Essay Sample on Nokia Company

Introduction

Nokia, despite being the global top mobile phone producer, is experiencing a better share of its problems. This has led to resignation of the embattled CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, appointing former Microsoft's Stephen Elop to help steer fresh efforts of competitively competing in the smartphone market. To counter the current problems, Nokia requires laying out a change management plan that will help them turnaround its fortunes. It is on a mission to reclaim back the lost glory and unquestionable respect it once had. This was due to the transformation of human life by manufacturing the best cellphones worldwide (Fearn-Banks, 2016). This report seeks to establish some of the possible strategic steps that Nokia's new Chief Executive Officer, can aim to revive the former dominant mobile phones, among them is the famous Nokia 6.2 Plus and Nokia 3310. The effective change management plans that need to be addressed include reasoned leadership in decision-making processes that help in identifying and satisfactorily address the problems. The leadership approaches to be employed in managing change at the organisation, power, politics and conflict resolution within the firm, culture influence, ethical issues, communication management, and the recipients of change. Change has always been a contentious issue in every organisation, and similar challenges are expected to be faced at Nokia. The manager has to be clear and focused on the reestablishment mission by including the employees in the decision-making process so that they get a sense of belonging and responsibility towards achieving the set objectives. The culture development need to outstanding and enhance self-drive among employees so as to achieve the intended results. The other challenge to be addressed is how the new CEO, can turnaround the losses Nokia has incurred in the recent times. This makes up to 24% losses as compared to the previous financial year (Burke, 2017).

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Leadership Decision Making

In implementing his leadership ideas, the Nokia CEO needs to clearly understand some of the previously laid down steps and the existing plans that Nokia is operating. In doing so, the CEO will have to evaluate the three main and interdependent organisational change processes. These processes include the choice process which is mainly focused on the scope, nature, and aims of the firm's decision-making process (Fearn-Banks, 2016). He will also need to evaluate a trajectory process which highlights the firm's previous and planned future actions (Bradley, 2016). This represents the mission and purpose of Nokia relating to its operation technique. Among the processes, the choice process is the most critical one. It includes the approaches and chosen directions to the mechanisms for accomplishing and the final results of the implemented change. Under the choice process, Nokia needs to clearly understand its major market strengths and weaknesses, analyze its customers' needs and cellphone specification requirements, and evaluate the environment in which they intend to operate in to help them achieve their objectives (Bradley, 2016). Nokia can know these requirements by carrying out market research by using political economic social technological and legal (PESTEL) analysis technique to enhance openness in fact-finding within the firm. Depending on the abilities of the employees, the CEO can either use bounded rationality model, rational choice model or the garbage can model of decision making to fully pin down all the problems and possible opportunities and alternatives available to them. The selected mission and vision need to be clear to all employees (Stark, 2015).

Leadership Approaches

In taking up the leadership role at the Company, the CEO needs to be observant of the employees' reactions and opinions. It is advisable that the change leadership should be a total blend of representatives from all the departments within the organisation with different ground experiences who come together to address the challenges (Fearn-Banks, 2016). The team needs to have modified personalities and skills as by the Belbin's nine-team roles - resource investigator, plant, shaper, coordinator, specialist, implementer, teamwork, monitor evaluated and complete finisher. In the process of leading Nokia from its knee situation, the selected team with the main leader (CEO) will need to identify all the problems facing the firm and possible knocking opportunities. Nokia needs to analyze the available market alternatives, collect adequate data and critically evaluate the data basing on its current statuses. Proper feedback and recommendations should be done in order to come up with a conclusive decision regarding the operational activities of the organisation (Deci & Ryan, 2012). When the decision has been made, the leader can use the action-centered leadership approach to engage the other employees in performing a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound) goal setting. This will help Nokia recover the numerous losses it has been incurring in the recent past. The CEO can help drive leadership approaches by showing commitment to the set objectives (Stark, 2015). He should have the power to drive and push the workers to give their very best by being a reference to them. This will be achieved when the Nokia CEO is engaged and motivating his staff to even beat their set targets in manufacturing quality smartphones that conform to the latest technological trends. This will help in meeting its customers' needs. The change should be monitored daily to help know if the goals are being met. If the employees feel overwhelmed by the targets, the leader will have to develop another leadership approach where he will have to initiate a willingness to work beyond the limits, engage the employees constructively and even award those who surpass their targets. He should offer good communication and be able to withstand the momentum by availing all necessary resources, develop competency skills, enforce the desired business change and fully offer support to the change ambassadors of the organisation (Fearn-Banks, 2016).

Power, Politics, and Conflict Management

Power and Politics

Power is the capacity and sole ability to direct and perform an event towards the achievement of Nokia's mission. While on the other hand, politics is the effort and zeal of the workforce to rally for approval or disapproval of goals, rules, policies and any other management actions that will have an impact to them (Bradley, 2016). When employees feel dissatisfied with a certain action, they will engage in various political ploys to win against the previously suggested objective. They can collect reasoned facts to oppose or form a collision and join forces to enhance their influence. Recent studies reveal that one of the factors holding back the progress of many business enterprises is too much politics and tussle for control power. The two factors are often rooted in the culture of the organisation. Politics in Nokia take most of the time intended for production and are likely to affect the thinking of employees. It is likely to cause resistance in operation which brings about disunity in the organisation. For the CEO to quickly realize the set objectives, he will have to control the fight for power and reduce politicking in the Company. Clear communication channels need to be established so that the affected members can address their issues without necessarily interrupting the manufacturing process of the firm. Politics mainly are a result of power tussling where everyone wants to have the final say on decisions regarding the firm (Northouse, 2018).

Conflict Management

In managing the Nokia conflicts (that may arise due to differences in reasoning), the CEO has to be fair in his judgments. This will reduce the negative feelings of some group of employees being left out. The conflicting parties need to be all accommodated without any biases (Northouse, 2018). The CEO has to gain an influencing power to be able to convince the employees towards one direction of operation easily. The communication lines need to be clear so that information is reliable to all employees and no modification is done to it. Secondly, the CEO can collaborate with the various departments so that they work together in achieving a common goal. The level of secrecy also needs to be eliminated. Openness towards each should be encouraged as it creates trust among the employees. Stability of the company need to be maintained, and involvement of the employees in decision making and implementation procedure encouraged (Bradley, 2016).

Culture Influence

Basing on an incorporated definition, culture can be described as the known way of how things are conducted in an organisation. It comprises of unique values and unmatched behaviors which contribute to a distinguished psychological and social environment of Nokia. It also includes the business' philosophy, employee's behavior, their level of honesty and how they can satisfy the needs of the customers (Burke, 2017). Organisation culture has a lot of influence on the success of the company. Nokia, in its change management plan, needs to establish an unmatched culture that will help them reap numerous benefits. To begin with, a rich organisational culture enhances innovation. Studies show that firms with healthy and well-planned cultures tend to operate more efficiently by discovering new techniques which help them improve performance. Culture stresses on the common goals and values which push the company to achieve more depending on their needs and resource inputs. A good reputable culture will convince employees to remain in the firm. In recent researches, the results show that employees who work in well-established organisations with a good culture will easily turn down a lucrative offer from a company which has a bad culture (Vuori & Huy, 2016). Nokia needs to establish and develop a robust culture that will create a good environment for retaining its top quality employees. Culture is also implied to be a long-term commitment of the organisation in achieving its goals and objectives. It is the culture that will help drive the employees into performing their duties responsibly as they understand well what they are after at their work stations. It initiates teamwork and enables employees to work together hence easily distinguishing them from other organisations, which have a different culture as theirs. Nokia Company will need to preserve its values, norms, artifacts and basic assumptions for effective reestablishment (Posavac, 2015).

Ethical Issues

Change Agent Ethics

The major areas that are connected to the ethical issues in an organisation when implementing the change management plan pertaining to the roles and duties of the selected change agents, and the resulting ethical matters of the unfreezes changes (Fearn-Banks, 2016) The task of effecting the laid down changes is always given to the change agents. In their process of installing the changes, there are a variety of ethical issues they need to address so as not to go against the federal government's laws. Among the issues which the change ambassadors need to put into consideration is total avoidance of stakeholder's coercion to find critical change information and plans, commitment to total confidentiality, and avoid promising unrealistic expectations regarding the plan (Posavac, 2015). In spite of these, studies reveal that most change ambassadors are not always preoccupied with these ethical standards. Such a breach of ethical standards by change ambassadors was witnessed in ServiceCo. The change ambassadors who were supposed to install the change plan contravened all the ethical standards. They shared the plan's secrets and collaborated with stakeholders hence giving...