08. Considerations for better management of HRM complexities

British Airways is a famous example of successfully implementing change management and managing HRM complexities. British Airways was formed from a merger and this raised many concerns including a culture clash. The management was suffering and lacking leadership however, they took due initiative to establish new leadership. This reinstated the employee faith in the management (Hatch and Schultz, 2003). Leadership is a key aspect of driving success with HRM complexities. Employees would be more comfortable with proper management and this would have better chances success throughout the change process (Gill, 2002).

Some of the core aspects that must be taken into consideration to better understand the employees and to better manage the HRM complexities are discussed below.

Different people tend to react in a different way to the change

Not all people would have a similar reaction to a particular event or a change. Thus, the management must expect a variety of reactions and emotions. These different reactions should be taken into account and these should be dealt with accordingly. Ignoring different viewpoints and opinions would not be a smart move when establishing change.

Everyone’s fundamentals needs are to be met

When implementing change, the management must consider if the basic needs are not ignored. It is usual for some aspects of the employee needs to be ignored when implementing change within an organization (Lauer, 2020). This is because the management would have to pay more attention to the needs of the company. However, if the basic needs of the employees are ignored, HRM complexities could arise.

Change also involves loss at times and people need to go through the loss curve

The leadership should be strong enough to guide the employees through the loss. They should be given due guidance, training and other necessary tools to evolve and adopt.

The expectations of all are to be met in a realistic way

The HRM practices should pay attention to realistic goal setting and implementing strategies to overcome the challenges in a measurable and a realistic manner. If the expectations of the employees are not met, this would disappoint the team. In the long run, it creates a negative image on the change process and this would lead to resistance for change (Woodward and Hendry, 2004).

Fears of all are to be dealt with

It is common to fear the unknown. Also, different people would have worries with different aspects, these can be dealt with effectively by addressing each concern. Duly and promptly addressing the issues would make the transition smooth.

Conclusion 

Leadership is a key element of driving the change process towards success and British Airways is an example of this. Other factors to consider are employee’s needs, addressing fears and expectations and assisting to cope with loss and change.

 

References:

• Gill, R., 2002. Change management--or change leadership?. Journal of change management, 3(4), pp.307-318.
• Hatch, M.J. and Schultz, M., 2003. Bringing the corporation into corporate branding. European Journal of marketing.
• Lauer, T., 2020. Change management: fundamentals and success factors. Springer Nature.
• Woodward, S. and Hendry, C., 2004. Leading and coping with change. Journal of Change Management, 4(2), pp.155-183.