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/ Managing transition in organisations
Many studies show that a significant proportion of mergers, acquisitions
and other significant organisational restructures fail to meet their
objectives because they have not paid adequate attention to the needs
of employees.
The Keil Centre's Chartered Psychologists have worked with many organisations
to identify and overcome problems they are likely to face retaining
and motivating people in times of transition. Some of the key factors
to consider are:
- How much do people understand about the need for the change?
- Have people had any opportunity for involvement in the change
process?
- What skills, knowledge, styles are going to be required in the
new arrangements?
- Have these been clearly communicated to people so that they
know what will be expected of them, and how to prepare themselves
if there is to be a selection process for new opportunities?
- Will there be job losses, or a fear of job losses?
- What opportunities are there for dialogue with employees about
what is happening, their fears, hopes, expectations?
- What support needs to be provided for people to deal with their
personal reactions to the change? (see managing
yourself in times of change)
- What support needs to be provided to help people to develop
new ways of working?
There is no easy answer to fit all organisational circumstances.
The Keil Centre's Chartered Psychologists draw upon their understanding
of the psychological factors involved in motivation and coping with
change, along with their experience of a wide range of organisational
change projects to provide appropriate support to organisations,
e.g.
- Design of a series of workshops for senior managers responsible
for managing a plant closure to understand and work through their
own response to change, the likely responses of employees and
to plan appropriate strategies to meet the challenges they faced.
As a result the key managers stated that they were able to cope
with the personal effects of the redundancy process much more
effectively and consciously. They also recognised that they were
able to be much more helpful and supportive to staff who were
leaving.
- Design of workshops for a group of managers and specialists
going through a major reorganisation which would result in significant
job losses as well as significant change for those who remained.
- Design of a competency framework and supporting development
processes to enable the organisational change required in a local
authority to meet its strategic objectives.
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