Change Management Activities
This topic has a brief overview, below, and covers:
Changing the culture, the attitudes and ways staff and the organization approach asset management is of critical importance. This can provide:
- Increased productivity and efficiency
- Improved effectiveness
- Cost reductions
- Increased customer service levels.
To achieve a high degree of ownership and to bring about a substantial (irrevocable) change in the organization, a "How you can do it" approach rather than a "Here's what to do" process is advisable. This holistic approach is shown below:
Objectives of Change
The major changes will be:
- More analysis and investment evaluation
- Increased effectiveness and efficiency.
Each organization will differ. It is important that a culture of change achieves a "dynamic structure" that will continuously evolve to reflect the needs of the organization in three key areas:
- Strategy - corporate & business units
- Logistics - business units
- Tactics - work groups.
The vision for asset management may involve a number of significant changes that will be driven by restructure, and affect the way in which activities are carried out. These can include:
- The development of a multi disciplined, multi skilled workforce that wherever possible combines operations and maintenance activities for all assets
- Reduction in the differentiation between civil, mechanical and electrical assets, except in areas where specialist expertise is required
- All staff working from a single computerized information system, which deals with all asset groups, and informs all asset related management decision-making activities
- Civil assets becoming the subject of selective cost effective condition monitoring, in order to determine the need for planned maintenance activities
- A high workload in the early stages of an asset management implementation program to collect and load data into the asset management systems, to allow the identification and economic justification of the future workload, staffing and skill levels
- Regional field groups acting as general practitioners of the assets under their control, retaining sufficient skills and staff to effectively operate and maintain these assets and drawing on expert specialist advice as required.
Change Management Action Plan
A detailed change management program will ensure the changes are effectively implemented.
Like all human resource programs, there are a number of core factors:
- Demonstrated and ongoing senior management commitment to the process
- Staff involvement in decision making from all levels of the organization
- Adequate resources to complete the changes
- Open and encouraged communications
- Success measurement and feedback processes.
The action plan should include:
- Complete a status assessment of Asset Management practices, systems and strategies and identify weaknesses
- Determine the justifiable workload or budget for the activities
- Identify the roles, responsibilities, experience and skills required to address these workloads
- Assess the options to address the weaknesses:
- Retraining staff, from within the immediate group or other parts of the organization
- Appointing qualified and experienced staff from outside the organization
- Using contracted consulting staff.
- Determine the most appropriate action for the organization:
- Choose appropriate staff
- Organize suitable training program.
The Change Process
For the staff involved in the change process, there will be 6 phases:
The change process generally involves:
Communicate objectives
Set up project team with workforce members and/or pilot group
- Set objectives
- Set timescales
- Appoint project manager
- Make sure there is a project champion
- Explain "what" (i.e. concept, procedures, methodology etc)
- Be seen to be tackling barriers.
- A training program explaining "what" will not achieve anything on its own.
"How to do it" exercise
- Use facilitator/mentor (champion) to lead project team/pilot group through the "how to do it" exercise
- Workshop exercise over 3 to 5 meetings
- Workshop members formulate a plan
- Use "change tools" at each meeting.
Have support available for implementation.
Change Management Resources
There are four main resources required for change in the culture or approach of the organization:
The Change Agent role is the one least understood or acted on. It takes individuals and groups through the six phases of change and shows them how to adapt to change. A statistical approach gives a quantitative measure of the degree of change achieved.
The "Champion" already exists in many organizations. They are often an influential, informed and enthusiastic natural leader who has the personal power to inspire and influence others.
External consultants will often fill the "Consultant" and "Trainer" roles, or will train your trainers.
Experienced and objective staff need to be employed to effectively fill this role. Bringing about change is a crucial part of effective asset management.