For many organisations the only constant is change so the management of new faces and adapting roles is as important as ever.
Company restructures aren't unusual and usually happen in response to competitive pressures, expansion, mergers, strategic change, globalisation and technological advances. Political changes - not to mention the impact of Brexit - can also have an influence.
Through these changing times, evidence gathered by the CIPD, which is consistent with other published research, suggests that most change initiatives fail. CIPD research suggests that less than 60% of re-organisations met stated objectives.
There's no single solution to effective management, but it's increasingly recognised that managers, as leaders, need the skill, knowledge and credibility within an organisation to act as change champions.
the line manager must be the team's local change leader
Effective leaders create a vision of a destination that people want to reach and are willing to follow the leader's navigation to help them get there. For the vision to be effective, the leader must anticipate the journey, terrain, allow for conditions and difficulties and plan adjustments that may be needed to adapt to them.
The leader must know how the organisation has to change to reach its goal. For the line manager as leader, it is about how the team has to change, how individuals have to work in new ways to allow the team to achieve the right outcome.
The line manager must fully explain the change, in concrete specifics, and to apply changes in the context of the team and its work. The line manager must be the team's local change leader.
Some business experts feel too much attention is paid to change processes at the expense of people it affects. This makes line managers' active involvement in the process even more important.
To manage change successfully line managers must:
- involve people and listen to their ideas, opinions and concerns
- see and describe the team’s path to the desired outcome
- describe how change affects individuals – for the better or worse - in the team
- be honest and admit they don’t know all the answers in what can be a complex and lengthy process
- communicate effectively
- encourage feedback
