Reorganisation will fail unless employers interact with staff to
communicate the change
7 March 2005 - Research indicates that organisations undergo major change
approximately once every three years, whilst smaller changes
occur almost continually. Yet over 40% of reorganisations fail
to meet their objectives, according to a new report from the
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). HR:
Making Change Happen has been designed to provide practical
ideas, tools and tips for employers on how to influence and
implement restructuring and change effectively.
The report uses the practical experiences of 11 large
organisations that have undergone change and been involved in
the research over a 3-year period. It uses these case studies to
provide guidance on the tailoring approaches to suit the goals of
the organisation.
Vanessa Robinson, CIPD Organisation and Resourcing Adviser,
says, "Employers tend to focus on the end rather than the
means when approaching change. But this will only lead to
failure. Employers must look at the whole process when
approaching reorganisation, from the communication and
development of change to the end result. It is far safer to create
a small change that can be implemented successfully over time.
"People management and development professionals have a
major contribution to make in improving the communication of
change. The effective introduction and management of change
also relies on the involvement of line managers. Line managers
need to be informed of the overall business objectives and then
communicate these to their staff. It is important to interact with
staff and involve them as much as possible in order to help gain
their trust and commitment, both during and after
implementation."
Whilst every reorganisation or change situation is unique there
are some common areas that will help ensure that the change
process stands the greatest chance of success. HR: Making
Change Happen highlights the importance of these areas when
making changes within an organisation and covers the following
areas:
* Choosing a team
Managing change requires different skills at different phases.
It is important to take this into account the skills required when
thinking about who manages the different stages of the change
project.
* Project management
Research shows project management skills were lacking in
almost half of all change initiatives - a key contributor to the
failure to achieve objectives.
* Consulting
Employers must consult with employees, unions and other
stakeholders so that they understand how change is likely to
affect them. This is essential in order to manage the project
successfully and to ensure all issues are raised and dealt with.
* Communicating
It is important to keep employees informed of changes that may
take place throughout the organisation. Only then will
management gain their trust and understand why structures are
changing.
This report is part of a 3-year research project on Organising for
Success in the Twenty First Century. The final report is due out
in May and will summarise the common lessons learned to date
from the research with particular focus on the 11 organisations
involved as case study participants
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