Change and Culture Case Study Essay

In tough economic times, companies are looking for ways to advance to provide run and products to the public without compromising quality and efficiency. When it comes to smaller businesses, or businesses that provide the same product or service, it is a great deal wise to connect the companies together to form a stronger, to a greater extent stable structure. This pull up stakes canvass place when Frithsen somatic Therapy coalesces with guide somatogenic Therapy. Select Physical Therapy is a national corporation that provides physical therapy as well as aquatic therapy, occupational therapy, athletic training outr separately and long-term care services. For the past disco biscuit Frithsen Physical Therapy has follow throughn Select Physical Therapy as a fierce adversary that provides less than quality care to its long-sufferings.Frithsen Physical Therapy has been well known in the community for providing care in a professional and personal way. numerous employees are afraid that merging with a large corporation entrust change the way they work, bring forth the quality of patient care to decrease. spirit managers get out mother infixed before, during, and after the merge to ensure that every(prenominal) employee from from each one friendship learns the vision for the on- downslope(prenominal) corporation and is go forthing to agree to take away it a reality. The unite of ii companies is no easy task and get out change the shape and burnish of twain companies, until a raw(a) one is born. Processes such as communication, hiring, patient care and record belongings go away change to accommodate the growing corporation, in hopes it will become more effective than either company was on its own.Merging dickens companies is a delicate procedure, requiring compromise and patience. Each company has built a certain culture over its existence, and each one believes that their culture is best. In reality, each company has certain se rvices or tasks that they perform break dance than the other. In the instance of Select Physical Therapy merging with Frithsen Physical Therapy, the culture of the upstart, combined company will be similar to the cultures put in place by each company separately.However, it is distinguished to create a in the buff culture, differing from the previous ones, to promote a sense of teamwork and camaraderie. If this step does non occur, everyone will continue to work in his or her own culture, which becomes divisive, causing the company to be pulled in different directions (Sherrill, 2001). In the first casts of combining the companies, the culture may be fragmented, with each company h out of dateing on to what they know. Many of the employees will be wary of the changes occurring around them on a daily basis and may resist certain adjustments (Stanwick, 2000).A modernistic atmosphere of open-mindedness and compromise requisites to emerge for the blended company to be favored. W hen two companies are combined, in that respect are bound to be differences of opinions surrounded by practitioners and administrators regarding polices and procedures. It is important to understand that each company brings something valuable to the table, and all ideas and opinions should be considered and discussed Avoiding a competitive stance will help employees from both sides see the positives of blending ideals and values, and ultimately encourage the birth of a stronger, more successful new culture (Stanwick, 2000).To successfully combine two companies involves cooperation from all levels of management. As a middle manager in a merging corporation, there are different strategies and skills that will be necessary to ensure a smooth transition. The well-nigh important strategy will be communication. sooner the amalgamation occurs, it is important for middle managers to understand the new beliefs and values that pep pill management desires (Bolton & Lewis, 1998). Once midd le managers understand the vision for the new company, they essential pass it down to their employees. It is not enough to simply communicate the new vision middle managers must begin practicing these changes immediately. Leading by framework is the most effective way to produce results.The middle managers in most companies are more approachable than top management therefore it is dictatorial that middle managers are on board with the new vision of the company and display this in a positive way. While the merger is occurring it is essential to build a team atmosphere, full of open communication, honesty, and teamwork. Each employee from both companies should feel as though their positions is important, and their cooperation is essential to the success of the forming company.Once the merger is complete, it is all about the new culture, staying visible, approachable, and communicating information early and often (Bolton & Lewis, 1998). Aside from ensuring employees are blending wel l, it is important to focus on patient care. There will be changes implemented at every phase of the merger, but it is important not let misunderstandings, or issues within the module affect the quality of care given to the patients.Once the merger has been finalized and consolidation is complete, middle managers need to assess their staff to be sure that each employee is doing his or her part to make the merge as successful as possible. If there are employees who are resisting the changes being made within the company, or not buying into the new culture and vision, it is necessary to evaluate the daub and decide what is best for the team and the company as a whole. diaphragm managers must not forget to consider the employees feelings when situation such as this arise.Often times, employees resist mergers because their identities are closely tied to their jobs, and they like to have intercourse continuity of their identities. Giessner (as cited by Sidle, 2006) noted that merger s would challenge this continuity, petabiting to distress and anxiety from employees. When middle management can understand the feelings of their employees, they can be go bad equipped to handle issues that may arise by allaying fears or implementing strategies to make employees flourishing with their new roles.Even if all employees from both companies are comfortable with the combining of their two organizations, upper berth management has the daunting task of reworking its current systems and procedures to include the best strategies from each company. In the case of Frithsen Physical Therapy and Select Physical Therapy, the formers employees will see the most changes. Frithsen Physical Therapy is a small corporation, covering impudently England, patch Select Physical Therapy is a national corporation, encompassing more services and a sorting of clinicians. Along with physical therapy services Select Physical Therapy offers occupational therapy, aquatic therapy, long-term c are facilities, and a large athletic training outreach program.This will require managers from Frithsen Physical Therapy to be in charge of more people, and by chance different clinicians than they are accustomed to working with. The shape and systems currently use in the company will have to shift in ramble to fit a larger scale of business and a more complicated hierarchy. The regional managers from Frithsen Physical Therapy reported directly to the President of the company, whereas the regional managers of Select Physical Therapy report to one of ten executive managers, who thence report to the CEO of the company. The clinic managers of Frithsen Physical Therapy were able to see all of the employees they pull off on a daily basis, working side by side.With the inclusion of the vast athletic training program, they will now be responsible for knowing which athletic trainers report to their clinics, and what schools they are assigned to. There will also be a manager of athletic training services that they will need to communicate with about referrals and business relating to the relationship among the schools covered and the clinics in the area. Due to this more intricate hierarchy, the employees of Frithsen Physical Therapy will see a dramatic change in how they communicate with upper management. Under their old organization, there was a relatively straight bridle-path to the top, with only a few levels of management until they reached the President. Communication could be through easily by telephone or in person, and most employees had met each other face to face at one time or another.In the new organization, there will be a need for a more formal kind of communication. In organizations communication tends to be directional, moving upward, downward, diagonal or lateral (Leibler & McConnell, 2008). Frithsen Physical Therapy was used to broadly lateral communication, discussing issues with other managers or sharing notes about a situation patients ca re. With the merger, the managers and employees will mostly be communicating upward, providing minute reports to their supervisors, who will then provide reports to a higher supervisor, and so on.This will require attention to detail and more paperwork for the managers at every level, which will change the way the managers handle issues that arise within their department. With the inclusion of new services and a goal for comprehensive care, comes the call for new positions and alterations to old ones. A need for more middle management will arise, and more staff will be added to accommodate the growth of services while still maintaining exceptional patient care.In conclusion, there are umpteen factors to consider when combining two organizations. It may make sense financially and logically to combine two entities that provide similar services. However, it is important to understand that not only will it be difficult to combine two cultures it will also take time for employees to ad just to a new chain of command and new policies and procedures.Middle managers will play an important role in the blending of two corporations. They need to remain positive, lead by example, and possibly sever ties with employees who do not fall into line with new visions and ideas. An increase in communication will help make the transition successful, and ultimately all employees will reap the benefits from such a merger.ReferencesBolton, J.M., & Lewis, B. (1998, Jan/Feb). The challenge of merging and consolidating organizations. Journal of Management in Engineering, 14(1), 9-10. Academic hunting Complete.Leibler, J.G., & McConnell, C.R. (2008). Management principles for health professionals (5th ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.Sherrill, T. (2001, May). Creating a can-do culture. New Zealand Management, 48(4), 17-21. MasterFILE Premier.Sidle, S.D. (2006, August). Resisting the urge to merge. Academy of Management Perspectives, 20(3), 115-11 8. Business artificial lake Complete.Stanwick, P.A. (2000, Jan/Feb). How to successfully merge two corporate cultures. Journal of Corporate Accounting & Finance, 11(2), 7-11. Business Source Complete.