 I recently returned from the Ninth International Conference on Knowledge, Culture and Change in Organisations held in Boston where I was privileged to not only be invited to attend, but also to be involved in two presentations. Please see the article below for a wrap-up on this exciting experience.
In this month's newsletter we look at the topic of "Consequences of change" - including the more challenging outcomes such as displaced employees and job losses. These are some of the difficult human aspects of some change initiatives, especially in more difficult economic times where organisations are continually looking to increase business efficiency.
We also provide our monthly update on change news and events and finally, we spend Five Minutes with... Jennifer Lace, a Communications and Change Practitioner.
We hope you enjoy this month's newsletter.
- Helen Haley and the team at Allegra Consulting
Boston Change Conference wrap-up
The Ninth International Conference on Knowledge, Culture and Change in Organisations, which was held from 24 to 27 June in Boston, USA provided a great opportunity for practitioners of the change management discipline and academics to come together to further the cause of shared knowledge and understanding. Regardless of how far people travelled and the particular discipline area or professional focus, the Conference facilitated a commitment to inclusive dialogue.
I am delighted to say that the International Council on Organisational Change (ICOC) of which I am a founding member contributed two presentations to the conference. Papers were:
1. Common Practice versus Best Practice: Moving Toward Evidence Based Change Management Practice
2. Leveraging change management models and methodologies for success
The response to the papers was excellent with great feedback and many talking points raised with the audience. It is great for us to be involved in a leading think tank aimed at furthering the change management discipline and increasing the way change is managed across organisations. We will share more information about these papers in next month’s newsletter once the conference papers have been submitted. Read more about the ICOC here.
The location of the 2010 Management Conference is HEC Montreal, Montreal, Canada. You can keep an eye out for updates at www.ManagementConference.com
- Helen Haley
Managing Director, Allegra Consulting
The consequences of change
It is inevitable that as change practitioners we will at some stage be involved in either instigating, or working on, a transformational project that results in the displacement of employees and colleagues.
Peter de Jager is a provocative speaker, writer and consultant whose primary focus is on how we manage change, technology and the future. One of his recent articles entitled Victims of Change cuts to the very core of the how an organisation can choose to handle employee losses or role redundancies.
De Jager does not argue the morality of these sorts of consequences, but rather the approach that both an organisation and the affected employees can take. The first step, he suggests, is for an organisation to accept and prepare for these outcomes. As change agents, we are often called upon to communicate the outcomes of change and are therefore in a unique position to encourage and advise organisational leaders to be honest about the consequences. According to de Jager, assuring staff that there will be no redundancies when in fact they are likely is not acceptable. However, they can take steps to reposition and retrain employees where possible.
From an employee's perspective, de Jager points out that today's business world is fast moving with the constant introduction of new technologies and more efficient processes. Employees who proactively seek ongoing career training will be best placed to handle change. It's likely that at some stage in our working life, probably more than once, our skills may become outdated and in order to be "captain of our own ship" we need to take control of our career strategy.
De Jager suggests there are no simple "right or wrong" answers for either the organisation or its staff, but being aware of the consequences of change is a positive step towards improved employment satisfaction and security.
Read Peter de Jager's full article
Change Management news and views
This section in our newsletter aggregates a variety of insights and commentary via links to readily available articles and videos on the web. Some may be in-depth, some short, some old, some new and some quirky! But we hope they are all useful. Note that we will indicate if the link goes to a video.
1. Tips for Better Communication
They say the secret to successful change is "Communicate, Communicate, Communicate". Or is that the secret to a successful marriage? Anyway, our friends at Prosci have released a series of five tutorials on communication - well worth a look.
Click here to view the "Five tips for better communication" tutorials
2. Who moved my Cheese?
Some of you may be well-versed on this book - an allegorical tale of a couple of mice looking for "new" cheese. Written by Dr Spencer Johnson, the story uses a "cheese in a maze" metaphor to help people in organisations undergoing transformation to understand how to let go of their concerns and see change differently. It has also been made into a movie and both these resources are available via Amazon.
Read more about Who moved my Cheese?
3. How to gain buy-in from Senior Leadership
It's been said a million times, but we all know it's true - change initiatives are far more likely to succeed if we have genuine support from senior management. This article re-iterates a number of the key strategies.
Click here to find out more
Hot Jobs
Change Manager - 12 month fixed term
Our client, a Victorian government department, is seeking an experienced change manager to lead the change management strategy for a large program of work. The project will deliver significant benefits to clients and staff through system improvements, integration and development.
You will be required to provide high level change and project management advice to support achievement of business benefits and to take a lead role in managing operations. You must have at least 5 years experience in change management roles with knowledge and understanding of methodologies and tools.
Familiarity with Prince 2 or other project methodologies is essential. The key deliverables include a detailed change and communications plan.
Please contact Diane Lynch at Allegra Consulting on 03 9614 1616 or
diane@allegraconsulting.com.au for further information on any of these opportunities.
As always, if you or someone you know is looking for a change management related role, please contact us.
Five minutes with...
Every month, we publish a short Q & A with some of the world's most experienced change management practitioners. This month we spend five minutes with:
Jennifer Lace, Communications and Change Practitioner.
Read Jennifer's Q&A
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