MANAGEMENT OF CHANGE – GROUP REPORT
ABC Bank
This report looks at the change process which occurred at ABC Bank during 2012. The research used was completed by gathering data from primary sources such as a written account of the change provided by Mary, an ex-Team Leader in the ABC Contact Centre. An interview was also conducted with Mary who provided further in depth information about the change which occurred, resistance which was experienced and highlighted downfalls in the change process.
The findings highlighted that whilst ABC Bank had a good foundation for change and was being driven by a global team, the lack of communication about individual’s functional goals was a major downfall.
Additionally ABC Bank did not spend enough time making selected change agents advocates for the process which resulted in a number of staff resigning and the change process taking longer to be accepted by the group.

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION 2
DRIVERS, CHANGE AGENTS & NATURE OF THE CHANGE 2
PROCESS AND IMPLEMENTATION OF CHANGE 3
RESISTANCE TO CHANGE 4
OUTCOMES 5
RECOMMENDATION 6
CONCLUSION 7
REFERENCES 9

Management of Change – Group Report
ABC Bank
INTRODUCTION
This report documents the change which occurred within ABC Bank in Australia during 2012 focusing on the Contact Centre. Through the application of primary research this report will unpack the structural and cultural change which occurred, looking at the drivers and change agents and how they implemented the change. The report also discuss in depth the resistance to the change which occurred and offer recommendation around how these could have been harnessed to assist in the process or avoided all together.
DRIVERS, CHANGE AGENTS & NATURE OF THE CHANGE
ABC bank’s change intuitive was focused on moving their management structure from being multi layered into a flatter functional structure. The aim was to create only eight layers of management between the CEO and the lowest manager. Mary discussed that the main driver of change was due to the Australian branch of ABC Bank being marked as a key growth country in 2013. As a result the company’s Head Office required them to align with the global business structure, tasking all managers in the company with becoming a change agent. Here we can see change being driven from a rational perspective, which is described as having a focus on manageable aspects of change such as aligning the company’s ‘structure/competencies and it’s environment’ (Graetz et al 2011 pp27)
Mary described a second driving force for change which was highlighted by senior managers who felt there was a lack of communication between departments. This was resulting in a lack of task ownership, longer lead times for stakeholders and an overall loss of market share. Departments seemed more interested in putting up barriers than achieving the company’s strategic goals. Here it can be seen that there is a need to couple the rational perspective with the cultural perspective. Schein (1984) describes that individuals values and attitudes need to be aligned to the organisations to ensure problems and situations are viewed in a consistent manner. In this situation Mary described that she and other managers acted as agents for the cultural change, modeling and acting as advocates however other managers did not, which Whelan-Berry, K and Somerville (2010) link to the failure of many change processes.
PROCESS AND IMPLEMENTATION OF CHANGE
The change which occurred at ABC Bank can be likened to Kurt Lewins (1958 cited in Levasseur 2001) three step change model. If change is essential and is needed and the persons affected by this change are requested to contribute and assist in the application, the change has a better chance of being effective and successful (Levasseur 2001).
The first step unfreezing explains how to minimise barriers to change and increase the chances of a successful change (Levasseur 2001).
At the ABC Bank, Mary