You are required to read and analyse the Case Study below, then answer questions. You are then
required to develop a Change Management Plan using the template provided.
You are an external change-management consultant. You have been contracted by Fast Track Courier Pty Ltd, a
Sydney-based courier company in urgent need of increasing its market share and profitability. In order to satisfy
that need, important changes must be made to the way Fast Tract conducts its business. Undoubtedly the changes will affect key segments of Fast Track’s workforce. Your job is to figure out how to implement the necessary changes in a way that will have the most positive impact possible on the morale of the workforce.
Currently, Fair Track is stuck at a 5% market share in Sydney. Management believes that unless market share can
be increased to at least 7.5% over the next financial year, the company may be in danger of closing. Steps were
taken the previous us year to streamline package deliveries in order to lessen the time taken to deliver and thus
increase productivity. Specifically, a new and integrated GPSIPDA system was introduced to the drivers, with the
data collated and managed by the employees in Head Office.
The objective was
(1) to lessen the potential for drivers to lose their way, hence the GPS; and
(2) to gain a better understanding of the average time taken to deliver packages, hence the PDA
You ask the General Manager how this previous procedural and technological change was welcomed. The General
Manager explains to you that there was no problem in the Home Office about the extra work entailed with collating and managing the data. The Horne Office staff is a group of very friendly ladies who have worked
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together as a close-knit team for the past 15 years. They identify strongly with the company and have always
proved welcoming and Adaptable to change.
The drivers, however, are another matter, the General Manager continues. Unfortunately, the General Manager,
due to his pressing workload and travel, had only had a few occasions during the year to meet with the drivers as
a group. Most directives to them came by way of email. The drivers are always averse to change. They like things
‘just the way they are’. Moreover, they are highly unionized and quick to threaten strikes and other industrial
action any time substantial changes are proposed. They bitterly resisted the introduction particularly of the
PDAs, as they thought it was a management plot to ambush them if they stopped the truck for a coffee. Eventually the new technology was adopted, but a great deal of dissatisfaction still simmers in the ranks of the
drivers.
Now that the technology is installed, the General Manager wishes to proceed worth even more controversial
changes in order to achieve the prized goal of an increase to 7.5% market share.
For years, two drivers have manned one Fast Track truck, mainly so that both could do the lifting of packages
together during collection and delivery. The drivers have been very happy with this ‘buddy’ system and many of
the drivers have operated the same truck, as a team, for years. However, this buddy-system has resulted in the
wage level for operating a Fast Track Truck being at least twice that of competitor-couriers’ trucks. Additionally,
despite the presence of two men, incidents of back injury due to heavy lifting has been higher than the national
average for the industry, resulting in expensive workers-compensation claims and high numbers of sick days – also
contributing to low overall productivity by Fast Track when compared with competitors.
Hence the General Manager now wishes to install, on the back of each truck, at a cost of $10,000 per truck, a lift-
gate capable of elevating any number of packages, light or heavy, from the street level to the cavity of the truck.
An immediate result of this will be that only one driver Will be required to operate one truck, thus bringing the
wages-to- truck ratio down to industry standards. The company intends to purchase 8 new trucks for the 8 drivers
made redundant by the installation of the lift-gates. The General Manager also anticipates that the incidence of
injuries will decrease dramatically.
Will be required to operate one truck, thus bringing the wages-to- truck ratio down to industry standards. The
company intends to purchase 8 new trucks for the 8 drivers made redundant by the installation of the lift-gates.
The General Manager also anticipates that the incidence of injuries will decrease dramatically.