The Current State Of Change Management In The UK

The current state of change management in the UK is currently reactive to issues that show up on the board's radar rather than driven by any strategic intent or innovation.

This, and the following observations, are based on current analysis of recent surveys and supported by my own research and experiences.

I appreciate that many readers of this article are non-UK, however I sense that many of the issues we face here in the UK may be shared to some extent in other countries and cultures.

Currently the UK top three drivers for change are:

(1) Increased efficiency
(2) Cost reduction
(3) Corporate restructure

Essentially this is all about stripping out cost rather than innovation to create added customer value.

"Short-termism"

All the evidence shows that change management programmes in the UK are frequently badly thought out, managing change in the workplace is poorly executed and many do not succeed in achieving their stated objectives. The responsibility for this lies predominantly with the directors and senior management.

The main reason for this is the culture of "short-termism" where monthly and quarterly targets drive companies.

The direct effect of this is that the focus in change management is nearly always on getting the quickest return by fixing the most obvious and glaring problems.

This focus on quick fixes often reflects a lack of investment in the organisation in the first place. So change management in the UK is seen as a sort of "magical box of tricks" that will somehow get them through the aspect of change they don't like handling - the people issues - so that they can get to the aspect they do like handling - which is the money.

This also reflects the all too frequent lack of clarity of what the change management initiative is intended to deliver, and a "business case" for change based on knee-jerk reactions.

Whereas the reality is that managing change in the workplace is really all about being able to deal with complexity and "messiness" - with many stakeholders simultaneously - and dealing with a multiplicity of different views of the issues facing the company and how to deal with them!

Change management is imposed from the top-down

Given that these are change management programmes that will have a direct and probably negative impact on employees - with possible job losses, and that the remaining staff will be expected to do more and work harder - they are understandably viewed with suspicion and concern across the organisation.

In too many organisations, change management in the UK is imposed from the top-down, there is little if any consideration given to the need and business benefit of winning hearts and minds.

So the majority on the receiving end of these edicts spend most of their time doing just enough to "be seen to be wanting" to comply but in reality resisting the change and despising and resenting those "on high" who impose this stuff on them.

So when implementing change management and managing change in the workplace directors and senior managers sacrifice the needs and feelings of their employees in the interests of keeping their shareholders happy.

This is reflected in the research that shows that two of the top five biggest mistakes that occur in change management in UK companies are to do with staff issues, and this is closely followed by weaknesses identified amongst senior managers.

Negative assessment of the role of senior management

This short sightedness is ultimately counterproductive because if change management programmes are badly handled - as so many are - then the chance of failure is greater. Furthermore, they can cause more damage to the morale of the company, and thus have a negative effect on future competitiveness.

Research shows a negative assessment of the role senior management play in helping to achieve the end goals of change management initiatives. More than 50% feel that senior management fail specifically in inspiring the workforce, managing change in the workplace and providing effective leadership.

The evidence suggests that senior executives lack basic understanding of the aims of business transformation initiatives and specifically their roles as sponsors; and also are lacking in many of the core skills expected of leaders and that are vital for the implementation of change management.

Yet despite this, there is a widely shared belief that good executive sponsorship is key in helping a change management programme to deliver competitive advantage to a business.

The tide has turned against the major management consultancies

Despite the fact the "change industry" is a multi-billion pound business for UK consultancies, the tide has finally turned against the major blue-chip management consultancies, in terms of perception of "value for money".

The majority of businesses planning a major change management programme prefer to use their own internal resource, or drafting in experts to either fill knowledge gaps or manage the entire process if required.

Summary conclusion

In summary, research findings indicate that all too often, UK companies embark upon change management on a reactive and "knee-jerk" basis to protect them, rather than with desire to innovate and improve.

The tragic result of all this is that too many UK change management initiatives suffer from a lack of vision, bad management skills and are generally under resourced, which leads to a poor reception from workers and ultimately a large number of failed programmes.

This is the current state of change management in the UK. What is it like where you are?

For more on this: " Managing change in the workplace "

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