System Change
Assume that the general manager accepts the need to improve the system that indicates that rooms are ready for occupancy. He must decide what else needs to change to bring about the needed improvements. He could begin by hiring a quality-control person who is charged with inspecting and certifying all rooms before they are entered into the system as “ready to use.” Some computer programming may be needed to flag rooms when they are ready, and the quality-control person must be responsible for managing that flag subsystem. The quality-control person will have to be recruited, hired, and trained if management cannot promote an appropriate internal person. Once the room-quality system has been designed and procedures are in place, all receptionists will have to be trained. This change could be a participatory process with the involvement of staff; or, the general manager could have it designed and order its implementation. Either way, the change process would be complex, involving a number of people and systems.
During this phase, there would be considerable uncertainty. The new system could be ready before the quality-control person is hired and trained. Or, the reverse could be true: the person may be hired and trained, but the room-quality system is not ready. Employees might see opportunities to improve what is being proposed and make suggestions regarding those improvements. Regardless of the specifics, the organization will be in flux as the general manager analyzes the organization’s problems and decides how he will implement changes: in other words, the manager will need to decide who will do what, when, where, why, and how.
