Chronicle EditorMatthias Ruziwa : H R Issues
“In Zimbabwe, organisational change is increasingly the norm, yet the low levels of capacity utilisation indicate that effective management of these changes is an issue”. Failure to introduce effective change can have a high impact which includes: loss of market position, removal of senior management, loss of stakeholder credibility, loss of key employees, and reduction in engagement.Statistical trends from CZI Manufacturing Sector Survey reports, capacity utilisation dropped down from 44,2 percent in 2012, 39,6 percent in 2013, and 36,3 percent in 2014 to 34,3 percent in 2015. The issues causing deindustrialisation are interwoven and includes low local demand, working capital constrains, competition from imports, antiquated machinery, high cost of doing business, shortage of raw materials etc.
It is common cause that many organisations have embarked on various change programs owing to changes in strategy, technological changes, pressure from imports, shifting markets, challenges of growth, economic downturns and changes in government policies and legislation.
Various scholars in the field of HR management argue that there is no single model of change and no single solution to effective management but from experiences we have gone through especially during economic difficulties, HR professionals need to ensure they have the skill, knowledge and credibility within the organisation to act as champions of change.
Due to the changes taking place in the industry and macro — environments, most organisations are characterised by changing their focus, expanding or contracting their activities and rethinking their products and services.
In this article, the writer would like to emphasise that managers have to be able to introduce and manage change to ensure the organisational objectives of change are met, and that they gain the commitment of their people, both during and after implementation.
Often, at the same time, they also have to ensure that business continues as usual. Accordingly, it’s important that the way change is managed is considered carefully. While each change situation is unique, there are still a number of common themes that will help ensure that the change process stands the greatest chance of success.
Failure to introduce effective change can have a high impact: loss of market position, removal of senior management, loss of stakeholder credibility, loss of key employees, and reduction in engagement. A number of key issues have a negative impact on effective change management.
Firstly, it is important to note that individual change initiatives are not always undertaken as part of a wider coherent change plan, for example through considering linkages between strategy, structure and systems issues. Therefore a change that considers a new structure but fails to establish the need to introduce new systems or processes to support such a structure is less likely to succeed.
Lack of effective project management and programme management disciplines can lead to slippages in timings, achieving desired outcomes and in ensuring that the projects do deliver as planned. Insufficient, relevant training, for example in project management, change management and leadership skills, can all impact negatively on the effectiveness of any change initiative.
Secondly, poor communication can be linked to issues surrounding the effectiveness of change management in achieving effective change in various ways. For example, imposed change can lead to greater employee resistance. Change initiatives can also be over-managed, with too much energy spent on project management and too little on enacting change and lack of effective leadership is an inhibitor of effective change.
Thirdly, resistance to change can be defined as an individual or group engaging in acts to block or disrupt an attempt to introduce change. Resistance is not necessarily negative, as it may be a clear signal that the change initiative requires rethinking or re-framing.
Resistance itself can take many different forms from subtle undermining of change initiatives and withholding of information to active resistance, for instance through strikes, go slows and sit – inns. Employees normally resist change due to the following reasons: loss of control, shock of the new, uncertainty, inconvenience, and threat to status and competence fears. It is important not to assume that resistance is negative, and to try to diagnose the cause of employee resistance as this will help determine the focus of effort in trying to address the issue.
In order to enhance the effectiveness of change programmes, the writer proposes the following scenarios;
Leaders and designers of change (HR professionals) need to be able to ‘read’ their context; to evaluate it to identify aspects that hinder change. They then need to design change programmes which first put in place initiatives to rewrite or rewire their context in a way that overcomes obstacles to enable the desired change. If open discussion and debate is encouraged in the top team this enables more proactive, opportunistic change to happen, as executives become more open to breaking with the past and transitioning out old business models as they become irrelevant. Narratives and stories can be used as devices to make the content and implications of new strategies easier to understand, enhancing individuals’ ability to translate change into meaningful actions for themselves.
Rather than implementing change through authority and control, in new forms of leadership, effective change is achieved through negotiations and social interactions with organisational members. High levels of trust will deliver the enabling conditions in which significant change can thrive. Change leaders need to emphasise their trustworthiness by demonstrating their competence to design change intelligently, and their benevolence and integrity in the way they attend to the needs of the business and employees. Systems, policies and processes designed and administered in a fair way, help foster trustworthiness in the organisation.
In conclusion, let me highlight that since the purpose of the Zimbabwean Labour Act (Chapter 28:01) is to advance social justice and democracy in the workplace, organisations need to promote the participation by employees in changes/decisions affecting their interests in the workplace.
Therefore, in our democratic workplaces, the actions of employees who raise concerns about change should not be labelled as resistance, but instead re-framed and reinterpreted in terms of legitimacy of employee voice. Change is often an emotional process and so emotional awareness by those leading and designing change is required to anticipate and plan for reactions. Those managing the change must also maintain levels of energy and momentum throughout the change process.
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author.
Matthias Ruziwa is an experienced and progressing Strategic Human Resource Practitioner based in the Midlands Province, City of Kwekwe. You can contact Matthias at the following email address: [email protected]/whatsapp 0773 470 368.
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