U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Ensuring the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce

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Successful Change Requires Planning

Conference participants heard two keynote presentations describing aspects of the changing world of work that all Federal employees are facing today.

• Managing Change
• Strategic Planning

Managing Change. "The casualties of the future will be those organizations and individuals that cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." This was the focus of the first conference keynote speech "Managing the Human Aspects of Change" by David Crocker, CEO of Crocker Associates. To help conference participants manage in this era of constant change, Crocker explained the dynamics of change and tactics for managing change positively.

During a time of change, what employees resist is not change itself, but the disruption it brings to their lives and work cultures and a sense of lost control. When employees feel in control of a situation and perceive little or no disruption, they usually will respond positively to change. However, a number of factors may cause a negative response. They include failure to understand the need for change; lack of employee involvement in planning the change; fear of making mistakes; lack of management support for the change; and excessively fast or slow implementation of change.

To counter negative reactions and help employees move into the changed situation, organizations must:

• assess readiness and ability to change;
• analyze resources available to carry out change;
• identify and cultivate resources for advancing the desired change;
• communicate about the changes throughout the change process;
• provide time and opportunity to let go of the old and accept the new;
• build in stability by retaining some familiar practices or processes;
• tell employees what is not going to change;
• involve employees in planning and implementing change;
• provide rewards for those who demonstrate acceptance of the change;
• be sure management shows support for the change; and
• obtain feedback on how well the tactics are working and revise plans as needed.

Organizations and individuals that understand and manage change are those that will be able to survive and prosper as the world of work continues its fast-paced rate of change.

Strategic Planning. G. Edward DeSeve, Controller, Office of Management and Budget, challenged conference attendees to recognize the need for strategic planning in this era of dramatic change and Government downsizing. Continuing resource reductions require that Federal agencies work harder to identify their core missions and develop measures to assess whether those missions are being accomplished in a way that makes the best use of strained budgets.

One of the best ways to help organizations reach their strategic goals and to help employees deal positively with change is to be sure that employees understand how they fit into the agency's overall mission. Incorporating organizational goals into the individual appraisal process is one way this can be accomplished. The "big picture" can be factored into the appraisal process by:

• developing employee performance plans that include individual elements and standards that are clearly aligned with and support the organization's mission and goals; and/or
• including measures of group or organizational performance in the employee's performance plan (i.e., through the use of non-critical or additional performance elements).

DeSeve noted that if management goals are unclear, individuals and small groups still can work to set their own goals within the framework of their responsibilities. The planning skills they develop through this exercise will be valuable career skills that can be transferred to other kinds of work.

Originally published on October 1996.