Corporations today are undergoing rapid, fundamental change. Global competition, mergers, acquisitions, and downsizing result in major shifts in strategic direction with immense implications for the workforce.
Too often, these seismic changes cause significant workforce performance problems that are underestimated, while executives concentrate solely on completing the immediate tasks needed to make their organizations more competitive.
Employees are often expected to do more, and/or perform at higher levels of proficiency than were previously required. Some may need to learn new and more complex tasks or skills while others may have new duties that were previously assigned to someone else. All these changes can lead to resentment, dissatisfaction, and confusion among unprepared employees.
It’s frequently assumed that workforce performance will emerge unscathed from organizational change, and that employees automatically will be equipped with the skills and motivation necessary to meet the organization’s new strategic objectives. But we know that when you change peoples’ jobs, it’s a big deal.
