NHRD Journal - National HRD Network

ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE MANAGEMENT
WHY, WHAT, HOW?
SIMON WALLACE
Simon Wallace has 29
years experience of
project management and
solutions delivery. He
has managed or advised
in the management of
around 50 business
solution and IT projects.
The largest programme
had a budget of around
UK£500 Million.
In 21 years as a
management consultant,
Simon has achieved
senior status as Head of
Management
Consultancy for a UK
firm, a Director and
Council Member of the
Management
Consultancies
Association, and a
member of the global
management team for a
world-wide consulting
firm.
Simon had global
responsibility for bestpractice
approaches to
technology-driven
business change,
including methods,
techniques and tools.
Almost all people are nervous about
change. Many will resist it --
consciously or subconsciously.
Sometimes those fears are well
founded -- the change really will
have a negative impact for them. In
many cases, however, the target
population for the change will come
to realize that the change was for
the better.
The pace of change is ever
increasing - particularly with the
advent of the Internet and the rapid
deployment of new technologies,
new ways of doing business and
new ways of conducting one's life.
organizational Change
Management seeks to understand
the sentiments of the target
population and work with them to
promote efficient delivery of the
change and enthusiastic support
for its results.
There are two related aspects of
organizational change that are
often confused. In organizational
Change Management we are
concerned with winning the hearts
and minds of the participants and
the target population to bring about
changed behaviour and culture.
The key skills required are founded
in business psychology and require
"people" people.
Contrast this to organizational
Design where the roles, skills, job
descriptions and structure of the
workforce may be re-designed.
Typically that is a more analytical
and directive activity, suited to
tough-skinned HR professionals. It
is not a topic for the ePMbook.
organizational Design may be a
specific objective of the project, for
example where there is to be a
reduction in the workforce, or it
may just be a consequence of the
changed business processes and
technology.
organizational Change
Management issues are often underestimated
or ignored entirely. In fact,
people issues collectively account
for the majority of project failures.
This survey looked at disastrous
projects. One of the questions asked
for the prime cause of the failure.
10
November 2007 NHRD Journal