gives an indication of probable risks, thus communication will be
crucial in implementing this change. They'll do so in a way that's upbeat.
 Team members will be trained in digital media in order to recover money that was
lost when they switched from a print magazine.

Evaluation

+61 0422 568 755

+61 02 8677 7407
 Smart Connection Company Pty Ltd
t/a Australian College of Applied Business
ACN 086 185 248 | ABN 50 086 185 248

How will the change be evaluated in relation to the achievement of the planned
objectives?
How will the change management processes be evaluated – consider summative as
well as final evaluations, how can you assess your change management strategies as
you implement them?
How will the evaluation outcomes be circulated and promoted to stakeholders?
How will evaluation outcomes be used in other organisational processes?

 Consistent communication about the change process with all stakeholders.

 Staff questionnaires will also be used to gather evaluation results.
 The profitability of the firm should be monitored to determine if it has increased.
 Keep an eye on the quantity of customers you have.

10

+61 0422 568 755

+61 02 8677 7407