6
SCHWERPUNKT
_INTERVIEW
PERSONALquarterly 02/15
PERSONALquarterly:
What was your last change-related project
that you actively have worked on and what was your role in this
project?
Rune Todnem By:
Many of my change-related projects are on-
going. For example, together with a world leading editorial
board I am working hard at establishing Routledge’s Journal
of Change Management as the number one academic jour-
nal focusing on organisational change. Currently I am also
collaborating with colleagues on a second edition of the
book Managing Organizational Change in Public Services.
What I am hoping to achieve through these efforts is a
change of perception, attitude and culture. First, organi-
sational change can never be managed or led in isolation.
It is part of all we do in organisations, and therefore has
implications for every practitioner and organisational stu-
dies scholar. Second, successful organisational change is
a shared responsibility where we all have an active role to
play. Third, successful change will happen through shared
ownership, responsibility, accountability and leadership.
However, with ‘leadership’ I am not simply referring to for-
mal or informal roles, but rather to an energy and capability
we all possess to some degree.
Furthermore, I am constantly working on enhancing a high-
er education culture where what we deliver is informed
by relevant industry experience and research in order to
meet the expectations and needs of our students. Research
is not an activity competing with teaching and learning in
universities, nor with operations, marketing and so on in
other organisations. Research is a core activity informing
and enhancing our greater purpose and competitiveness as
organisations.
My role in current and upcoming projects is becoming
more and more about creating opportunities for others,
and initiating, facilitating and leading on outputs introdu-
cing the complex challenges and facets of organisational
change to an ever-growing community of practitioners and
academics.
PERSONALquarterly:
Organisational change is a constant
challenge for most organisations. Which developments and
Change is a constant challenge
Das Interview mit
Professor Rune Todnem By
führte
Prof. Dr. Simone Kauffeld
events do force organisations to change, and what changes
do organisations typically need to tackle?
Rune Todnem By:
The world is growing smaller by the day
and we have to act quicker to news and developments than
ever before. However, this does not necessarily suggest that
more change is required. With a clear purpose and the
right people in place most changes should be absorbed in
the daily work.
Broadly speaking organisational change initiatives can be
categorised as being either structural or cultural. Structural
change is easy and anyone can do it. It provides us with a
quick-fix and measurable decisions. However, a structure
will only be as good as the weakest people within it. The
purpose of an organisational structure is to enable the indi-
viduals within the organisation to deliver to their full poten-
tial. The ‘right’ people will often deliver despite of working
within the ‘wrong’ structure, but the ‘right’ structure will
never deliver with the ‘wrong’ people.
One of the main challenges organisations need to tackle
is the fact that too many managers implement too many
changes too quickly – either because that is what they are
expected to do and/or in order to prepare their CV for the
next step up. It never ceases to amaze me the volume of
change being initiated even without having gone through
a diagnostic process providing answers to the questions
(1) Do we need to change? (2) If so, what change is required?
And (3) Which change is the best option for us in order to
achieve success? Change for the sake of change will even-
tually lead to change fatigue, and deteriorates rather than
improves an organisation’s ability to deliver in a competi-
tive environment.
Organisations need to focus on organisational effectiveness
(ensuring we are doing what we are supposed to do) before
moving on to efficiency (ensuring we are delivering the
best possible product/service of the highest quality with
the best possible utilisation of resources available to us).
Hence, decisions about purpose, direction, people, risks
and priorities must be made before changing any struc-
ture. If you want a quick-fix, change the structure (again).
However, if you are interested in sustainable, medium to
