Navigating Change in a Public Agency Carmel Ellis-Gulli and Rosalind Carter AVETRA 2012

Our interests Managing change Organisational behaviour Documenting unique and unexpected issues in change management Manager experiences skills in managing change

What we studied The Case Study Major change in a large state government agency from a state- wide teaching service to a small commercially focused “edu- business”. A simultaneous process of the transitioning out and re-creation of a new business.

How the literature relates Change management practices and theory New Public Management strategies Managing in ‘Upward, downward and outward’ domains. Interest in literature which acknowledges the need for a better understanding of actual manager practices and issues facing managers in coordinating and managing change in organisations.

Methods A case study Semi- structured interviews with five senior managers in the agency Review of relevant organisational documents

Background Assumed Challenges of Transitioning out and rebuilding Physical closure of six teaching centres Tight timeframe Loss of staff Major industrial relations Loss of experience and knowledge Reallocation of essential operational duties Countering organisational climate of fear and anger Approval for timely recruitment of retained business

Parent Departmental Solution A Change Management Plan All risks identified, minimized and approved Comprehensive communication strategy Prescriptive Effective in ‘downwards’ and ‘outwards’ domain Assumed smooth continuum of change

What we found UP OUT

What we found cont. Critical Factors Timing and deadlines Sudden responses led to unexpected events Simultaneous change in multiple domains Skills identified Influence Advocacy Negotiation Empathy Flexibility to manage contingencies as required

Conclusions The study confirms the premise that implementation of change management plans may not necessarily result in a continuous and consistent flow of events Successful change is largely reliant on manager’s skills in navigating evolving and sometimes unexpected events Criticality of skills in advocacy, empathy and contingency planning.