SB/Donington Consultants
Importance of Managing Career Change
10th March 2009
Whether the catalyst is the down-turn in the economy, or new business strategies to create continuous improvement, to ensure changes are implemented successfully in today's uncertain business climate it is critical to engage employees in the change process.
"When the last of the debris of this economic catastrophe finally comes crashing down, managers will be left to pick up the pieces. Their immediate challenge will be to face the crisis of confidence and breach of trust that will be felt by employees". Leo D'Angelo Fisher, BRW October 23-29, 2008.
Although D'Angelo Fisher is specifically commenting on the economic hardship, his statement is true for any period of change.
To achieve a successful career transition individuals need to operate from a platform of discovery, hope, self-confidence, purpose and perspective.
When people come out of an organisation, we know that they experience all the normal feelings of loss - there is a sense of loss of direction and orientation, of the protection afforded by former status and organisational structure, as well loss of the predictability and comfort of "the way we do things round here".
The technical work in change management is necessary, but it is not sufficient. It is the adaptive work that is the determinant of a successful transition. An environment must be created that enables the individual to carry out the adaptive work he/she needs to do, at the very time when work avoidance can be likely.
Embracing a change process can have significant benefits:
To your clients:
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Protects the brand and reputation of your business
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Retains and protects existing and new business relationships
To your business and employees:
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Maintain levels of productivity, morale and motivation with employees during and after the change period
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Mitigates retention issues
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Reduces the risk of sabotage to product and personal injury
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Minimises potential industrial issues
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In the event of retrenchment, ensures a dignified and appropriate separation for the individual
To managers:
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Minimises stress
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Provides support and training to help them deliver difficult messages
An effective change approach includes scoping, collaborative tailoring of services and processes, and an integrated approach to change and restructuring activity.
The key benefits of this approach include:
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Proactive identification and early engagement of all stakeholders in the work they need to do. Roles are determined at the outset, as are the responsibilities and expectations of all those who may be impacted
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Tracking and monitoring are built into the process enabling us to jointly identify and address issues as they arise
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A successful transition means individuals are equipped for ongoing career management. We ensure they have new direction, re-framed protection, new orientation, and new challenges. Most importantly, we will equip them with career resilience which will enable them to cope in the face of any future career setbacks
There are a number of support and education tactics you can use to help employees adjust to a changed environment. These tactics benefit your business in the long run and include:
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An Organisational Change and Review Policy states transparently how you will manage change. This can alleviate anxiety and demonstrates to employees how committed the business is to manage change well, with fairness and ethics
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Employee Needs Analysis determines the requirements to help select individuals for transfer or redundancy
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Career Focus and Professional Development Workshops can assist employees adjust to the change, build career resilience, and constructively plan and action their next steps
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Career Transition Programs assist with pre-work and management training, and support the individual needing to be transitioned out of the organisation. The brand of the business is protected and remaining employees maintain motivation
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Career Management Programs assist employees on a number of levels such as helping them in career decision ('do I stay or do I go?') and helping them align their career with the businesses' objectives
The informed and positive outcomes driven by this approach improve the perceptions of how the change will impact productivity, retention, morale and market reputation - both at the individual and business levels.
