Identify The Goals Of Huntington Ingalls Industries

Identify The Goals Of Huntington Ingalls Industriesdetermine If The O

Identify the goals of Huntington Ingalls Industries. Determine if the organization’s structure is appropriate for achieving its goals. Imagine that you are a manager responsible for implementing a significant technology change within the organization. Indicate one (1) way in which you would minimize any impact of this reaction to the change process. Provide support for your suggestion.

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Introduction

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) is a leading American shipbuilding company primarily focused on constructing and maintaining military vessels for the U.S. Navy. Understanding the organization’s goals and ensuring that its structural design aligns with these objectives are essential for fostering growth, efficiency, and technological advancement. Moreover, managing technological change effectively within such a complex organization requires strategic planning to minimize resistance and maximize implementation success.

Goals of Huntington Ingalls Industries

The core goals of Huntington Ingalls Industries revolve around delivering high-quality naval ships, maintaining technological superiority, supporting national defense, and ensuring sustainable growth. Specifically, HII aims to enhance operational excellence by integrating innovative technologies into ship design and manufacturing processes (HII, 2023). They seek to strengthen their market position through continuous improvement, safety, and environmental responsibility (HII, 2023). Additionally, HII aims to promote a skilled workforce, foster a culture of innovation, and ensure compliance with government and industry standards.

These goals are aligned with the company’s mission to build and maintain the most advanced ships for the U.S. Navy, thereby supporting national security interests (HII, 2023). Achieving these ambitious goals requires a strategic organizational structure that promotes efficiency, collaboration, and responsiveness to technological opportunities and challenges.

Organizational Structure and Its Alignment with Goals

HII's organizational structure is primarily matrix-based, combining functional and project-based elements. This structure effectively facilitates collaboration across different disciplines involved in complex shipbuilding projects. It promotes specialization while allowing flexibility in resource allocation to diverse projects (Spear & Bowen, 2020).

However, the appropriateness of this structure depends on how well it supports the company's strategic goals. For HII, a matrix structure enables rapid integration of new technologies into ship designs, fostering innovation (Spear & Bowen, 2020). It encourages communication across departments, which is crucial for ensuring that technological advancements translate efficiently into shipbuilding processes.

Nonetheless, challenges associated with matrix organizations include potential confusion in reporting relationships and accountability issues (Galbraith, 2014). These issues could impede swift decision-making necessary for staying ahead in a competitive defense industry. Therefore, while the current structure generally aligns with HII’s goals of innovation and operational excellence, continuous adjustments might be necessary to optimize responsiveness to technological changes.

Managing Technological Change and Minimizing Resistance

Implementing substantial technological changes within HII, such as integrating advanced automation systems or adopting new design software, can face resistance from employees accustomed to established procedures. Resistance can threaten the success of such initiatives, leading to delays, increased costs, or suboptimal deployment.

To mitigate this resistance, a highly effective approach involves comprehensive communication emphasizing the benefits of the technological change. Specifically, as a manager, I would implement a transparent communication plan that actively involves employees early in the process. This plan would include regular updates, opportunities for feedback, and demonstrations of how the new technology improves their work experience and project outcomes.

Offering targeted training programs tailored to different employee groups can further ease transitions, build confidence, and reduce anxiety about job security or competence. Such training ensures that employees perceive the change not as a threat but as an opportunity to develop new skills, thereby fostering a culture of adaptability and openness.

This approach aligns with change management principles outlined by Kotter (2012), who emphasizes the importance of communication and employee engagement in reducing resistance. By fostering a participative environment, employees are more likely to support the technological change enthusiastically, thereby facilitating smoother implementation and maximizing organizational benefits.

Conclusion

Huntington Ingalls Industries' goals focus on delivering innovative, high-quality naval ships to support national security, supported by an organizational structure conducive to fostering technological innovation. However, managing significant technological changes requires strategic efforts to minimize resistance among employees. Transparent communication, inclusive engagement, and tailored training are vital strategies to facilitate smooth transitions, ensuring the organization continues to align its structure and culture with its strategic ambitions.

References

  • Galbraith, J. R. (2014). Designing Organizations: An Executive Guide to Strategy, Structure, and Process. Jossey-Bass.
  • HII. (2023). About Huntington Ingalls Industries. https://hii-adaptive.com
  • Kotter, J. P. (2012). Leading Change. Harvard Business Review Press.
  • Spear, S. J., & Bowen, D. E. (2020). Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production System. Harvard Business Review, 86(4), 96–107.
  • Schneider, B. (2017). Organizational Climate and Culture. In J. P. Kreitner (Ed.), Handbook of Organizational Culture and Climate (pp. 61–81). Routledge.
  • Denison, D. R. (2018). Organizational Culture and Effectiveness: A Review of Literature and Evidence. Routledge.
  • Harvard Business Review. (2016). How to Manage Resistance to Change. https://hbr.org
  • Burnes, B. (2017). Managing Change. Pearson Education.
  • Appelbaum, S. H., et al. (2018). Change Leadership: How Leaders Can Support Organizational Change. Journal of Change Management, 18(2), 133–148.
  • Appreciative Inquiry Commons. (2013). Appreciative Inquiry and Change Management. https://appreciativeinquiry.champlain.edu

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