Change Management
“Change management is the process of navigating and adapting to new ways of working. HR supports the human side of these changes, ensuring that people feel supported, prepared, and able to incorporate the changes.”
(Tipton, 2024)
E.g., when companies change their work to be remote, they change their structure and work arrangements. Companies supported their team leaders and employees to adapt to new ways of working and communicating.
Why is change management important in human resource management?
Change management is crucial for HR management.
Guide managers through the process.
Create a smooth transition.
Increase employee buy-in
Missing the early stages of the process
Lack of leadership support
Communication issues
Cultural resistance
Managing expectations
How can HR facilitate change?
Encourage early engagement: check on the following
What is the change
Why its necessary
How it improves the business
How it affects different departments and their employees
Create a change management network by establishing a change network of HR professionals.
Have a HR management plan in place. Common steps in a plan
- Assess the upcoming change.
- Identify key stakeholders.
- Pinpoint potential challenges.
- Outline the desired outcome.
- Create a communication plan.
- Develop a training plan.
- Implement a sponsor plan.
- Establish a people management plan.
Use the Prosci methodology; this is the framework for managing change. This mainly focuses on people, which ensures that all of them can adopt change.
Overview of the framework
Source: (Tipton, 2024)
Build commitment and support for change management: HR should support change so the employees are aligned with it and it is easy.
Eg:: Demonstrate clear benefits
Tailor any communication
Provide organisational learning and development: learning helps in times of change and makes the team more resilient and adaptable.
What HR can do during the change management process
- Assess change readiness by reviewing whether the people have the skills to adopt the change.
- Deliver communication: communicating effectively about what is going to change and how it affected the day's work.
- Provide training: you should host training sessions on how the new process happens.
- Track the impact of the change: measure which areas need improvement and step in if they are not on track.
- Manage resistance: showing the team the importance of change . (Tipton, 2024)
Real life examples who successfully did change management successfully
Starbucks: After the financial crisis, they invented Starbucks by giving voice to customers.
Netfix changed their business model from DVD rental to streaming service.
General Electric: minimising defects through the process and changing their business according to what customers want.
Dominos Pizza: To overcome the loss of the company, they have adopted new technology, the DXP (a truck with a heating oven), and increased digital platform operations, including text messaging, Alexa, Google Home, and experimenting with drone delivery as well.
(Periyasamy, 2023)
Hemas Holdings plc: change management
Earlier, they had a manual Manual process, which consumed more labour hours and was costly. This made the management move away from a decentralised MPP process by turning to an automated system.
(Hemas Holdings plc:, 2013)
(Nakisa Inc., 2010)
Conclusion
Change management is very useful for companies that are facing difficulties with their current systems. They need to study well to understand what needs to be changed and how to do it.
Application of the learning of the change is crucial, and unwavering commitment from leadership and proper communication about the change are required.
Going through the steps smoothly helps a company adopt the change successfully.
References
An HR’s Guide to Change Management: Keka (no date) Keka HR. Available at: https://www.keka.com/an-hr-guide-to-change-management (Accessed: April 8, 2024).
Hemas Holdings plc:, D.F. (2013) Hemas Holdings plc: Challenging the norm : A study in change management, Daily FT. Available at: https://www.ft.lk/Management/hemas-holdings-plc-challenging-the-norm-a-study-in-change-management/53-150711 (Accessed: 11 April 2024).
Periyasamy, R. (2023) 4 successful Enterprise Change Management examples, Apty. Available at: https://www.apty.io/blog/change-management-examples/ (Accessed: 11 April 2024).
Tipton, T. (2024), Change management for human resources professionals, Prosci. Available at: https://www.prosci.com/blog/hr-change-management resources#:~:text=Change%20management%20is%20the%20process,able%20to%20incorporate%20the%20changes. (Accessed: April 8, 2024).
The article highlights the importance of change management in HR, emphasising how it can help managers, facilitate seamless transitions, and boost employee buy-in. It lists typical problems and provides workable fixes, such as utilising the Prosci technique and drafting a change management strategy. Empirical instances from businesses such as Dominos Pizza and Starbucks serve as illustrations of effective change management techniques. All things considered, it offers a useful manual for successfully implementing change in HRM. Excellent work!
ReplyDeleteThank You Anjali yes change is a constant fact that we face everyday so the management have to better prepare and educate the change in a company otherwise its hard to navigate in business world.
DeleteChange management is like guiding a ship through stormy waters - it's about helping teams navigate and adapt to new ways of working. HR plays a crucial role in ensuring people feel supported and ready for these changes. By fostering early engagement, providing clear communication, and offering training and support, HR helps smooth the transition and increase employee buy-in. Successful examples like Starbucks and Netflix show the importance of proactive change management in staying relevant and resilient.
ReplyDeleteThank you Thushari yes HR is the navigator through change they have a huge responsibility to educate the change to employees to smooth the change successfully.
DeleteVery Informative. It gives a clear idea on HR manger's role in change management. Effective leadership in change management involves providing the necessary resources, training, and support to help employees adapt to the new ways of working. Leaders should empower their teams to overcome challenges, learn new skills, and embrace change as an opportunity for growth and development.
ReplyDeleteThank you Romaine yes HR has a huge responsibility to navigate the team during before and after the change.
DeleteInteresting to read about change management and it is all about helping people adjust to new ways of working. And also, you have given many examples for better understanding. Change management is important because it guides managers, and ensures a smooth transition. But it will be more resistance to change.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ruwini hope you enjoyed the reading.
DeleteChange management is about helping people adjust to new ways of working, and HR plays a big role in making sure employees feel ready and supported throughout the process. It's all about helping people adapt and thrive in a changing environment. 🔄👥
ReplyDeleteThan You Kawya HR has a huge role in change management process, hope you gained more knowledge from this.
DeleteOverall, the article underscores the significance of proactive planning, clear communication, and stakeholder engagement in driving successful organizational change. It emphasizes the need for continuous assessment, adaptation, and commitment from leadership to ensure the smooth adoption of new processes and systems.
ReplyDeleteThan You Samudra yes smooth adaptation to change is important and the HR team has a huge role regarding this.
DeleteChange management is the process of adapting to new ways of working, with HR supporting the human side. It is crucial for HR management to guide managers, create a smooth transition, and increase employee buy-in. Common challenges include missing early stages, lack of leadership support, communication issues, cultural resistance, and managing expectations. HR can facilitate change by encouraging early engagement, establishing a change management network, and using the Prosci methodology. Successful change management involves assessing readiness, delivering effective communication, providing training, tracking the impact, and managing resistance.
ReplyDeleteThank You Roshan hope you gained more knowledge about change management and how HR should play with the employees to convert to change.
DeleteChange management is helps organization adapt and improve in changing environment. it is vital for achieving strategic goals, overcoming challenges and creating a positive culture.
ReplyDeleteThank You Ridma hope you enjoyed the reading.
Delete