70% of Major Change Efforts Fail to Achieve Targeted Benefits

Seventy per cent of change management initiatives fail to achieve their targeted benefits with people the single largest contributing factor to change failure.

This startling fact was imparted by Catherine Smith McKiernan, CSM Consulting when addressing HR practitioners at a Shannon Chamber HR Forum in Shannon last week.

Addressing the forum McKiernan added: “Ireland’s economic forecast signifies that many companies will continue to face significant challenges in relation to organisational change. While businesses are focused on efficiencies, expansion, exploring new markets or engaging in merger/acquisition activity, all of which require significant change for everyone involved, particularly employees, and most managers are effective at changing their organisations physically, many struggle in dealing with the ‘people’ aspect of change.”

The HR Forum provided the opportunity to discuss the role of the HR department in ensuring the continued focus on leading people within the organisation towards change.

“Leaders and mangers may be instrumental in implementing change but it’s the HR department’s role to lead people through change,” Ms Mc Kiernan stated.

In outlining the phases and process which organisations can adopt to successfully implement organisational change Ms Mc Kiernan stressed the importance of always considering the ‘cost’ of failing to factor in the human element of any change, such as wasted energy, disengaged staff or employees returning to habitual behaviour.

The forum, facilitated by Derek McKay, managing director of Adare Human Resource Management, is targeted at Senior HR practitioners in the region. The HR Forum understands the key role HR plays in organisations and facilitates the continued professional development of HR practitioners and the sharing of relevant information.

Shannon Chamber and Adare Human Resource Management continue their partnership to bring HR professionals together to share best practice in HR and employment law and create a network among HR executives in the Shannon region.