The automobile industry has and still is undergoing vast changes.
In the past few decades, the car has evolved from what was only seen as a means or a mode of transport to build a multi billion dollar industry mainly managed through an oligopoly market. According to Jeff & David (1987), the industry is more than ever undergoing radical changes and mainly technology is at play. The product itself has ceased being a luxury and is now regarded as a very important tool for day to day activities.It is for this reason that demand for automobiles has increased immensely thus leading to restructuring and reorganizing the industry to include or advance technology that will be used to meet the so ever growing demand. This is the main reason that has led to the changes highlighted above.
These changes have been however not easy to handle as the technology required or being used requires lots of efficiency and productivity.Many of the big players in the market have been struggling to keep up with the ever growing demand for their products while still maintaining efficient modes of production. The vehicle assembly line has been one of the key changes in technology that have characterized the industry and its application has Japan as a good case study. Because of these continuous changes, the industry players have been forced to merge to reduce costs while still maintaining the production lines.Success or failure in the industry has mostly depended on merging of the players in the industry in using the same type of technology or fusing technologies of both players (Muthukumar, 1997). The industry however does face some challenges, especially in the usage of the same technology that they thought would eliminate all their worries around production.
The demand for technology use is high having facing issues like global warming. These new threats are increasing the advocacy of safer fuels that emit cleaner effluents like water in hybrid cars and use of electricity as opposed to gasoline (Brainnet, 2010).According to the Management Sciences for Health, MSH, (1997, “Force Field Analysis is a technique based on the premise that change is a result of a struggle between forces of resistance (forces that impede change) and driving forces (forces that favor change)” (para, 1). From the same source we identify the various importance of force field analysis as a tool for change.First, for any organization to work in harmony, there must be cooperation and cohesion among all the workers in the organization.
This mode of implementing change ensures that cohesion is not only maintained but improved and this is because all workers are involved in decision making that will determine their future working conditions. Another important aspect of the method is that decisions are made after careful analysis of the problem at hand because it weighs both the forces that will work either for or against the changes to be implemented.The forces which carry the biggest weight will therefore be applied. This mode therefore implements the better decision after careful analysis of a particular situation. The method also helps avoid groups and organizations from setting targets that can never be achieved, and this means therefore, that it is a very realistic, hands on change initiative (Michael & Ron, 1995). If I were to implement change in an organization, I would use the force fields analysis but using a slightly different approach.
Force field analysis suggests the use of a group that gathers together to discuss the pros and cons of a particular change initiative. My approach would be different in that instead of having one group, several groups shall be formulated. These groups will be required to discuss in detail the task at hand. The results of the various contributions will be harmonized in order to reach a final decision. This mode will involve very many divergent views that would probably have never been raised because of limitations of time and huge number of personnel involved.
