The OP Academy is a networking and learning event designed to bring HR professionals from a variety of industries together in a social setting. It’s a unique and invaluable opportunity to ask questions and expand your personal network of like-minded, ambitious HR professionals, while learning and sharing knowledge, ensuring best practice across industries. With the overall aim to nurture and support talent in the HR community.
This quarter Neil Hayward, HR Director at HS2 led a talk around dealing with change in your business, pulling on his wealth of experience within HR. Neil led an interactive session discussing why change can be difficult for businesses to successfully implement, various methods to ensure change is managed well and positive interventions that ensure change receives the positive intended outcome.
Change management is defined ‘as the systematic approach and application of knowledge, tools and resources to deal with change within a business. It is essentially the process of helping your employees and your business to transition from the current state to a desired state. Sounds simple right?
We all encounter change in our day to day life but why is it that when it comes to change in our work environment it can be so difficult to manage? Neil discussed several concepts that make change so difficult. Firstly, staff and leaders tend to resist change, as most people tend to enjoy a more predictable and stable working environment. Something that interferes with the order of things is usually resisted at first. Secondly, change requires resources, it’s not something that can be rushed if it is to be implemented successfully. Therefore, it can be distracting taking staff away from their official responsibilities.
Neil then went on to discuss how your organisation could make implementing change easier. His takeaways included:
1) Ensure you know why you are implementing the change – set out clear goals
2) Understand your strengths and weaknesses – know what type of individual you are and how that can affect your working outcomes.
3) Choose the right option – ensure you are exploring all possibilities, while considering what will work best for your business
4) Get the plan right
5) Launch learn and correct! – Measure and monitor your success and failures
It was a great session focussing on how to manage change, our next OP Academy will be hosted in September 2019, if you would like to reserve a space please email Rian Thomas on rianthomas@oakleafpartnership.com or call on 0121 270 4639 to book your place.