Description

Understanding the change management process in an organisation

Organisational change is a fact of life for many businesses, in response to dynamic internal and external influences. While it can be an opportunity to improve practices and systems, it can also pose a risk to health and safety if not managed properly.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has cautioned that organisational changes are often not analysed and controlled as thoroughly as plant changes, making it a challenge for health and safety practitioners to ensure safety is considered as part of the change process.

By taking a proactive approach to identifying, reviewing and addressing potential health and safety issues, practitioners can help make sure organisational change does not come at the expense of employee safety.

Organisations need to have a change management process in place to ensure the safety of their employees and customers. This process should be designed to identify and assess potential risks associated with changes to the organisation's systems and processes. It should also involve consultation with relevant stakeholders to ensure that changes are implemented safely and with minimal disruption.

A change management process or a Management of Change (MOC) helps ensure that changes to workplaces, operations, or activities do not introduce any new hazards or risks. By identifying potential risks and hazards before implementation, change management processes help control or eliminate risks so that everyone remains safe. These processes help protect workers, the public, and the environment from potential harm.

Without a clear and concise method of communication, change can become more painful and challenging than it already is. Sudden changes in procedure and workflow can cause confusion among workers and contribute to process breakdowns.

A lack of familiarity with new processes and equipment can lead to accidents that could impact the environment, lives and property.

While the concept sounds simple in theory, the reality is that organizations tend to either ignore that changes are happening, or rush changes to just “get it over with.” In the workplace, the focus is often on getting the job done, not on preventing risk. This can lead to disastrous consequences down the road.

About this course

• Training Provider: OHS.com.au with AlertForce (RTO Code 91826)
• Location: Online
• Course length: Approx. 4 hours
• Time: Self-paced
• Certification / Accreditation: Certificate of Completion*
• CPD Points: Yes. 4 points as certificate of completion

Background – Components to change management process

Having a clear vision

Making employees feel safe should be every organization's top priority. It is important that everyone in the organization is aware of the changes that are being made and why they are being made. Having a clear vision for safety is essential to ensuring that everyone is on the same page and working towards the same goal. Whether the goal is to achieve zero injuries or to make employees feel safer at home and at work, the vision should be clearly set out and communicated to all members of the organization.

A concreate action plan

An action plan is an essential part of any organizational vision. Without a concrete plan of implementation, a vision is nothing more than a pipe dream. An action plan spells out the specific steps that need to be taken in order to achieve the stated vision. It should be comprehensive, covering all aspects of the organization that will be affected by the changes. And it should have buy-in from all stakeholders, to ensure that everyone is working towards the same goal. 

Skills

Skills are important for the successful implementation of a safety improvement plan. Safety managers should have full working knowledge of compliance requirements and how human factors affect an organization’s overall safety performance. Workers should also be trained in both compliance and human factors. If the required skills aren’t present in the current workforce then employees will need to be trained or new employees hired to fill the gap. In many cases I’ve seen strong safety improvement plans fail due to a lack of skills.

Sufficient resources

Different organizations handle workplace safety in different ways, but all effective safety improvement plans share some common core elements. One of the most important of these is ensuring that sufficient resources are dedicated to safety. This means more than just financial support; it also means ensuring that workers have the necessary equipment and training time.

Values

Asking employees to perform tasks without providing the resources they need is a recipe for frustration and anger. This can have lasting negative consequences for an organization's morale. It's important to help workers understand that safety efforts are designed to empower them, not control them. When they see the value in safety, they're more likely to be receptive to change.

Course outline

Alertforce’s Change management process training course is designed for individuals who need a working knowledge of change management principles, terminology, and theory. This includes: change managers and aspiring change managers, key staff involved in designing, developing, and delivering change programs, change leaders, change agents, change implementers, and change support and operational line management.

This course is designed to create safer workplaces.

  Learning form

All Change management process course participants are encouraged to watch the videos and engage in group discussions after each video is finished. Facilitators and participants can review the key points from each video and module using the provided support material.

There are many ways to view and participate in discussions.

• E-learning Format
• Face-to face safety meetings
• Forum
• Email

Participants can upload the training videos to e-learning and view them online. Participants can review the support material online and answer any questions.

Face-to-face safety meetings allow participants to watch videos and participate in discussions. Face-to-face meetings allow for greater interaction and engagement, but can be logistically challenging.

You can also upload the videos to a forum. Participants can access the videos and other support materials via a private forum, company website, or by uploading them to a forum. Each module contains the answers to your questions.

You can also complete the course via email. Participants can email their answers to the discussion questions once they have watched the videos.

No matter how the material is delivered, all participants should have access to it. The support material includes discussion questions as well as the video script. Participants can use the questions to explore the effects of safety practices on their organization.

The modules also include scripts and reference materials. These materials allow participants to review and research the key points of the lesson.

Facilitators and participants can use the video scripts and questions to help them create an action plan. Participants can take specific steps and make suggestions to use the plan in their work environment.