Understanding the Skills Challenge in Effectively Managing Change in Public
Sector Organisations
Final Report for UFHRD
Martin McCracken and Hadyn Bennett
Department of Management and Leadership
Ulster Business School
University of Ulster
07 October 2011
Contact Details:
Dr Martin McCracken and Dr Hadyn Bennett
Department of Management and Leadership
University of Ulster
Shore Road
Newtownabbey
N. Ireland
BT37 0QB
Tel: 028 903 68346 / 028 903 66454
E-mail: m.mccracken@ulster.ac.uk / hrv.bennett@ulster.ac.uk
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Research Background and Goals
According to recent research in Northern Ireland (agendaNI, 2009; McCracken and Bennett, 2010)
many public sector organisations in the region have invested significant resources to enhance the
effective implementation of change. In the intervening period since this time, the process has
accelerated, in large part as the result of the change of government in the United Kingdom and
ongoing pressure for efficiency savings and public spending cuts.
In much research into managerial skill and competency requirements the issue of managing change
has been categorised with other more generic skills such as leadership, communication, mentoring
and coaching, and problem solving abilities (O’Brien and Robertson, 2009; Thompson and Harrison,
2000; Winterton et al. 2000). However, with the exception of some quantitative studies and
conceptual pieces from the USA, designed to stimulate more debate on the area (Carter, 2008 and
Giley et al, 2008), the more specific skills needed to effectively manage change at all levels (from
senior managers whose primary role is in the initial formulation of change strategies through to line
managers / supervisors who are responsible for actually implementing the change) have not been
explored in sufficient depth. With this in mind, real value can be derived for the HRD community
from research designed specifically to investigate these skill and competency requirements.
Given the above, the goals of this research study were:

To identify what key organisational stakeholders, including senior managers (drivers of
change); line managers (change implementers) and employees (change receivers) perceive
to be the most important Knowledge Skills and Attitudes (KSAs) for successful change
implementation

To provide practical recommendations to the HRD community, both academic and
practitioner, regarding how these key KSAs can be developed in the future
Data Collection
Access was secured to collect empirical data in five Northern Ireland public sector organisations
which had recently implemented planned change initiatives. However, major developments within
three of the organisations created additional sensitivities surrounding access, and hence research in
each of these organisations is still ongoing. This report therefore briefly details the findings from two
of the organisations – a public sector agency and a local government department. After completing
the desk-based research and literature review, field research was carried out with a sample of
employees in both of these organisations.
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In both participant organisations, a series of semi-structured and in-depth qualitative focus groups
were held with key organisational stakeholders across all hierarchical levels. This included: Director /
senior management; middle management; operations staff; and, where appropriate, specialist
change management project and training and development teams / experts. The researchers
developed a checklist and research protocol drawing upon the main messages arising from the
generic change literature (leadership, communication, mentoring / coaching / training, and problem
solving abilities) to produce a framework to ensure that a consistent set of issues were addressed
across both the case study organisations. Data collected from the interviews was transcribed, and
analysed in light of both the literature and the research objectives to produce a series of themes.
Two distinct case studies were then written up, before this cross case analysis was produced.
Summary of Empirical Findings
The main issues emerging from the research study are discussed below. Many of these findings are
inter-related, and solutions to one may actually reside in interventions aimed at a separate aspect.
For example, enhanced understanding of the cultural context will facilitate the selection of more
appropriate communication channels and media.
Senior Management Awareness
In both organisations lack of senior management understanding and awareness of operational
realities emerged as being a major obstacle to the successful implementation of change. This
extended to both formal and informal aspects of organisational functioning. In fact such lack of
overall awareness was confirmed within one of the organisations (the public sector agency) in follow
up discussions held with the senior management (at which surprise was expressed at a number of
the findings). In terms of operational issues (formal aspects), senior management in both
organisations appeared to lack essential understanding of operational functions and routine
activities, and the operation of formal mechanisms such as communication processes; in the case of
informal aspects this included, for example, lack of understanding of prevailing organisational
cultures (employee values and attitudes, and goals and aspirations), and patterns of teamwork
within the organisations. Initially, this suggests a need for the development of enhanced techniques
for organisational analysis prior to change, especially in respect of the ‘softer’, more informal
aspects of organisational functioning, as part of the change planning process and the
implementation phase.
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Suggested techniques for developing senior management awareness include:

Implementing ‘back to the floor’ or job shadowing programmes for senior and middle
managers to enhance understanding of the more informal aspects of organisational
functioning, and to develop an appreciation of organisational realities for operational
employees

Cultural awareness training

Leadership training for senior managers to enable them to better understand internal
boundaries in the organisation (functional and hierarchical) and how they can manage
boundary relationships more effectively
Communication Issues
Management in both organisations studied were found to be overly reliant on formal
communication processes when implementing and managing the change programmes. While
operations staff in both organisations recognised that a high volume of communication did actually
pass from senior managers to staff, it was frequently criticised for being too generic / and based on a
‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. Allied to this, the communication media and channels used were also
frequently criticised, especially the over-reliance on electronic media and ‘team briefing’ circulars.
The volume of information was also criticised, with operations staff frequently commenting that
important and relevant information was overlooked or ‘lost’ as a result of the sheer volume of
information.
Finally in this regard, issues were found in both organisations in respect of the direction of
information flow, with staff at lower hierarchical levels often citing a perceived inability to
contribute meaningful ‘upwards’ communication. In both organisations we found evidence that
serious efforts had been made to address the issue of managing communication in times of change
(especially in terms of volume), but that these efforts had been concentrated on the establishment
of ‘cascade’ processes to ensure that information was simply passed on. A significant skills gap was
thus observed in respect of the development of meaningful two-way communication and using
media and channels tailored to the demands of the situation. Once again, this reflects to an extent a
lack of understanding of cultural issues, with the significance attached to both the source and media
used in communicating change often not fully understood. Further, the reliance on top-down, formal
communication was found in both organisations to perpetuate myths and (often inaccurate) beliefs
between both senior management and lower grade employees regarding the roles, agendas and
functions of the other. In summary, it appears that while managers and change agents in both
organisations understood the importance of communication during organisational change, neither
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was successful at understanding the communication environment, and that as such communication
has been manifested in many instances simply as ‘information’.
Suggested techniques for developing more meaningful communication include:

The development of skills to help managers and change agents better understand the
impact of differing communication media

Training in listening skills for senior and middle management to facilitate better upward
communication

Developing awareness of information needs, particularly at lower levels within the
organisation in order that communication can be more effectively targeted

Interpersonal communication training for senior and middle managers, including for
example Neuro Linguistic Programming which could be used to ensure more effective
message delivery.
Training and Development
The importance of training and development to allow for the effective implementation of new
processes and systems was also highlighted. One of the organisations (the public sector agency) had
attempted to introduce ‘just in time’ training, whereby training in new systems and processes was
delivered immediately prior to the system ‘going live’, thus addressing retention issues. This process,
while well regarded by staff, had failed in many instances in its implementation, mainly due to
subsequent delays in systems implementation. Other criticisms of training arose around the issue of
the use of ‘text book’ cases, which were often reported as being at variance with the operational
realities and contingencies which staff face daily in their roles and which mostly involve dealing with
unpredictable scenarios from the public. Thus, skills gaps were identified in both the development of
training materials, and the scheduling and implementation of training programmes.
Suggested techniques for developing more effective training material and programmes during
organisational transition include:

Involving operational staff in the design and development of training materials, thus
enabling trainers to utilise real life cases and scenarios

Closer liaison between those responsible for operationalizing systems change and the
training and development function to ensure that ‘Just in time’ training operates effectively

Providing staff with more time to reflect upon the changes and using tools such as reflective
learning logs / diaries to help ensure retention of learning, lessen resistance to change, and
provide staff with the opportunity to internalise the changes
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External Stakeholder Issues
In both organisations a lack of concern in respect of external stakeholders was observed in the
planning and implementation of change. Instead, the process tended to focus on internal aspects,
which in many cases was found to create difficulties at point of service delivery. This highlights a
need for the development of enhanced skills in the area of community engagement and involvement
on the part of both senior managers and change agents as part of both the change planning and
implementation processes.
Suggested techniques for developing more effective external stakeholder engagement include:

Formalising mechanisms for enhanced community engagement including for example,
community fora and closer links with elected representatives

The development of profiling skills in terms of community analysis (including for example,
socio-economic factors), to allow senior managers to better understand the needs of service
users in the local community when designing major change initiatives.
Reinforcing and Sustaining Commitment to Change
Concerns were raised in both organisations around the areas of reinforcing and sustaining
commitment to change. Also in this regard, change fatigue was prevalent, with repeated
programmes of change being found to have eroded staff commitment to ongoing improvement
processes. Senior management visibility and accessibility were highlighted as being key factors in
generating commitment to the process, but in both organisations it was reported that while high
during the initial stages, such behaviours tend to dissipate over time. Mechanisms should therefore
be developed to ensure such behaviours are maintained throughout the process.
More effective mechanisms for reinforcement and sustaining commitment to change could include:

The development of authentic leadership skills on the part of senior and middle managers,
to include an emphasis on the performance coaching role, understanding visibility issues and
their importance to sustaining change, modelling behaviour, and how to champion change.
Middle Manager Role as Change Agents
The role of middle management during the change process was highlighted in both cases. Indeed,
the approach adopted by middle management in relation to the process, and in particular to the
bureaucratic framework which characterises these public sector organisations, appears to play a
central role in relation to its success or otherwise. Change was found to be much more successfully
implemented where middle managers were willing to set aside bureaucratic restrictions and engage
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in a meaningful way with senior management, operations level staff and, indeed, the wider
community. Such an approach appears to be successful as it can overcome preconceptions and
access the informal side of the organisation, thereby overcoming many of the communication and
organisational analysis problems identified above.
The role of the middle manager as a change agent could be enhanced through:

The provision of training in dealing with ambiguity and uncertainty

The effective allocation of resources to middle managers during the implementation process
(for example, sufficient cover for staff participating in training activities)

The development of communication competencies, information analysis skills, assertiveness
training (especially when interacting with senior managers), and decision making skills
Conclusions
In summary, many of the issues impeding effective change were found to originate in poor
organisational analysis, and less developed understanding of the softer side of organisational life
(organisational culture). The development of more enhanced skills for organisational analysis, which
encompass a full understanding of the prevailing culture, would facilitate communications
improvements, help secure staff commitment and engagement, and at the same time allow for
meaningful change reinforcement. The suggestions outlined above could all be instrumental in this
regard.
Outputs and Future Directions
The results of the two case studies provided data for the preparation and presentation of a
development paper at the 2011 BAM Conference (paper entitled ‘Culture Change: Unintended
Outcomes or Inevitable Consequences of a Mismanaged Process’). Feedback from this conference is
being used in the preparation of further submissions to the 2012 UfHRD and Academy of
Management Conferences. The cases will also form the basis for a number of journal submissions.
Ultimately it is hoped to build on this initial study and apply for further funding to enable the
research team to carry out a more wide ranging survey, amongst a larger sample of employers, on
the issues of change management, perhaps including also a private sector sample.
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References
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November, Danadry Hotel, Antrim, N.Ireland.
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Change Management to Enhance Employee Commitment, The Improvement Agenda –
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