Question 9.9 Case Study

Read case study Australian Integrated Technology Services and answer the following questions.

* What changes do you think Margaret Somers should consider and how should she go about carrying them out?

* What are the most important change models Somers should be aware of in introducing this change?

* What intervention strategies might be most applicable in this situation?

can you please provide answers for that case study.

Case Study

Australian Integrated Technology Services

Australian Integrated Technology Services (AITS) is an organisation that helps to build integrated information, communication and computer-based technology for organisations using software and hardware systems.

Margaret Somers has been appointed the new chief executive officer of this organisation and has been charged with making substantial improvements in AITSs effectiveness while reducing the organisations costs. She was told during her selection interview that there were some problems in the organisation she would need to deal with. These were:

The organisation seems to have high running costs and may need to reduce the number of people that it employs. A review conducted by management consulting/accounting firm indicated that firms in similar industries overseas and in Australia with about the same revenue ($35 million) can operate with 10-15 per cent less staff.

One section with 180 people seems to have some difficulty with the products and services it offers. It is felt that some of its services and technology are rapidly become out of date and a few customers are being lost to other organisations. The head of this section has very strong relationships with two key clients and is defending his section very strongly. These clients account for 40 per cent of the $19 million total revenue of this section.

A competitor announced two months ago that it has a new system combined with consulting services which has the potential to affect AITS quite a lot. Only one project has been lost to this new system, but there is some worry within AITS.

Somers feels that she has six to nine months to show some substantial improvement. She has heard that you have just formed a new management consulting firm specialising in dealing with change.

Somers recently attended a seminar about total quality management and feels that this may provide a new initiative, and its focus on customer service could provide the answer to her problems. She knows that you and your group are very skilled at doing assignments with little time and even less information. She would like to meet with you in 15 minutes and hear from you.

(Robbins, Millett, Cacioppe, & Waters-Marsh, 1998, p. 704)