UP Change Management Presentation

Week 5: Positive Organizational Change
Positive Organizational Change: Samsung
Eugene Johnson
LDR 535
University of Phoenix
Gwendyl Spann
February 21, 2022
Week 5: Positive Organizational Change
Outline
I.
Was This a Positive Organizational Change?
II.
Strategies and Tactics that Were Effective in Implementing the Change
III.
Strategies That Were Ineffective
IV.
Tactics That Would Have Worked Better
Positive Organizational Change: Samsung
Week 5: Positive Organizational Change
Conventionally, Samsung manufactured electronic products for other companies. The
company’s products were imitative, and the production model was based on speed and
reliability. However, Samsung implemented a considerable change that was based on innovation
and design-centered culture. The transformation was exemplified by developing in-house-design,
rather that importing competency (Yoo & Kim, 2015). Over the years, Samsung has emerged as
a global leader in innovation due to the organizational change.
Was This a Positive Organizational Change?
The shift to in-house design was a positive change for Samsung because it made the
company revolutionize the tech industry. Samsung started making superior electronics, including
TV, hardware, software, and Smartphones. Notably, the introduction of the popular Galaxy S
series is a result of the change. Additionally, the organizational change led Samsung to adopt an
organizational culture of innovation instead of efficiency. Today, the company has a design
department that is solely focused on the future of the organization. Due to the changes, Samsung
now competes with large global conglomerates such as Apple, and has become one of the most
successful tech companies. Moreover, the change led to increased diversity in the organization
because all the functions of the company were involved in the design process. Another way the
change is positive is that by sourcing talent from within instead of hiring external designers,
Samsung created a strong team of employees who held holistic values of the organization. The
motivation and productivity of the workforce was improved, especially due to the training
programs that were implemented.
Strategies and Tactics that Were Effective in Implementing the Change
One of the most effective strategies implemented by Samsung during its transformation
into in-house innovations was nurturing internal designers instead of hiring experts in the field
Week 5: Positive Organizational Change
(Yoo & Kim, 2015). This was an effective strategy because internal designers and other
employees are more focused on the wellbeing of the organization than external designers who
would have only been interested in their own projects. Internal designers uphold values that
promote the organization’s long term interests. Samsung also created training programs for
faculty members. Developing in-house designers led to the creation of a str0ng team with a
holistic approach towards development.
Another effective tactic in the change process at Samsung is that the designers
empathized with the entire organization. The managers responsible for the change decided to
bring other functions of the organization, particularly engineering, aboard the design process
(Yoo & Kim, 2015). Additionally, the managers ensured that the new designs were favorable to
the suppliers of parts. They ensured that the part-makers and suppliers were willing to
collaborate with Samsung and accept the changes in the new designs. The partnership led to
lasting engagement between Samsung and its suppliers.
Moreover, Samsung also used marketplace experimentation to gauge the success of new
products. Samsung conducted an ethnographic research to find out what the customers really
wanted. The designers put the customers’ needs into account when creating new designs of TV.
Strategies That Were Ineffective
There was poor communication between the designers and the managers, which lead to
conflicts. For instance, when it was introducing a larger Smartphone screen, the managers argued
that people would not like the new size of the Samsung galaxy. The arguments led to delays in
innovations. However, after eventually conducting a test run, the new size was widely accepted.
The implementation of the design philosophy was also ineffective. Some of the top managers
were only concerned about achieving short term profits instead of incorporating a philosophy for
Week 5: Positive Organizational Change
design that would be applicable in the coming years. This led the company to cut back on its
design initiatives for a while, leading to losses and internal resistance. Besides, the organization
could not shift from efficiency to innovation focused management culture. As a technology
company, there was a need for Samsung to put more focus on innovation instead of efficiency in
management. Many managers had been invested in the status quo, making it difficult for them to
accept the vision for innovation, which would have driven Samsung’s future success.
Tactics That Would Have Worked Better
Communication between the design teams and the management would have significantly
enhanced the adoption of the suggested changes in the organization. Initially, the top managers
and the design team conflicted over whether the company should adopt a design philosophy.
While the managers were convinced of the need for short-term wins, the designers felt that
Samsung needed long term strategies. Such miscommunication led to losses due it internal
resistance and disagreements. Communication of the suggested changes plays a great role in
making people accept changes. The management should have discussed the change with all the
stakeholders and sought their opinions instead of implementing the strategies that they felt were
right. Communication allows conflicting teams to discuss their differences and reach an
agreement.
Another strategy for implementing the change is involving diverse employees in the
change process. Instead of tasking the process of change only to the design team, there was a
need to involve other departments to enhance collaboration and to reduce resistance to change.
Every person should be given an opportunity to state their views and ideas for development.
Creating a culture of change that begins at the top management is another effective tactic.
When implementing the change, Samsung faced challenges stemming from disagreements on
Week 5: Positive Organizational Change
whether to change the existing policies and traditional ways of doing things. The change agents
should have hired people with a vision for change.
Reference
Week 5: Positive Organizational Change
Yoo, Y., & Kim, K., (2015). How Samsung became a design powerhouse. Harvard Business
Review.

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