Executive Summary
This paper discusses the implementation of change in the East Africa Community counter-terrorism. Notably, the research acknowledges that employees in organizations, usually, find it very hard accepting changes. Therefore, it applies Kotter’s eight-step system of change implementation in eliminating the likelihood of resistance from the employees. The change initiative is about the use of intelligence in dealing with terrorism in East Africa as opposed to the current preference for the use of the army. Most of the time, organizations embrace change when certain things go wrong. Many managers believe that there is no need for change when everything in the organization is right. Implementing changes in an organization requires proper planning: leaders must come up with properly conceived change initiatives to avoid resistance from the employees (Holbeche, 2006). This paper contextualizes the change initiative using the East African Community Counter-terrorism Unit. The East African region has, in the recent past, experienced many terrorist attacks from terrorist groups in the region. Examples of such terrorist groups include Al-Shabab, LRA, FDRL, and the Sabaot Land Defense Force, among other terrorist groups. The efforts by the countries in this region to deal with the terrorist have not been very effective. Many people have died due to their governments’ inefficiency in dealing with terrorists. This research paper uses Kotter’s eight-step process in discussing the change initiative that leaders of the East African Community can embrace to effectively deal with the ever-growing terrorist groups in the region.
The EAC Change Initiative
Kotter’s eight-step change implementation initiative is the best method for introducing change in such a situation because it ensures proper leadership in the process of implementing change. In the context of the East African Community counter-terrorism unit, the change should be carried out follows:
Creating a sense of urgency
The leader should be dedicated to interpreting the dynamism of the security in the region, the quality of weapons and the training the terrorists undergo, their citizen’s complaints, and the probable implications on the region’s security (Holbeche, 2006). The leaders should then come up with suitable change narratives to deal with the potential results. They should make the states in the region consider the need for urgently implementing the change by predicting the impacts of the status quo on the safety of the citizens.
It is the responsibility of the leaders of the East African Community to inform the rest of the unit and the entire leadership of the East African Community about the problems the region has been encountering because of terrorist groups in the region. Terrorist groups have also embraced technology in their operations, and tracking them is not easy (Holbeche, 2006). Therefore, the leaders should convince the entire unit and leadership of the East African community about the need to change their security operations. Convincing them must include letting them know that continuing with the old ways of countering terrorism will not succeed against the terrorists because they have improved their ways of operation.
Tools and techniques:
- Calculating costs
- Presentation
Forming a Guiding Coalition
The second step involves hiring people who share the same ideologies about the new method of handling security in the East African region. Having individuals who share ideologies in the counter-terrorism unit ensures a shared interpretation of the necessary changes (Holbeche, 2006). Since this process is an enrollment platform, there is a need for acknowledgment and keen listening to varied interpretations. The East African counter-terrorism unit needs to use this stage in developing alignment and dedication to the implementation of change.
Tools and techniques:
Template calculations to demonstrate the cost of having workers who do not share ideas
Create a Vision
Any successful organization requires a vision to direct all its operations. The leaders should also come up with a vision for the East African Community counter-terrorism unit. The vision should describe the change and its implication on the ability of the region to protect its citizens from terrorists (Holbeche, 2006). It should also describe how the citizens will identify with it. The unit should ensure that the vision states the target of the use of intelligence in securing the region against terrorism.
Tools:
- Communication
- Templates for calculating cost
Communicate the Vision
There should be proper communication of the purpose of the vision and the methods needed for its achievement. The discussion should involve the presidents of the different countries in the region and every citizen. This process should take place every time to avert the possibility of forgetting. Communicating the vision helps avoid resistance from the citizens. Resistance is the greatest impediment to the implementation of change in any organization (Holbeche, 2006).
Tools and techniques:
- Proper communication
- Presentation
Empower others to Act on the Vision
The leaders should develop a comprehensive structure to help achieve their vision. This process involves empowering the players in the organization to play their roles independently. It also involves ensuring accountability and responsibility for the outcomes, eliminating possible obstacles, and appropriately handling failures (Holbeche, 2006). This step will motivate the employees in the counter-terrorism unit to take charge of their responsibilities. It can also make the process of tracking the causes of failure easy since each individual is accountable for some part of the process.
Technique and tools:
- Presentations on each individual’s roles
- Communication
Creating Quick Wins
This process entails celebrating the short-term results achieved by an organization in the process of moving from old methods to new ones (Holbeche, 2006). The East African Community counter-terrorism unit should also acknowledge its short-term achievements. For example, whenever they successfully arrest or kill terrorists, or end a planned attack, they should hold celebrations to motivate their team. A motivated team becomes more committed to the achievement of the long-term goals of the unit (Holbeche, 2006).
Tools and techniques:
- Presentation of the achievements
- Templates for calculating costs
Build on the Change
The seventh step involves a reflection of the unit’s achievement. It helps get rid of methods that failed to work and improve on those that worked. The leaders should lead their team to revisit their performance after some time. This step ensures that the process takes the right direction (Paton & McCalman, 2000). It helps to see the feasibility of new ideas.
Tools and techniques:
- Templates for calculating cost
- Presentations
Institutionalize the Change
The last step is the integration of the changes in the organization’s system. In the context of the East African Community Counter-terrorism unit, change leaders should ensure that everybody completely owns the use of intelligence. They should also communicate the results of the change implementation process regularly (Paton & McCalman, 2000). The leaders should also check the results and promptly deal with deviations from the vision. They should mainly encourage the continuous advancement of the changes.
Tools and techniques:
- Communicating to the rest of the workers
- Motivation
Conclusion
Change is inevitable in any organization, but it requires a proper organization. Leaders should come up with proper plans for change implementation to avert rebellion from other employees. Kotter’s eight-step initiative is the best for implementing change in organizations as it ensures proper leadership in the process of implementing change. In this assignment, it has shown how the EAC counter-terrorism unit can use this initiative in improving its security operations without opposition from the workers.
References
Holbeche, L. (2006). Understanding change. Oxford: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann.
Paton, R., & McCalman, J. (2000). Change management. London: Sage Publications.