Expert Corner
What is Change Management: how to Manage Change
“Change sometimes has negative connotations attached to it but there are so many positives that can come out of Change Management!”
Louise McGeady, Founder & Principal Consultant of Opal People Solutions, provides some examples of change management initiatives e.g. organisational restructure, redundancy, TUPE, cultural change. HR support and guidance in most change management initiatives is critical as there is always an element of associated risk and the need, therefore, to follow proper process is essential.
There should always be a genuine reason for embarking on a change management initiative, you should examine all alternatives and engage in a genuine and meaningful consultation process.
The key to managing change is stakeholder engagement at the outset, listening to a diverse range of opinion and exploring various options before agreeing the final solution.
The decision to embark upon a change management initiative is not one that organisations take lightly. Louise talks about the need to measure the effects of any change initiative.
Whilst there will be a multitude of financial and operational indicators, the people metrics are invaluable in understanding whether the project was successful. Costs are part and parcel of any change management process, however, the organisation can very quickly start seeing a positive impact on the bottom line.
