1. Read the Question 1

2. Read Student response.

3. Respond to this question after reading the students response: Do not merely agree or disagree, repeating what a classmate stated or what you have already stated. Explain the 'why or how' with supporting evidence and concepts from the course material. Include in-text citations and associated references within a reference list. BE SPECIFIC

QUESTION 1:

It is now 2015, and Smithfield's Custom Furniture has continued to grow. Its new product line of lower-priced furniture was an immediate sensation in the marketplace. The company now has 344 stores and 21,000 employees. The company now has a total of 12 international retail stores evenly divided among Spain (3), France (3), Germany (3), and England (3).

Margot Smithfield, Jonas Smithfield III's only heir, is now running the company. She has a master's degree in design and an MBA degree. She has been running the company for 3 years.

Margot Smithfield and the 12-member board of directors have been assessing an opportunity to acquire You Figure it Out, a moderately profitable 51 store chain of ultra-modern furniture. You Figure it Out's furniture and furniture-related accessories are all made in China and sold only in the United States. Their retail stores are located in Texas (6), California (13), New York (15), Nevada (4), Florida (9), and North Carolina (4).

Margot and her board have reasoned that the company has excess capacity at their 5 manufacturing plants. They know that producing a new line of furniture would mean retraining several hundred of their workers in the new production process. However, if this change is successfully executed, it would significantly increase the profitability of the You Figure It Out brand. The company also sees a market for the ultra-modern style of furniture in Smithfield's existing foreign markets and believe the current Smithfield stores in Spain, France, Germany, and England could display some of the new furniture along with their traditional lines of furniture and take orders that would be produced in the US plants. Other than that, the Smithfield Custom Furniture product line and the You Figure It Out brand would operate as they currently do.

They have decided to conclude the purchase with You Figure It Out executives and want to announce the decision to their workforce as soon as possible.

The Management Issue: Margot Smithfield is concerned she will overlook something important in her communications to employees and the board's decision-making.

Your Task for Your Initial Post

Margot Smithfield is asking for your input to help her understand and ensure she does not overlook anything important to introducing a new furniture product line to the current Smithfield product line. She has requested that you send her a single-spaced summary, using only course readings and proper citations, that addresses (in the order they are listed) the issues she believes she needs to be aware of related to communications and decision making.

1. Explaining to her, why employees need to understand the need for Smithfield to continue to be innovative.
2. Selecting the 3 "noise" factors that are most likely to interfere with the successful launch of the new product line. you will explain to Margot why you selected each of the 3 noise factors you selected, including their potential negative impact on a new product launch if it is not eliminated or reduced.
3. Identifying for Margot Smithfield the 3 most significant obstacles to change that you believe will make the acceptance of the new product line difficult for employees to support. for each obstacle to change you identified, you will explain to Margot why you selected each of the 3 obstacles to change, including each obstacle's potential negative impact on a new product launch if it is not eliminated or reduced.
4. Selecting for her and explaining, the one specific change management technique or tool you think is most likely to pave the way for a successful launch of the new product line.
5. Explaining to her, using course readings on decision making and the most likely decision-making oversight the board could make in the launch of a new product line.

You must use the following numbers and corresponding headings for each part of your response to a particular issue.

1. Understanding the Need for Innovation.

2. Significant "Noise" Factors

3. Obstacles to the Acceptance of Change

4. An Effective Change Management Technique

5. Possible Decision-Making Oversight

STUDENT RESPONSE:

1. Understanding the Need for Innovation -

Clarity about and understanding of roles, increased responsibilities, strategic partnerships, senior management support, organizational restructuring, and investment in human resources can all enrich organizational culture and innovation (Lumen Learning, Boundless management, key points, n.d.). Transparent communication is crucial when running a successful organization. Communicating key reasons for and benefits of the production of the new furniture line is a great way to motivate the employees' creativity.

2. Significant "Noise" Factors -

• Selective Perception is the tendency to either "under notice" or "over focus on" stimuli that cause emotional discomfort or contradict prior beliefs (Lumen Learning, Principles of Management, Module 14: Communication, para 4. n.d.). When being introduced to change, people tend to form their own thoughts on the end result based on the information that their minds process.
• Information Overload occurs when too much information is being received at one time, and we feel overwhelmed and fear that we will not be able to retain any information at all (Lumen Learning, Principles of Management, Module 14: Communication, para 5. n.d.). This will deter employees from a positive attitude when introduced to the upcoming changes. It will probably be best if employees undergo a reasonable period of training prior to launching the new products.
• Filtering - A message sender sees the world through one set of filters (experiences and values) and the receiver sees it through a different set of filters (Lumen Learning, Principles of Management, Module 14: Communication, para 3. n.d.). Filtering and selective perception almost have the same meaning. The receiver will form their own opinions based on how they understood the message. If their past experiences had a negative outcome, then the will not be receptive of the developing plans.

3. Obstacles to the Acceptance of Change -

• Resistance - Resistance often stems from people's fearof change in the work itself, of change in the process of completing work, or of the possibility that the change may result in the loss of their job (Lumen Learning, Boundless management Managing Change for Employees, para 7 n.d.). Fear of failure often create obstacles when change is implemented due to uncertainty of the new plans.
• Lack of Proper Training - Education and training is essential for employees to understand and adapt to a change in the workforce (Lumen Learning, Boundless management Managing Change for Employees, para. 10, n.d.). Employees are bound to make several mistakes when changing the way that they are used to doing things. It is better to equip them with the necessary tools and skills by taking the time to properly train them.
• Lack of Clear Communication - If management wants to implement a procedure that will help to improve the production of the workforce, but they require a lot of initial labor to get the new procedure up and running, they should communicate why the change in procedure is necessary (Lumen Learning, Boundless management Managing Change for Employees, para. 9, n.d.). Explaining the "what" and "how" without delivering the "why" can lead to team destruction. Understanding the "why" in almost every situation is just as important as the implemented change. The employee will be more receiving of the change when properly and clearly communicating all details, and making sure they understand.

4. An Effective Change Management Technique -

Change management is about knowing strategically what to change and how to manage the human element of this process (Lumen Learning, Boundless management Managing Change for Employees, para. 8, n.d.). The four elements of change management include: Recognize the changes, develop the necessary adjustments, train employees, win the support of employees (Lumen Learning, Boundless management Managing Change for Employees, para. 8, n.d.).

5.Possible Decision-Making Oversight -

Overconfidence Bias, could be an oversight since anindividual decision maker trusts his own judgment (usually his intuition) and allows that judgment to override evidence to the contrary (Lumen Learning, Principles of Management, Module 5: Decision Making, para. 17 n.d.). Some people in leadership are blinded by their own self-assurance in certain projects that they are managing. This often result in an oversight of particular pieces of information that are key in a successful outcome.