November 10 2011
Change management and its precarious
relationship with human resources
Although there
are many definitions floating around for change management, I have
found myself frequently referring to change management as a bridge
between projects and human resources (HR). The fact that we often
need to define it as people change management gives away the link to
human resources. So why do I find so many HR professionals and the
organizations they are part of, rejecting change management from the
HR Division and placing it time and again with project management
offices?
My ideal
solution of course would see change management departments, business
units and divisions as independent entities with some form of matrix
relationship to project management business areas and human
resources areas in equal measures. However there are far more
situations where a change manager or change management team pushed
in beside project management offices or units – “because it’s all
about change”. My response is usually a suck of teeth followed by
the reflection that “it is all about the management of people
through change” or some similar phrase that ensures the word
“people” are in there.
Now to the
outsider everything to do with the people in the business place is
that domain of HR – right? Actually I do kind of agree. But of
course that’s with the modern view of HR – as strategic partners
assessing the people needs of the business, whether it is
recruitment needs, organizational structure or the realms of
learning and workforce development. It is not the payroll
department; it is neither the hiring and firing department nor the
place where everyone’s annual appraisal is stored in dusty files –
that is something of days gone by. I have an article on the history
of human resources that discusses how times have changed. You can
read it
here. And this brings me
round to why I see a strong relationship between Change Management
and HR – when it is that modern entity within the business.
HR departments
that develop policy and strategic direction for the workforce should
understand the role of change management. Identifying organizational
culture, defining workforce development plans, in fact anything
within the Organizational Change, development and effectiveness
arenas are common ground for HR and change management and I strongly
believe in that strategic relationship for the benefit of both
areas. I do find frustrations with some organizations that still
have this view that HR is personnel by another name – they need to
let go of the old and embrace the new role of human resources
business partners and executives but I guess that just confirms
their level of resistance to change and hence they are the same
places that push change management in with the projects and wonder
why all the work done seems to be connect the HR department to the
project. Well not all the work, there’s far more than that to
consider.
I even tag
line my own business as change management and Strategic HR –
emphasis on the strategic – because some people find it easier to
relate to the OC, OD & OE activity as strategic HR rather than
change management. I don’t have an issue with that and it probably
explains part of the reason for developing greater presence for the
profession and understanding across many industries.
Yes I can do all those people
management things, and offer advice, support and guidance from an HR
perspective, but it makes you realize how difficult it often is to
link change management.
As I’ve been writing this, my mind has had multiple other thoughts about the connectivity of HR and change management connecting. I feel this may develop into a series of posts – I’m sure there is one just on the role of “training” and oh how I hate that term! But that is another discussion for another day. I would just like to put a challenge out there to all those businesses who say they are embracing change management within their organizations – where does it sit? I hope in that area between HR and Project Management Offices – with equal interaction with both!