Successfully managing change in the workplace

Abstract

Many times, when a change is being planned within an organisation, whether or not that is a workplace change, the logistics and practicalities of the change are typically the first areas that are considered, discussed and planned. The journey of how a change is going to impact the people within a business/organisation is not always planned at the level which is required. This can be for several factors such as budget constraints, lack of process understanding, lack of experience understanding the impact change will have on people — the list goes on. However, the way that people understand and deal with change is a critical element in managing change successfully. The objective of this paper is to articulate the practical importance of change management, particularly relating to the workplace. To really invoke change and enable people to adopt to a new way of working, a number of different areas need to be considered and implemented. The aim of this paper is to outline those key areas, distinguish the differences and highlight the impact they have had on a variety of workplace change programmes. There will be a discussion on the role of communication and what is change management and a demonstration of a model that enables leaders to manage their people effectively through change.