 |
|
|
|
Suzanne Simpson, PhD, C.Psych. Organizations wishing to become more efficient, productive and profitable must organize their work and their information management in a manner that will promote these goals. This necessarily means that the organizations must undergo change: in the design and organization of the work to be performed; in the technology used to perform this work; and, finally in the organization, selection, management and training of the employees to perform the work. To be effective, an integrated strategy and approach to managing change with respect to Work, Technology and People is essential to success. It is the "People" component of the change process which is often most challenging and most frequently ill-managed within organizations, with the result that the best re-engineering, systems and business re-design efforts cannot succeed. Recent research indicates that Canadian organizations during times of recession have sought to gain efficiencies and improve their profits through re-engineering efforts and the introduction of new technologies, while giving little thought to how they can improve the way in which the human resources of the organization are managed to improve productivity and profits. It is also our experience that many companies offering services to organizations to assist them in improving their business and operational processes, including technology or information management support, fall seriously short in offering their clients support in managing the "people" component of the change process. The following sections provide information on the services and capability that can be offered to customers and clients. It is also noteworthy that our consultants are experienced in both the private and public sectors, including all three levels of government, as well as Crown.
Organizations experiencing change will often have undertaken some work to prepare for the change. This activity is meant to provide a critical analysis of existing human resource plans, and to confirm and build upon work already completed. It provides a foundation for the "people" systems and procedures that will follow, and assists in determining where additional support or enhancement may be required to support the change process.
This activity is focused on establishing the strategic framework for the change processes which will follow. It provides the guiding principles and directions for dealing with the human resource portion of the management of change process. People are the bottom line in successfully dealing with a strategy for change. The Human Resource Strategy will form the framework and foundation for subsequent human resource and training implementation plans.
This stage of the change management process is designed to define the end (ideal) state the organization in terms of:
An analysis of the current state with respect to employees is conducted to establish the knowledge and skills they have relative to the future state requirements. The option of conducting an employee skills survey is part of this process. The results of this assessment will form part of a human resource planning and tracking database that can be created by building on any already existing personnel information as well as any Training databases held by the organization. This information can be enhanced as required through an Employee Skills Inventory. This database will be used to support the human resource planning process - see 6 below.
Future state requirements will be compared with current state information to determine the "gap". This analysis will provide one of the inputs for the human resource planning process described below.
The purpose of this stage is to establish and implement a human resource planning process which is dynamic, iterative and serves to integrate all plans and initiatives related to the "people" component of the change process. The process is based on the gap analysis (See item 5 above) and is ongoing thereafter. The human resource planning and tracking database is constantly updated, analysed and reports are prepared to support the process. Our team will build upon its past experience in having managed change initiatives to assist the client in managing the change process, using a set of proven methodologies and a tracking database to assist in planning for, tracking, realigning plans with respect to all initiatives related to the definition jobs and organizational structure, and the selection, training, development and motivation of staff to work in the new environment.
The purpose of this stage is to develop a fully elaborated organizational structure, including the definition and development of work descriptions to meet the requirements of the redesigned environment. This stage necessarily includes the evaluation and classification of jobs according to central agency and departmental requirements within federal government organizations.
Dramatic organizational change will almost inevitably lead to the creation of jobs that did not exist in the old organizational environment. Management is then faced with the challenge of selecting from the available employees those that would be best suited to work in the new environment. Organizational change can also result in significant downsizing. In either case, it will mean that systems and procedures must be put in place to choose those most capable of functioning in the newly designed organization and jobs. The aim is to ensure that the best methods are used to select those most meritorious and capable of functioning in the new work environment. If done properly these methods can also be used to support any training and development employees may require to be fully effective in their new or redefined jobs. HRSG will use our extensive experience and expertise in selecting, developing and implementing assessment tools and programs to meet this aim.
HRSG can work within client policy and through the human resource planning process to assist in managing the downsizing and work force adjustment processes with the aim of:
The aim of the process is to retain those employees best suited to work in the new environment.
It is acknowledged that a comprehensive and well-targeted training and development program is often critical to a successful organizational change. The Systems Approach to Training (SAT), with its inherent review and checkpoints for Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation will be the cornerstone for all training initiatives. Needs Analysis/Course Identification Determination of the future state requirements with respect to the knowledge, skill, and motivation requirements to function effectively in the end state organization is a fundamental first step. The comparison of employee current knowledge, skills and abilities (part of the "gap" analysis) with the future state requirements is critical input for determining training needs and developing appropriate training strategies. This process assists in determining the training needs to be addressed and training strategies best suited to meet these needs. Requirements are continually analysed and updated as the organization proceeds through the human resource planning and tracking process. Course Design/Development/Selection Training and development media are selected with the following criteria in mind: best practices, learning theory, and cost-effectiveness. Options to be considered vary from on-the-job development through a "buddy system" (client employee matched to a skilled resource) to sophisticated computer based and interactive video systems, if available. The key to the selection of training media is cost-effectiveness for the organization - i.e. the extent to which the media will yield value for money spent in terms of:
Design Modularized course development/selection is often the best approach. This will allow for training and development programs targeted to individual employee needs. To ensure cost-effectiveness HRSG can review and build upon programs and courses in existence at the client site and available through other public medium. If the need cannot be met through these sources, other commercially available "off the shelf options" will then be reviewed and considered. Only if it not possible to meet requirements through these means is it in the client's best interest to recommend the development of training courses and programs specifically to meet their needs. Delivery HRSG can work with the client as part of the human resource planning process to identify a delivery strategy best suited to the client's needs. Delivery plans will be integrated with any existing individual training plan process, and can be geared to the extent possible to minimize work disruptions. As part the skills transfer process and to keep the training initiatives cost-effective, HRSG can work with the client project manager to explore options for training trainers. Evaluation, Validation and Quality Assurance Consistent with the Systems Approach to Training (SAT) methodology it is recognized that to ensure training initiatives are achieving their intended objectives, it is critical to incorporate evaluation, validation and quality assurance strategies into training design and delivery. We can work with the client to identify critical success criteria against which the various training initiatives can be evaluated and validated to ensure that the client is getting best value for dollar spent. Quality assurance will be incorporated into the program to ensure consistent quality of the training program. Management of Training and Support On the Job HRSG can work closely with the client to manage all facets of the training process including needs analysis, course selection/design, delivery and evaluation, validation and quality assurance. A key to ensuring efficient and effective transfer of knowledge and skills is to ensure that training is delivery "just in time" - that is, just prior to the participant having to use the knowledge or skill in the work environment. Often employees may need back up support and assistance on the job. Options for accomplishing this can be considered and explored with the client and could include such approaches as an on-the-job "buddy system", or a central "hot line" support system telephone number.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
