Unlocking the Battle of Change

24/08/2009

 

The survey enables us to provide clients with a rich source of benchmarking data across a range of topics (including - but not exclusively - employee perceptions of communication, structure, L&D, reward and recognition and change management). 

 

Of some concern, given the current economic climate, is the finding that in the UK only 4 in 10 employees feel that change is handled effectively in their organisation.  When you add to that the finding that those people who do not feel change is managed well are eight times less likely to be engaged and three times more likely to be considering leaving the organisation in the next year, the potential impact on the bottom line looks worrying.

 

So what can you do about all of this?  Train your leaders to drive change? Support your staff in coping with transition?  Ensure career development opportunities are still in place?  Check that your systems and processes are aligned with the change?  Ensure that your structure supports the change?  The answer is ….all of these.  And more.

 

We are often asked to help organisations do the first two things in this list – helping the staff and leaders to cope/manage/lead.  And while this is absolutely vital, doing just this may lead to those managers and staff (keen and armed with their new skills and mindsets) locked in a battle with systems, processes, structures that support the ‘old organisation’.  I clearly remember a comment from a workshop participant in an organisation that had reduced headcount and increased targets – “You can give us as many change management skills as you like, but we will still go back to a workload that’s not sustainable and a management team that won’t communicate with us.” and another from a colleague “yes they need to develop their teams to cope with this, but if the vertical design doesn’t stack up, the change will fail anyway.”

 

Whatever the issues we need to think of the organisation as a complex system of interconnected parts, made up of such factors as the strategy, people systems & processes, structure, capacity, capabilities and so on.  Applying this to change, we need to be asking such questions as:-

 

  • Is there a clearly articulated strategy and do people know how they contribute to this?
  • Is there an HR strategy which links back to this overall strategy?
  • Are the leadership team aligned, capable, effective?
  • Are staff aligned and equipped to cope with the new ways of working?
  • Are roles and responsibilities clearly defined?
  • Does the vertical design support the change?   
  • Are workloads sustainable?
  • Is decision-making with the right people?
  • Are communications lines open, two-way and well defined?
  • Are organisational metrics in place to support the strategy?

Of course there will be many other questions you can ask, but the message here is that with the stakes so high, it is not enough to focus solely on the competency of your people and hope they make it all work.  The battle is best fought with a more thoughtful and holistic approach.

 

To support our clients in tackling all of their issues in this way, we have developed a framework for optimising organisational effectiveness.   For further information on this and any of our Talent Management Solutions, please contact: ali.reardon@right.com « Back to News Room