Table 12.1 Key organizational change management principles Principle
Objective
Challenge
Managerial focus and leadership
Maintaining focus on the reform program
A key challenge facing senior management in the reform program is that they already have very demanding day to day responsibilities but will need to commit their time increasingly toward the reform.
Empowering the senior management team
The effectiveness and credibility of senior management is a prerequisite for driving the change management program, particularly in leading and directing middle management and staff.
Considering the effect on morale
A balance will need to be struck between sensitivity to staff concerns during the change process and avoiding distraction from the principal tasks of reform. It is important to assess the opinions of staff through regular consultations to strengthen their voice. At the same time, a steering committee and senior management must make the necessary decisions.
Developing action plans and targets early on
A sense of purpose will be instrumental in driving change. It is management’s task to establish reform objectives and targets and to communicate them to staff in clear terms. This will help to align efforts to common goals, while engendering a sense of success as results are achieved.
Monitoring and communicating progress
Success on performance targets can help to counter low staff morale during change. Management should identify operational and administrative reforms that can be easily and objectively measured and keep these goals visible to staff.
Ensuring adequate communication mechanisms
A complex organization demands robust mechanisms for disseminating accurate, timely, and precise information. This is particularly important when roles, responsibilities, reporting structures, and processes will be undergoing change.
The need for regular consultation
Regular consultations with management teams and employees are important. In addition to improving information flows, such consultations will help staff to accept ownership of the change process, help overcome stakeholder resistance, and identify implementation risks and constraints before progress is hindered.
Auditing and monitoring personnel resources
Senior management needs to be fully aware of the availability of skills to meet core objectives and reformulated job descriptions.
Using training to support the change management program
Change management relies on human skills. Existing staff capacity often is insufficient to make reforms successful. The change management agenda needs to include staffing and training plans.
Ensuring valued staff are retained
Valued staff must be retained despite the uncertainty that change can produce. Usually the best staff are the most employable elsewhere. Senior management must show it is aware of, and values, their contribution.
Establishing clear staff roles and responsibilities
Throughout the reform process, a continuing staff communication program must explain changing roles and responsibilities. This can help maintain staff accountability, productivity, morale, and direction during the disruption.
Maintaining staff motivation and discipline
During change programs, staff can lose motivation and discipline can break down. Systems to monitor and maintain high levels of performance and discipline among officials must be in place. So-called soft rewards, such as complimenting staff on performance, providing sincere thanks for effort, and celebrating small victories, can be effective in affirming the worth of individuals to the organization and maintaining their motivation.
Setting the change agenda
Communication and coordination
Human resource issues
Managing organizational change in border management reform
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Accordingly, reformers must develop a broad commitment to reform and its overall direction across the political spectrum. International experience over the past two decades has shown that political will is the largest factor in the success—or failure—of public sector reform. Change will not happen without clear, sustained government support. At the same time, government support rests on industry and popular support. In seeking political support reformers must work toward widely shared objectives, particularly if strong and easily mobilized domestic constituencies are likely to oppose the changes. While building 198
B O R D E R M A N A G E M E N T M O D E R N I Z AT I O N
expectations is an important part of selling reform, those expectations, to be credible, must accommodate reality and the change capacities of the actors involved. The various and sometimes contradictory interests of stakeholders make mobilizing support a complex and difficult task. Border management reform requires many government agencies to be committed to change. Clearly establishing what each agency is expected to do—and how its fulfi llment of its responsibilities will be measured and reported—is crucial. Promoting the reforms to partner agencies as early as possible will pay off when it comes time to