The British Airways Swipe Card Debacle Case Study
The introduction of change in today’s workplace environment is constant and needed in order to improve delivery to its customers and overall function of the workplace environment. Management must continually review all aspects of the company to locate which areas need change. They also need to prepare for resistance from employees, and how they respond to this resistance can either drive it to be a smooth process or a possible failure. Those who carry out successful change know that change is not an event but a journey and that implementing change without a strategy is worthless (Blankenship, 1995). This essay will review “The British Airways Swipe Card Debacle” and examine key issues to understanding the strike from each change perspective, from my review as a change consultant and change perspectives in understanding the swipe card issue.
Change Perspectives
British Airways proceeded to try and introduce a change swipe program to modernize the airline and improve efficiencies throughout the company. This change was not communicated and explained to the employees, which led to them to feel disrespected and unappreciative. They felt abandoned by the company and started to dislike the jobs that they used to love. Caldwell (1993) explained that properly managed, sensitive communication can make for a smoother change process and an increase in employee commitment for a successful change. This type of communication was not seen with the change swipe program.
When it comes to sense-making, British Airways was not successful in convincing the employees why the changes with the swipe card was necessary. They failed to notify the employees in a timely manner, only giving a five day notice and British Airways also failed to
THE BRITISH AIRWAYS SWIPE CARD DEBACLE CASE STUDY 3
exchange views regarding the swipe card system with the employees. Palmer, Dunford and Akin (2009) state that it is management’s responsibility...