There has been plenty said historically about human nature being resistant to change. That rhetoric has only increased in the mining sphere as executives, faced with an unprecedented volume of distinct challenges, attempt to reshape their businesses for the future.

 

"Part of this is also the speed of change in our lives, that is, the speed of technology change," Proudfoot head of natural resources Jon Wylie told Mining Journal.

 

"As technology is advancing at an exponential rate - using Moore's law - meets organisational structures that are changing at a logarithmic rate, we have an increasing gap between demand for change such as improved technology uptake and the capability of organisations to manage complex change."

 

The result is a reported failure rate for these transformation programmes of about 70%. One of the chief reasons rolled out for this failure is the tired old line about a change-resistant workforce half-heartedly executing the plans of the leadership group.

 

However, a study completed recently by Proudfoot that interviewed middle-management personnel across the world indicated that this was a grossly oversimplified response to a complex challenge.

 

"When you look at senior executives down to mid-level managers, there aren't a lot of people who have successfully gone through a transformation process end-to-end," Proudfoot chief executive Pamela Hackett told Mining Journal. 

 

"And so we get a little bit upset when we hear people speaking negatively about the fact transformation programmes have failed - a lot of people haven't had the opportunity to develop the necessary skills so it should be expected that delivery is going to be difficult."

 

The Proudfoot study showed 87% of middle-managers were keen to be involved in the change process, while 72% of respondents described their commitments to making change happen as ‘very high'. 

 

 

However, more than half of middle-managers admitted feeling helpless, adrift of the change priorities and unclear of how to participate in the change process. Only 38% had faith that the transformation programme in which they were involved would be successfully executed.

 

"Management and leadership have to do a better job at getting employees involved and not just disregard them as unwilling to accept transformative processes," Hackett said.

 

She said employees often had too many "spinning plates and initiatives" in play at any one time without a clear idea of how they fit together for an overall objective. 

 

"What you're going after and why has to be very clearly explained and linked back to the big picture. The benefits case has to explained properly - not just talking about numbers but explaining those numbers to make the case for change, be it financially or operationally," Hackett said.

 

"We're big believers that aspiration is as important as execution. A big part of engaging the workforce in a change programme is to discuss where the change will take the employee, not just the business. This may sound simplistic, but management often does not talk about why the change is good for an employee from either a skills or capability perspective, or they don't demonstrate how it will be a build a stronger business for the future.

 

"Crowd sourcing through this process is critical - getting everyone's thumbprint on the change process. That ensures those charged with executing specific programmes feel part of not only those programmes but the overall objectives.

 

"This has to be done before the programme has started, then quickly and continuously as it moves through to completion - it can be an iterative process but it has to move forward quickly."

 

This, of course, is not straight forward. To create an environment where an entire workforce is enabled and moving forward at speed toward a clear objective requires a change in management technique. This is particularly true for middle management, which provides the link between the leadership group and the greater organisation. 

 

A first step, according to Hackett, should be a basic reorganisation to free up capacity. "So much time is spent trouble shooting and running about trying to fix things that you can't free up any spare capacity to think," she said. 

 

 

"And it's not about time management or standing in a room together hugging each other and having ‘thinking time', it's about taking that first step to make smaller changes that make the business run better and therefore make it easier to manage."

 

Then, the management structure itself needs to change so everyone from the executive committee down to supervisors and team leaders start thinking about management in three dimensions: management of individuals; management of the organisation; and management of one's self.

 

This requires a cultural shift away from a traditional, top-down management structure where people are reporting in to those above them whom are "checking up", to a flatter structure where people are empowered and and management is  "checking in" to assist with progress.

 

And, finally, for the leadership group and executive specifically, there is a need to think not only in the present but in the future, too. "That should be standard business practice today," Hackett said. 

 

"You can't be so insular that you're focused on your department and your business. You have to be able to see the bigger picture so you are not only delivering results in the current environment but preparing the business for the future. 

 

"That's about everything from operational transformation to digital and technological transformation through to transformation through big capital projects."

 

It is the major change to the overall business environment that is forcing this shift in thinking and which represents a far more dynamic management environment than miners have been traditionally used to. 

 

In this new paradigm, managers must get used to accepting a certain level of chaos and develop the skills to think on their feet.

 

"The secret weapon in all this is your middle management and supervisors," Hackett said. "These people can be the superstars of leading a business forward if they are set up properly for success. 

 

"These people are the link between the executives and the feet on the ground; they are the link between aspiration and execution. 

 

"All the vision in the world is great but if that middle-management level is not engaged to get the message down to the front line and get the processes executed then transformation will get left cold.

 

"Creating and managing change is an organisational muscle - you can develop methods and capabilities to create your change model, which is how an organisation creates and propagates change. 

 

"The more you do it the easier it becomes."