Planning and Leading Organisational Change

Do you need to restructure your business but don’t know where to start? Are you planning to implement major organisational change but are worried about falling foul of redundancy legislation? Are you worried about TUPE? Elite Coaching helps senior leaders prepare for organisational change and often leads or accompanies the senior team through the changes, ensuring that the process is undertaken smoothly, humanely and in line with current employment legislation.

Case studies

The case studies below give a flavour of the sorts of organisational changes that Elite Coaching has been advising and leading on in the past couple of years.

• Health

  Between 2011 and 2014, although my role was HR Director, and subsequently Chief Executive of NHS Direct, in effect I worked as the Programme Director for a change programme that ultimately led to the movement of over 4,000 employees, either into or out of the organisation through TUPE transfers and redundancy programmes. I designed the programme and provided project management for over 40 major projects over a three year period, which included a series of complex transfers under TUPE regulations, a reduction of 30% in back office costs and a final closure programme, which led to the redundancy of over 2,000 employees.

• Telecommunications

  A leading telecoms company took over a smaller rival in 2017, and took the opportunity to close down one of its large regional offices. I worked with the central HR team to plan the change programme, met with and coached the individual managers to undertake their line role in the consultations, undertook the individual consultation meetings with the employees at the regional site alongside the line managers, and acted as an independent liaison between central HR and the regional office.

• FMCG

  In 2017 I led the restructure of an FMCG consultancy based in Oxfordshire in preparation for its sale. The parent company was based in Durban, South Africa, so I undertook the research for the restructure, produced all the consultation material led the collective and individual consultation process, negotiated the redundancy packages and arranged the settlement agreements, in liaison with the head office in South Africa. The purchaser was also based in South Africa so I also undertook the organisational transition work as the sale was completed and continue to work with the company on organisational change projects.

• Hospitality

  Last year I was brought in to lead the establishment of a new Finance & Accounts function for a leading global restaurant business for UK and Ireland at its West Midlands base following the decision by the global company to return the function to the UK from the sub-continent. The programme entailed the organisational design of the new function, and the re-engagement or recruitment and onboarding of 67 finance professionals over a two-month period.

• Regulator

  The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) became the successor to the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) in September 2014. The PCC had survived without professional employment guidance for some years, so the new Chief Executive of IPSO invited me into the organisation in October 2014 to review the roles and the structure of the organisation in the light of some significant changes to its remit. I reviewed the organisational structure, rewards and benefits, and employment policies and procedures and presented the Board with a number of options. Having agreed a course of action, I prepared all the paperwork, which included:- a staff handbook, which included a specific redundancy policy and processes, new job descriptions, recruitment arrangements for twelve new positions; a new salary structure, and a change timetable with written briefs for the Chair and Chief Executive. I then led the change programme, which included a restructure leading to redundancies and recruitment.

• Charity

  The trustees of a leading national charity decided early in 2018 to undertake a fundamental shift in policy, reducing their field support activity for patients and the health economy, in order to focus on research and national policy. I was invited to prepare and lead the change programme, which led to the disestablishment of 16 positions across the English regions and the establishment of 8 research positions in the London Head Office. I prepared the consultation documents and the timetable, and co-ordinated the collective and individual consultation meetings, in order to make a difficult programme run as smoothly as possible.