4/13/07 7:15 AM

Survey: Change Management Needs HR from the Start

By Kathy Gurchiek

“All things change, nothing is extinguished,” wrote the Roman poet Ovid. Business is no exception, and HR needs to be involved from the beginning when major organizational changes are involved, according to findings from a Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) survey released April 13, 2007.

More than four out of five HR professionals report that their organizations planned or implemented major organizational changes in the 24 months preceding SHRM’s online survey, which was conducted in November 2006.

The top three major organizational changes that employers were planning or implementing, according to the survey, were:

• New or revised performance management and review processes.

• Major changes to their facilities.

• Changes to the organization’s culture.

However, employee resistance and a communications breakdown are the two primary obstacles employers face when major organizational changes enter the picture.

“Failing to engage employees and to inform them of the reasons, processes and expected benefits of major organizational changes can lead to lack of acceptance of the changes and ultimately, failure of these initiatives,” survey research specialist Amanda Benedict writes in the introduction to SHRM’s 2007 Change Management Survey Report.

That can have a negative impact not only within the organization but also on its clients and reputation, she notes.

The good news: Employees’ understanding of organizational changes improved when HR was involved in the change management processes before it was introduced to all employees, according to nearly three-fourths (73 percent) of 403 HR professionals surveyed.

“The finding that HR departments were most likely to be involved with the planning for major changes indicates that more often than not HR is viewed as a strategic partner for the change process,” the survey report says.

Getting employees ready for major organizational changes requires that change management leaders promote understanding of those changes in a well-planned and well-timed manner, Benedict writes.

Among the roles HR most often plays during major organization changes, the survey found, include:

• Assisting employees in the transition through the process (88 percent).

• Coordinating meetings and communications about the changes and related initiatives (76 percent).

• Providing initial communication to employees of changes within the organization (72 percent).

• Developing the training program related to the change, including designing training materials and/or contracting consultant services (70 percent).

• Preparing other informational documents about the change (65 percent).

Multiple communication forms—e-mails, meetings, training sessions and press releases from a variety of sources, such as executive management, HR, and other departments within the organization—can be used to spread understanding of the organizational changes, Benedict writes.

That must be followed with training to “promote proficiency with and reinforcement of new processes,” she concluded.

One out of 10 HR professionals said their organizations don’t provide employee training related to major organizational changes, but those that do use a variety of methods:

• Nearly four out of five (79 percent) offer group or one-on-one instructor-led training sessions.

• 51 percent provide hard-copy training manuals, job toolkits and other documents.

Most organizations are not using change management consultant services or following particular change management models when undergoing major organizational changes. There’s a greater likelihood of that happening the larger the number of major changes an organization experiences, according to findings.

In addition, SHRM found that only 32 percent conduct post-implementation valuations of their change management programs.

“Organizations would be well-advised,” Benedict concludes, “to measure the success of their change management initiatives in promoting long-term adoption of the changes among employees, identifying the strategies that worked well in accomplishing the change management goals, and developing a systematic approach to change management that can be adapted for future changes within their organizations.”

Kathy Gurchiek is associate editor for HR News. She can be reached at kgurchiek@shrm.org.

Related Article:

High-Performing Companies Possess Greater Adaptive Capacity, Study Says, SHRM Measurements Focus Area, December 2006

Related Resources:

The Change Management Imperative, SHRM Knowledge Center, November 2006

Express Request: To receive additional resources on this topic, please select key term CHANGE MANAGEMENT, complete and submit this form: http://www.shrm.org/hrresources/expressrequestFAQ.asp

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