DMA organizes a seminar for managing change in the public sector

As part of its commitment to enhance knowledge management, to encourage creativity and innovation among employees of the municipal system, and to shed light on the concept of change within the public sector, the office of knowledge management “Musharaka” at the Department of Municipal Affairs (DMA) organized a seminar entitled “Managing Change in the Public Sector.”   This seminar was presented by Professor Aidan Berry, Dean at Brighton Business School in the United Kingdom.

The Seminar was attended by representatives from  other governmental entities, research and development centres, and private companies.   Various causes of the change in the public sector and means to manage the change were discussed.  The need to set up change requirements and the main goals to be achieved were highlighted, focusing on the need to define evaluation procedures, instruments to analyze and measure the success of any change process, and the challenges that might occur.  

Professor Aidan Berry also noted that every changing operation has to be accompanied by analysis of the possible impact on any organization and its employees.

Professor Aidan Berry added that organizations are subject to continuous changing operations for many reasons.  Some of these can be summarised in the need to develop and reorganise, other reasons are mergers and acquisitions, downsizing.  Professor Berry also noted how organizations and people differ; some respond and some resist.

For any changing operation to succeed, the Dean at Brighton Business School said: “We have to know who made the decision of change, is it the Chief executive or senior management team, in addition to knowing the scale and scope of the change and who is affected by the change.”

Professor Aidan Berry mentioned that without appropriate communications, change initiatives will fail.  Proper communication and involving people in the change process will ensure the success of the process, bearing in mind key players who will influence the process within the organization or the strategic partners and stakeholders.