Running Head: INCREASE URGENCY 1

Week 2 Assignment: Increase Urgency

BUS575: Strategies for Change

Dr. Diane Hamilton

October 26, 2021

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One of the fundamental steps that must be given high priority during the change

management process is the creation of urgency. Authors Kotter and Cohen (2012) have argued

that the very first step of transformation is creating a sense of urgency in the organizational

setting. Taking this step is crucial as it helps the workforce to understand that change is not only

necessary but is urgent as well (Kotter & Cohen, 2012). Urgency has been identified as a

prerequisite in change management as it serves as a catalyst and motivates the organizational

personnel to overcome barriers such as fear, complacent behavior, pessimistic behavior, or anger.

Researchers Lotfi and Errida have argued that the lack of proper communication and poor

information sharing could hamper how the sense of urgency is created in the work setting (Errida

& Lotfi, 2021). In the context of the Uber organization, the initial change management step i.e.

increasing urgency, has been critically evaluated as it could act as the pathway for the entire

change process.

Need for change in Uber

Uber operates in a highly dynamic and uncertain business landscape. In order to adapt to

the ever-changing setting, it is extremely important for the mobility services company to bring

about necessary modifications and alterations in its existing processes so that it can continue to

deliver value for its target market audience. Cramer and Krueger have identified in their study

that Uber has already introduced a large-scale change by using modern internet-based mobile

technologies that is used for connecting passengers with the drivers (Cramer & Krueger, 2016).

In order to adapt to the business environment, the company must try to bring about gradual

change by focusing on incremental innovation. Uber is at par with its competitors that offer

similar kinds of mobility services in the operational market setting. By focusing on incremental

innovative approach, the business would be further able to gradually enhance the quality of its
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offerings and improve the level of productivity as well as efficiency (Urbinati et al., 2018).

Uber’s competitors such as Ola have been working on strengthening their technical capabilities

by setting up new advanced technology centers in diverse regions. In the long-run it could serve

as a major challenge for Uber as its competitor could get the upper hand based on its solid-

technology-based mobility service offerings. So, for exploiting the new opportunities that come

along the way in the evolving market, there is scope for the Uber business to focus on its

technical strengths and capabilities and bring about a change in its existing processes and ability.

Level of Urgency

The level of urgency regarding the opportunity to integrate incremental innovation in its

business processes is high. In the 21st century, digital technology has been serving as the catalyst

and revolutionizing how diverse industries and sectors operate and create value for their intended

target market audience. In the case of the Uber business, latest technologies have played an

instrumental role and made it possible to create and deliver technology-based mobility services

in different parts of the world. As technology is rapidly evolving in the current era, it is

extremely urgent for Uber to bring about a change in its business by integrating technological

elements. In the latest annual report of the organization, it has been reported that the company

has been moving rapidly to focus on its growth opportunities while security its future in the

unpredictable market landscape (Uber 2020 Annual Report, 2022, p. 2).

The behavior of the management of Uber, as well as the strategic approach that has been

adopted by the company, shows that the company has been trying to work in a flexible manner in

the 21st century. For example, during the Covid 19 pandemic situation, Uber brought about

changes in its business processes by focusing on diverse aspects such as the announcement of

Autocab acquisition, funding by Uber Freight from Greenbrier, the announcement of SK

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Telecom joint venture, etc. The steps that the company has taken in recent times to adapt to the

pandemic scenario has shed light on the fact that it believes in creating a sense of urgency while

initiating a change process (Uber 2020 Annual Report, 2022, p. 2). The behavior that has been

exhibited by Uber as an organization shows that the company has been urgently focusing on

bringing about modification in its processes to adapt and adjust to the ever-changing operational

business realm.

The key elements that support the behavior of Uber include the past ability of the

mobility services company to adapt to the business setting, the innovative approaches adopted by

its competitors such as Ola to gain a competitive edge in the market landscape and the evolving

needs and preferences of customers relating to mobility services. Researcher Fredgberg has

argued that the ‘urgency’ element of change management is a double-edged sword that could

bring about change as well as prevent it (Fredberg & Pregmark, 2021). In order to bring about

the right degree of urgency, there is need for the management to provide proper guidance to the

staff embers by focusing on communication, and relationships in the organizational setting.

Attacking the problem of insufficient urgency

The lack of urgency relating to change could act as a major bottleneck that has the

potential to defeat the entire purpose of the change management process. In the cut-throat

competitive market setting in which Uber operates, the insufficiency of urgency could cause

unnecessary delay in the change process and diminish its ability to gain a competitive edge in the

mobility services setting. It is necessary to tackle the insufficient urgency issue because the

redressing of the problem would help to make the shift from urgency to action (From urgency to

action: Business and the sdgs - globescan, 2019).

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In the organizational context of Uber, the issue pertaining to insufficient urgency can be

presented in an attention-grabbing manner by showing negative feedback of customers relating

to personalized mobility services. Similarly, it is also possible to show the urgency in a

constructive way by emphasizing the technical capabilities and strategies of the competitors the

business entity. The issue could be presented in the form of a portrait gallery by making a

forecast about how the urgent emphasis on incremental innovation could help Uber to deliver

better quality and personalized mobility services in the market setting. It would be a direct way

to highlight the need to adapt to the changing business landscape so that Uber would not stay

behind its competitors, instead it could move ahead and gain a competitive edge over them.

In order to address the issue relating to an insufficient sense of urgency relating to the

change process, it is also possible to sow the superiors that a sense of complacent environment

has been established. It would be possible to demonstrate the complacent behavior of the

workforce by focusing on their performance and contribution and identifying a trend for the last

few years. Researcher Harraf (2016) has argued that for business entities that operate in the 21st

century, complacency is not an option as it could restrict the growth in diverse areas such as

people, processes, structure as well as culture (Harraf et al., 2016, p. 1). As Uber’s business

operations and processes revolve around technology, the adoption of complacent behavior by the

workforce could give rise to serious ramifications for the organization by hampering its

performance and limiting its ability to improve its offerings.

In the case of the Uber organization, creating a sense of urgency would play a critical role

that would drive the individual employees, as well as the business teams to adjust to the evolving

business setting. For making sure that each and every member of the organization from the top,

middle, and lower management showcases urgency, it is necessary to capture their attention.
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Kotter has stated that for establishing the right level of urgency that would facilitate change, the

problem definition must be presented in a clear and comprehensible manner. For taking the first

step that would act as the pathway for the entire change management process, communication

would play an indispensable role. It would act as the chief instrument that would make sure that

the proper message relating to the issue has been shared, which makes the employees aware of

the need to integrate change in the existing organizational setting. Such an approach would be

vital in the Uber organization to facilitate change.

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References

Cramer, J., & Krueger, A. B. (2016). Disruptive change in the taxi business: The case of

Uber. American Economic Review, 106(5), 177-82.

Errida, A., & Lotfi, B. (2021). The determinants of organizational change management success:

Literature review and case study. International Journal of Engineering Business

Management, 13, 18479790211016273.

From urgency to action: Business and the sdgs - globescan. (2019). Retrieved October 25, 2021,

from

https://globescan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/CSR_Europe_GlobeScan_Report_May

2019.pdf.

Fredberg, T., & Pregmark, J. E. (2021). Organizational transformation: Handling the double-

edged sword of urgency. Long Range Planning, 102091.

Harraf, A., Soltwisch, B. W., & Talbott, K. (2016). Antecedents of organizational complacency:

Identifying and preventing complacency in the work environment. Managing Global

Transitions, 14(4), 385.

Kotter, J. P., & Cohen, D. S. (2012). The heart of change: Real-life stories of how people change

their organizations. Harvard Business Press.

Urbinati, A., Chiaroni, D., Chiesa, V., Franzò, S., & Frattini, F. (2018). An exploratory analysis

on the contextual factors that influence disruptive innovation: the case of

Uber. International journal of innovation and technology management, 15(03), 1850024.

Uber 2020 Annual Report. (2022). Retrieved October 25, 2021, from

https://s23.q4cdn.com/407969754/files/doc_financials/2021/ar/FINAL-Typeset-Annual-

Report.pdf.