"The only thing that is constant in the 21st century is change"

 

Organisational Change

To remain competitive, businesses have to change. However, change cannot take place unless key people in the organisation support the change process. There are many reasons for employee resistance to change. These range from a lack of awareness about the change, to concern about job security.

With an ever-increasing focus on efficiency and managing costs, the need to undertake change is on the agenda of many organisations. However the impact of change is recognised as a major cause of poor employee relations and getting it wrong can result in increased costs and a drop in productivity.

A structured approach to identifying the need for change and then managing change via a clear plan of action can greatly assist your organisation. Where changes are recommended they will ensure you are adopting a business focus and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your organisational performance.

What are the key elements of managing change?

A clear and transparent process to achieve the required organisational benefits/goals is essential to proactively manage change and this has many benefits, which include:

• Analysing current practice
• Gaining buy-in from key stakeholders
• Ensuring that effective leadership is clearly providing the vision and the rationale for change
• Assessing the impact of change on one area/department/site on another part of the organisation
• Understanding stakeholder concerns and anticipating conflicts
• Understanding the appropriate medium of communication to reach various groups
• Helping people cope with change, performance management and motivation
• Identifying and addressing resistance to change
• Effective project management to prevent slippages in timings, in achievement of desired outcomes, in ensuring  that the projects do deliver as planned
• Identifying organisational risk in relation to employment legislation
• Identifying areas that require attention with immediate effect
• Creating an action plan for survivors of change.

The results of change can remain with an organisation long after the nominal implementation date. The management of successful change can provide a powerful legacy for the board, senior managers, staff and trade unions who can use it to move the organisation forward.

How can 2Collaborate help?

We have a team with extensive experience of conducting major change programmes in a variety of organisations and sectors. They can:

• Assess the current business and recommend changes to achieve strategic goals
• Design the means of approach for achieving the change to best suit your organisation
• Assist with the communication to employees about the process(es) and its purpose/benefits
• Undertake the research independently and confidentially for the organisation including meeting with individual stakeholders to elicit their views
• Analyse the findings and report back on high, medium and low priority/risk to the organisation
• Make recommendations for future action and advise on learning points from the process.