Effective Change Management Strategies

Question 1

Change despite being an essential part of the human life is described as inevitable by a wide range of scholars to simply mean that it occurs whether or not it has been planned for or anticipated. Often no one even notices the actual process of change until it has happened and due to this the change may end up being negative as much as it could be positive. In business and organizations just like in individuals, change eventually occurs and may impact the organization or business positively or negatively depending on which change is in question. This highlights why it is important to manage the process of change in a business or organization and ensure it is properly molded to positively impact the business. BBC (2016) points out that change is essential in a business or organization as it ensures the maintenance of a competitive edge and efficient and effective application and use of organization resources for maximum output. Improvements in technology as well as the methodologies of carrying out business activities spearhead the need for change in order to be constantly updated with the current technology in the market that is guaranteed to be more efficient and effective. In a business and organization setting change is perceived in two different ways by the leaders and other employees. Berg (2018) point out that while employees embrace changes within the organization and flow with it in carrying out their normal day to day duties, Leaders have the responsibility of chasing the actual change and ensuring its effect. This report highlights the function of leadership and risk leadership in the process of effecting change.

What to Change

Project Romulus looks to ensure change in Aquila Shipping industries through the training of the staff and ensuring their adoption of new code of practice that will enhance their operations and handling of shipments to prevent the occurrence of whichever type of accidents. The risks that may be associated with such type of changes include: improper training and therefore adoption of practices that are not properly instilled in the workers which may further cause even more accidents. Necessary for a leader in ensuring effective change and management of the identified risk include ensuring proper communication, collaboration and commitment of all the members involved in the training process. According to Gleeson (2018) change leadership management involves ensuring proper communication, collaboration and commitment of all the individuals involved to the process of the change which is the training process in this instance. To be able to adequately understand the new code of practice that is to be implemented it has to be properly communicated by the leaders to the employees including actual function and duty changes so each individual is intensively aware of what is expected of them to enhance the change. Leaders have to also ensure collaboration between different employees in an efficient and effective way to enable the alienation of any risks that may come from confusion or miscommunication of roles during the practice. Further to ensure proper risk management the leader needs to ensure commitment of each member to the change process.

Where to Change

Based on the project looking to impact a change on the codes of practice, the change in this instance occurs in the organization culture of the company. While a wide range of scholarly definitions exist for organization culture, Rick (2015) highlights that it refers to the philosophies, attitudes, beliefs, behaviors as well as practices that are deeply instilled in every employee and that define the organization and what it stands for. Among the values that Aquila shipping industries have include, proper handling of shipping to prevent any accident occurrences and in doing so a code of practice instilled within the culture of the organization acts as a guide. The changes in the organization based on Project Romulus are scheduled to occur on the codes of practice which are guaranteed to affect every individual. While the codes of practice change, the organization culture in terms of the company’s philosophies and beliefs stay put and thus the challenge and risk is to ensure effective change in the code of practice among the employees without a compromise of the organization culture itself. Craig (2018) highlights that among the functions of a leader in ensuring a tight and functional organization culture include helping employees fully understand their jobs and what is expected of them. As such to avoid any occurrences of risks leadership practices in the process of impacting the changed in codes of practice will include intensively training employees on the new codes of practice and ensuring their understanding.

When to Change

Change is a process that often occurs slowly and steadily and often one may miss its actual occurrence but vividly notice the change that has actually occurred. Despite this however the report on the MSC Napoli incident highlight the need to change the codes of practice as soon as possible to avoid any accident occurrences due to various risks that can be averted as a result of adoption of the code of practice for containerized shipping operations. Nelson (2018) premises that while the exact time for effecting change in an organization may not be actual, often, when the company becomes susceptible to making business mistakes or when the systems and procedures for operations are not quite working optimally then it is a sign towards effecting organization change. Given the occurrence of the accident by MSC Napoli due to the lack of efficiency of their codes of practice, re evaluation of codes of practice by Aquillia shipping becomes a necessary endeavor and that the leadership of the organization ought to take up to ensure evasion of any risks that may be experienced as a result of less efficient practices. Leadership is quite necessary in the entire process of the training delivered by project Romulus to ensure the proper conduction of the change and re evaluate its adoption among the employees in the company for effective implementation and prevention of other risks that may be associated with poor code of practice initially used by the company.

Challenges

A wide range of challenges are bound to be experienced during the process of changing the code of practice within Aquillia shipments, this includes the resistance from the employees. Mar (2013) points out among the main barriers to organization change to include resistance to the changes. This may be due to how the intended changes end up impacting the employees or simply a natural resistance that humans poses towards change and the need to maintain a consistent schedule. In the changing of the codes of practice, factors such as increased responsibility and the use of new technology in the activities lined up may spark resistance especially if the employees are not conversant with the new technology and feel threatened by new faces that are quite competent with them. Another challenge that may be faced is the lack of consensus among the employees as well as collaboration and commitment towards the realization of the intended change highlighted by project Romulus. Code of practice change is likely to impact onto each and every individual’s role in the shipping industry, while some may require collaborations, the inability of individuals to be able to work together in ensuring the realization of the change may lead to a barrier in being able to effectively achieve the required change. Further this may impact the commitment of individuals which has the consequential impact of leading to a failed changing process. This could leave the company at a potentially worse state than it initially was

Risks

Shipping industry and services are quite delicate and require meticulous planning and analysis to ensure the efficient functioning. Among the risks that could be experienced during the process of change in introduction of new codes of practice include: the impact of the change to the overall organization vision and mission. Patel (2018) Points out that while a change may be necessary for the advancement of an organization it may sometimes not coincide with the organization goals and objectives and therefore completely impacting on the ROI. This makes the complete change process not only ineffective but also detrimental to the business considering its initial position before the change Lack of adoption of the new codes of practice by the employees and other workers of Aquila Shipping may present another risk to consider before and in the process of carrying out the change process. While employees may not offer resistance towards the changing processes, failure of the process or the lack of its eventual adoption and practice by the employees could consequently impact to losses on the company as well as lack of prevention of the challenges initially identified which could leave the company in a much worse risk than it initially was.

Risk Management

The implementation of an effective risk management culture is essential especially in the process of change as presented by Project Romulus. Development of leadership techniques and ensuring adequate leadership of the employees towards the change process is key in management of risk. Through effective motivation and communication by the leaders as well as focus on enhancing collaboration and cohesion among the employees in addition to highlighting the impact of the change to all the employees, all the risks highlighted and associated with the change can be minimized or even mitigated.

Conclusion

The process of change is a complex process that has the potential of impacting an organization either negatively or positively depending on how much attention it receives from the leaders within the organization. Leadership is not only crucial in ensuring the effective running of the entire training and change process but also absolutely useful in ensuring the mitigation of any risks that come with the changes and ensuring effectiveness in the entire process as well as the understanding of different roles to be played by different employees.

Question 2

Role of Metadata in Successful Data management

Meta data simply refers to data that describes other data. According to Rouse (2018) Meta data summarizes basic information about data so as to enable easy access in case of its retrieval from storage systems. It’s most useful in being able to organize data for easier retrieval. In the world of big data where huge amounts of data and information is developed every day, the management analysis and use of this information is limited due to the limiting capacity of the human brain, as such categorizing data into bigger classification and groups that can be easily identified and retrieved is key in enabling the understanding and use of the data. Kononow (2018) points out that Meta data can be in a wide variety of forms including titles and descriptions, tags and categories, based on Authors, based on date of access and update and various other classifications. In essence it is meant to minimize a wide range of data under a classification with data that is relatable. Rouse (2018) further points out three different types of Meta data: Descriptive Meta data which describes data for purposes such as discovery and identification and can include elements such as titles and keywords. Structural Metadata which indicates how compound objects are put together, for instance how pages are organized in form of chapters and Administrative data which provides information meant to help in the management of resources, these may include when and how it was created, file type, as well as who can access it.

Data management involves the organization of a pool of data into a form that is easy to use. According to Galleto (2016) it is an administrative process including the acquisition, validation, storage, protection and processing of required data to ensure the accessibility and reliability of the data for users whenever there is need for them. Meta data enables the easier organization of big data in the process of data management. Meta data can be effectively generated whenever data is created, acquired, added to, updated or deleted from a data store and data system in scope of enterprise data architecture. Eventually it is quite useful in the successful management of information through enabling: Consistency of Definitions within the data. Through metadata definitions of words that may mean different things in different contexts and similar things in another context are significantly separated and divided to minimize confusion. It also impacts information management through offering clarity in relationships through resolving ambiguities and inconsistencies in the process of determining the association between entities stored throughout a data system or environment (Williams, 2012). Majorly however, according to Berson and Dubov (2008) metadata enables the definition of clarity in data lineage. Meta data contains information about the origins of a data set and can be granular enough to define information at the attribute level; metadata may maintain allowed values for a data attribute, its proper format, location, owner, and steward thereby enabling not only the identification and retrieval of any required data at any time and by anyone, but also enabling the tracing back of the data from its source origin and validating its authenticity.

In sum therefore, metadata is crucial in being able to effectively catalog a huge pool of information into smaller titles and categories that can be identified easily in times of retrieval. This cataloging groups all data as regarding particular information in one location which enables easy access to it and its related factors such as its resources, indicating its continuation or supplements available in another classification. This is crucial in data management which is aimed at enabling access to information easily and faster through processes of its retrieval set up by the management process. Through Meta data, information data can be traced from a huge classification into other smaller classifications within the Meta data thereby bringing the specific information required not as independent data but showing its relation with the data set to which it has been categorized as well as the relationship with other data sets in different groups but within the same cluster. A single piece of data can belong in different Metadata sets based on the discipline considered in the design of the metadata. For instance computers and laptops can belong in technology metadata due to their technological values as well as in business metadata due to their quality of being tools used within a business setting. This enables easier retrival and use of information which is the purpose of data management.

Question 3

Introduction

Scaling the seas by ships as is the airs by aircrafts is not only complex but also quite dangerous especially with consideration of naturally occurring events such as tides, waves and winds. This highlights the need for a model or framework with which exact locations in these contexts can be identified and triangulated so as to facilitate direction and a means of transport on Air and on sea. Hardesty et al. (2017) points out that a wide range of real world problems and applications lead back to mathematical problems which cannot be solved analytically with exact already derived formulas, as such it is always common to reduce the problems into specific and simplified situations which can be studied in detail with the application of general concepts and properties. The simplified analytical models are converted into numerical models which are solved with numerical methods which introduce additional errors. According to Lubbad and Loset (2011) advancements of ship in different waters of the sea based on the density introduced by the temperatures of the waters introduce several failure processes to the ice sheet due to localized crushing and breaking as a result of shear and bending stresses, these stresses are bound to impact the ship design and as such in should be considered in the manufacture of the ships to prevent any accidents that are unknown. The occurrences of these accidents highlight impacts that can be studied and used in the development of numeric models as well as ship designs so as to enable the sustainability of these ships in the sea and water ways. Specifically this essay highlights the accounts that impact measurements have on development of numerical models that are sustainable for use in water ways. According to Lau (2006) Numerical models and experiments are useful for understanding complex phenomenon and providing an attractive complementary tool to full-scale measurements and model tests at a fraction of the cost. Given the small but significant margins of error however, assessment of impact measurements enables the enhancement of the ship developments to be able to withstand such impacts in the future or even the extended impacts as a result of strong turbulences in sea ways.

Measurements are quite important eventually not only in the development of the ships and the assessment of movement paths and impact cushioning but also assessing models uses and outputs. Various models derive their functioning from numerical measurements that are derived from various factors including impacts with Iceberg or an extensive ice sheet. Zhang and Suzuki (2006) highlights that upon the impact a wide range of useful factors can be derived to highlight measurements crucial for the process of numerical modeling including: the interaction of the ice fragments with each other, their interaction with water as well as the hull of the ship. They further highlight reaction impacts including rotation. Collusion or sliding along the ship’s hull, all of which will have different eventual impacts in the ship and as such the eventual numerical model developed. All the data collected from these measurements and in their use within the development of the numerical modeling require analysis which can be conducted in a wide variety of ways including principal component analysis. According to Lever, Krzywinski and Altman (2017), Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is a statistical procedure which applies the use of an orthogonal transform to convert a set of observations of possible correlated variables into a set of values of linear uncorrelated variables referred to as principle components. The analysis methodology significantly simplifies the complexity in high dimensional data while still retaining the initially observed data in terms of its patterns and relatable trends. The data is converted into fewer dimensions by relating relatable data and merging them, in this way multiple features of a measurement are condensed into one singular formular which provides a summary of all the features.

In the design of ships through impact assessment and how it affects the numerical models as already highlighted above, high-dimensional data are very common and arise due to several ways with which impact can be generated by ships including collusions, breakages, fuel leaks due to different water densities and turbulences. Principal Component Analysis simplifies these high dimensional data into smaller more understandable and easy to tackle variables through numerical modeling. This is highly helpful not only to the users of the ships as sailors but also the designers of these ships in ensuring they are adaptable to the sea features (Haidvogel, 1999). According to BMTGropu (2018) the dynamics of a ship within different, often non-linear, mooring systems need to be fully analyzed to safeguard the vessels and their operations when berthed. Their analysis is not only effective after construction but also in the process of design and construction. Design properties are crucial in ensuring effectively of the ship functioning and operations as well as the prevention of foreseeable risks especially those associated with wind turbulence and water temperatures including icebergs and ice sheets. Through impact measurement variables such as turbulence, icebergs and ice sheets as well as the impact developed including sliding, rotation and collusion can all be simplified into a numerical model by their analysis using the Principal Component Analysis. This can then be utilized in the design and development of ships including the shapes, the weight as well as the length of the ship components that are able to resist these impacts to a much higher magnitude making them stronger and more efficient in the navigation of turbulent waters, eventually the ship is more stable.

A wide range of models within the marine industry have been developed and are still being developed currently to be able to tackle different types of situations and problems concerning the sailing and navigation in the seas especially in consideration of different temperatures and pressure of the waters that distort the normal functioning and flow of the waters. Some of these models as pointed out by Bulgarelli and Doyle (2004) include: the Radiative transfer simulation in the atmosphere-ocean system, Marine two-phase gas model in one dimension, ISPRAMIX, HAMSON and a wide range of others that measure different aspects of the marine environment in relation to ship navigation. ISPRAMIX is a three dimensional free surface model for coastal ocean simulations and satellite data assimilation on parallel computers. Its development was in the aim of to provide a powerful numerical tool which is not just meant and able to stimulate the ocean circulation directly but also indulge the circulations of satellite data. The governing equations of the model include hydrostatic primitive equations of ocean hydrodynamics including written spherical coordinates (Pohlmann et al., 2017). However it also enables the parametization of turbulent mixing and near interface transport. In being able to develop the circulation frequencies and the tides, the turbulences related to the specific waters can be determined and thus enable the development of ship models and designs that are suitable for the waters and any changes that are anticipated in terms of temperature and pressure which may impact in the properties of the waters and thus the ships navigation.

The Hamburg Shelf Ocean Model (HAMSON) on the other hand was developed to allow prognostic simulation of water temperatures. Just like the ISPRAMIX it is a three dimensional baroclinic primitive equation model. In fact the ISPRAMIX was developed from this model in a much are enhanced and technological angle to enhance its efficiency and effectivity. Pohlmann et al. (2017) points out that the equations for sea water as well as the transport equations for temperature and Salinity are employed. While these models are not quite different from each other in the eventual factors that they are used for, the difference comes in due to the use of satellite navigation in ISPRAMIX that is not available in the HAMSON model which is the initial version. ISPRAMIX Version therefore essentially is an improvement of the HAMSON version which is significantly more effective.

Conclusion

Eventually whichever marine model is used by a company in the design and construction of ships as well as the establishment of shipping ways and the development of numerical models and upgrades, impact is among the factors to investigate and include in the modeling and equation development process. These models help to simplify the high dimension factors and high dimensional data through the use of Principal component analysis to much smaller, understandable and solvable equations. Eventually engineers and designers are capable to develop effective ship designs that will be able to cruise through turbulent winds and storms. Depending on the anticipated sea conditions including different factors such as temperature, pressure as well as turbulence and the possibility of availability of icebergs or ice sheets a suitable numerical model should be used by designers and manufacturers.

References

Haidvogel, D. and Beckmann, A. (1999). Numerical Ocean Circulation Modeling. Series on Environmental Science and Management.

Hardesty, B., Harari, J., Isobe, A., Lebreton, L., Maximenko, N., Potemra, J., van Sebille, E., Vethaak, A. and Wilcox, C. (2017). Using Numerical Model Simulations to Improve the Understanding of Micro-plastic Distribution and Pathways in the Marine Environment. Frontiers in Marine Science, 4.

Lever, J., Krzywinski, M. and Altman, N. (2017). Points of Significance: Principal component analysis. Nature Methods, 14(7), pp.641-642.

Lubbad, R. and Løset, S. (2011). A numerical model for real-time simulation of ship–ice interaction. Cold Regions Science and Technology, 65(2), pp.111-127.

Zhang, A., & Suzuki, K. (2007). A comparative study of numerical simulations for fluid–structure interaction of liquid-filled tank during ship collision. Ocean Engineering, 34(5), 645-652.