Do we agree on what we mean when we talk about the management of change in connection with our Safety Management System (SMS)?
Essentially, we are talking about changes within the business that may in some way increase our exposure to risk!
Unfortunately, within the business, many changes take place that are not considered for the impact that they may create related to increased risk; any lack of communication or, in fact, even perceived lack of communication (yes, perception can lead to negative outcomes) may have negative connotations or worse!
Change management is an area that deserves more attention than it often receives; the more visibility we provide and the more attention we give to the change, the more likely we will be to address the underlying issues.
Whenever we engage with change management, we face a number of hurdles, one of which is the competence of the person, persons, or team who are challenged with understanding, developing, analyzing, and proposing mitigations to improve the organisations accommodation of the change.
Humans have a natural reluctance to change, preferring the status quo in which they have become sometimes all too familiar. We need to be mindful of this and take measures to ensure we overcome any resistance in the most appropriate way possible.
We also need an abundance of commitment, not just personally but throughout the management team and, in particular, within the senior members of the team. If the project—in fact, if any project—is going to succeed, then it is important that we have the appropriate resources, comments, and, where necessary, financial support to see it through.
Competence regarding the specific knowledge attributes that are necessary drivers for the change is an absolute must; careful steps must be taken in the right direction if we are going to be successful in managing the change in the most effective way. An ideal mix would contain change management so-called “experts” together with business so-called “champions” together with, where necessary and appropriate, IT experts.
On the journey to practice effective change management, we need to ensure that we have both trust and loyalty within the group, not just visible but evidenced in deeds; this is also a key component of any trust, which impacts culture.
Expect the unexpected because there will be issues and other complications, including unforeseen costs, which will serve to compromise the implementation process.
Remember that change management is driven by our risk assessment and mitigation process, so the outcome is designed and intended to take the organisation or the business process to a better place.
Sofema Aviation Services offers online and classroom-based Safety Management System training courses for aviation organisations, airports, and regulators.
For more information, please email us at team@sassofia.com
