In today’s competitive and fast-moving business environment, for many organisations change is something which has almost come to be expected. How that change is managed, however, can either enhance or undermine the benefits which the change was originally intended to bring about. For those involved in change management it is important therefore to firstly ensure that change management skills are in place.

Arguably, the most fundamental skills required for the smooth implementation of change are those related to project management. Change usually involves many different areas of an organisation with many different needs, all moving forward together in a co-ordinated way.

A team with good project management skills will be able to take into account all the elements of an organisation likely to be affected by a particular change process, and will ensure that the needs and priorities of all those affected are dealt with comprehensively.

Although project management skills may appear to the uninitiated to be relatively easy to attempt, in practice it is only through participation in accredited training courses that they can be applied in any meaningful way.

A second set of skills associated with successful change management pertains to being able to secure the willing co-operation and active involvement of staff; change cannot simply be enforced on employees against their will.

This is not to say that disagreements and objections can be simply ‘persuaded’ away. On the country, successful change management necessitates recognising and acknowledging the views of different employees and encouraging their participation in analysing the available options, and helping staff to accept a sense of shared responsibility towards organisational goals.

Professional training courses covering management skills in areas such as leadership, emotional intelligence, and negotiating, can be of major assistance when needing to engage with staff in this way.