Managing change in hard times
Authors: Manning Tony 
Published: July 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe the hard times currently faced by many organisations, particularly public‐sector organisations in the UK, review the relevant published literature on the management of change and explore two issues not adequately dealt with in the literature. The initial literature review looks at three themes, namely visionary theories of leadership, unsuccessful implementation of change, and successful implementation of change. The two additional issues are how to manage change when you do not have a clear vision and how to manage change when you have a vision but it is resisted or rejected by job holders.

Design/methodology/approach

The article begins by looking at the hard times faced by public‐sector organisations in the UK, where organisations find themselves under attack on both political and economic grounds. Jobs, salaries and pensions have all been cut, along with training and development activities, and further cuts seem likely. This case study is relevant to all involved in the management of change, irrespective of whether the changes are taking place in public, private or voluntary sector. The article then looks at the published literature on visionary leadership, unsuccessful change management and successful change management. From this literature review, it is possible to identify five inter‐related sets of issues that are likely to determine the success of attempts at organisational change, namely, strategic thinking, leadership, task management, relationships and resources. The author then draws on his own experience in management training and development to identify two issues frequently raised but not adequately dealt with in the published literature, namely, how to manage change when you have a vision but it is resisted or rejected by job holders, as well as to offer suggestions for handling such matters.

Findings

The success of attempts at organisational change is seen to be related to the following five sets of issues: strategic thinking (e.g. environmental scanning, prior problem diagnosis and analysis, and having a good solution); leadership (e.g. developing and communicating a vision, building support for the vision and developing teams); task management (e.g. planning tasks, allocating roles, establishing monitoring procedures and co‐ordinating activities); relationships (e.g. listening, consulting, involving, supporting, encouraging and developing staff); and resources (i.e. having or acquiring necessary resources, including money, time, people and technical expertise). In order to manage change successfully when you do not have a vision, it is important to: manage emotions, particularly by acknowledging how people feel and why they feel the way they do; take steps to develop a vision and keep people informed of the steps you are taking; engage in two‐way communication throughout the process; develop and communicate visions about visions, make clear what you aspire to and how you will get there; and engage in and promote continuous learning and development. In order to manage change when a vision is resisted or rejected, it is important to: manage emotions, as described above; avoid lies, bulls*** and management‐speak; and engage in honest, open and constructive two‐way communication. It is concluded that the above two problems are intrinsically difficult and it may not, therefore, be possible to achieve commitment to change. Nonetheless, it may be possible to limit the damage, provide a foundation for building more positive longer‐term relationships and make the best of a bad job.

Originality/value

The originality and value of this paper lies in the way in which it: reviews and draws together previous theory and research on change management; identifies two problems commonly encountered in hard times but inadequately dealt with in the existing literature; and offers practical and realistic suggestions on how to handle the two problems. These findings have implications for anyone involved in the management of change in hard times, as well as training and development professionals working in this area.