Leading and managing organisational change
The HR leader may be faced with developing strategies to respond to organisational change, or he or she
may have the opportunity to promote and lead an organisational change initiative. Some types of
significant structural change, such as those brought on by restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, or
downsizing, hold both challenges and opportunities. �We buy companies to get excellent people� said
Mark Zuckerberg in 2010 to sum up Facebook�s acquisition strategy (Goldberg & Lobb, 2012, p.2).
Organisational growth, talent management and business performance can all be enhanced through
change initiatives and can present a real opportunity for HR to add value; at the same time, not all staff
may experience these changes as positive. For this Key Concept Exercise, you will examine the role of
the HR professional in planning for and managing change.
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Running Head: Leading and Managing Organizational Change
Change in any organization is inevitable and, therefore, it is crucial for a human resource
manager (HRM) to have the skills to manage the changes that occur within an organization. The
market trends are ever changing and, thus, to keep up with these trends, an organization requires
appropriate realignments which are the role of a HRM. In essence, the HRM is the change
forerunner and needs to take complete duties of the entire process of the scheduling and effecting
the changes within an organization. The HRM would have to change the HR utilities in order for
an organization to compete favorably and sustainably in the market (Charles, 2012, p.22).
In the face of change, the success of an organization lies in the effective planning of the HRM
department. The effective HRM planning guarantees that the organization always have an
assortment of competencies ready to discharge their skills on vital job opportunities (Chris, 2009,
p.67). An organization that lacks efficient HRM department will not have the capabilities to
recruit proficiententrants that will match the required job positions. The best example of the role
of HRM in leading and managing organizational changes can clearly be exhibited from the
Etihad Airlines whose HRM department has been the main reason for its continued success.
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Running Head: Leading and Managing Organizational Change
According to James Hogan, the Etihad Airlines president, the major success of the organization
in the recent years is chiefly because of its competent HRM staffs. James attributes this success
to the HRM department, because of how the team has managed the transitions resulting from the
adoption of the new technology in enhancing customers’ experience and satisfaction. The
president of the organization appreciates the level of competence exhibited by the team of the
HR management department in such a way that it never had significant impact on the
organizational affairs (James, 2012, p.13).
The question that most HRM novices would ask is just how the Etihad Airline HRM department
was able to lead their workforce into embracing such major changes successful? According to
James, who also happen to be among the chief executive managers of the organization, the
process registered success because of the awareness initiative the HRM team started much earlier
before the idea was fully implemented. The HRM department was well aware of the challenges
that a change in the system would impact (James, 2012, p.22). The education program
entailededucating of the staff crews both in handling the new technology system that the airline
intended to adopt and dispensing the fears associated with change among its workers. This move
was in attempts to warrant the workers that they was not going to be any layoff of workers as
well as sensitizing them that the change was meant to improve efficiency in the service provision
to the customers.
These program can be viewed as both a strategic and operational changes. The education carried
out was in line with the objective of the organization objectives of sustainable job opportunities
by avoiding instances of laying off of worker due to lack of the competencies that would have
been required thereafter the changes were effected. Additionally, it can also be viewed as
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Running Head: Leading and Managing Organizational Change
operational planning because it would involve use of the new technology in the operations of the
organization (Dan, 2004, p.15). However much the process was successful, there were
challenges encountered, the major one being the fear of competence and the threat to status.
Nonetheless, these problems were well solved by the sensitization approach used by the HRM
department of the Etihad Airlines.
From the foregoing, the Etihad Airline seemed to have employed the Lewin model in managing
the change. The model has three major steps namely: unfreezing, changing and refreezing (Jan,
2010, p.77). From the Etihad Airlines, the unfreezing process was utilized in the earlier
sensitization and awareness creation program that prepared the workers for the change. The
second process of change, was done by effecting the use of new technology into its operations.
For example, the use computerized security scanning systems for checking passengers. The final
stage of the Lewin model ensued with the full operations of the technology in the Etihad Airline
system to provide services to its customers.
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Running Head: Leading and Managing Organizational Change
Reference
Charles H, 2012. Human Resources Role in Organizational Change.
