Guidance

People Impact Assessment: a guide

Published 22 July 2014

Introduction

Some people find change difficult and react negatively. Others are fed up with what they see as constant or unnecessary change and disengage. Some people struggle to see how their contribution fits into the bigger picture. Understanding the impact of change on individuals is critical to maintaining engagement. This tool will help managers put people at the heart of change through listening, empowering and engaging them.

Background

Employee engagement is defined as ‘the difference between people coming to work and doing an adequate job, and people coming to work and really giving of their best, displaying creativity and using their initiative’. 

Civil Service engagement scores are a complex calculation based on responses to a number of questions in the People Survey. However, People Survey responses to key questions provide a good snapshot of what your people are thinking and feeling, for example:

• B01 – I am interested in my work
• B03 – My work gives me a sense of personal accomplishment
• B10 – My manager is considerate of my life outside work
• B13 - Overall, I have confidence in the decisions made by my manager
• B21 – The people in my team are encouraged to come up with new and better ways of doing things
• B24 – There are opportunities for me to develop my career in [my department]
• B40 – I feel that [my department] as a whole is managed well
• B45 – I feel that change is managed well in [my department]
• B50 – I am proud when I tell others I work for [my department]

Preparation: building on strong foundations

During preparation it’s important to consider the human aspects of change alongside KPIs, activities and outputs. In their report ‘Engaging for Success’, David MacLeod and Nita Clarke identified the four factors common to highly engaged teams - The four MacLeod Enablers – that will help plan your approach:

About the change:

• inputs: finances and resources put in to the system
• activities: the work undertaken to deliver the desired outputs
• outputs: the principle outputs and their measures that demonstrate contribution to the desired outcome
• outcomes: the results we are trying to achieve

About the people who achieve results

• Strategic Narrative - Leaders who:
  • have honest, open and sometimes difficult conversations
  • articulate the big picture and context for change so people understand why
  • tell people what they need to know and listen to what they have to say
  • challenge negative assumptions and behaviours
• Engaging Managers - who:
  • are local leaders
  • know their team as individuals and recognise their personal needs and circumstances
  • remain positive to changes
  • recognise and reward the contribution of others
  • are actively supported by their leaders and managers
• Employee Voice - The right environment where:
  • everyone is comfortable to share their thoughts and ideas
  • there are channels to tap into local expertise so changes are fit for purpose
  • people know their views count.
  • people are encouraged to find better ways of doing things
  • it is safe to challenge
• Integrity – The right environment where:
  • people are treated fairly and individual differences respected
  • values and behaviours are consistent across the organisation and grades
  • the right values and behaviours are as important as technical and intellectual ability
  • people feel valued for the work they do

Strategic narrative

Strategic narrative is about good leadership skills wherever you are in the organisation. It’s seeing the big picture and being able to communicate it with clarity, conviction and enthusiasm so others understand how their role and the changes they face fit with departmental objectives. It’s about establishing a culture of innovation where people are encouraged to contribute their ideas; where they can fulfil their potential and where working collaboratively and improving performance and customer service are the norm.

Questions to ask yourself:

• what’s my leadership style and how can I present myself authentically so I build trust?
• how does this change fit into the bigger picture?
• what key targets or objectives does it support?
• what are the reasons for the change?
• which are the important conversations and how will I handle them?
• what are the benefits our people and our organisation?
• how can I involve people? How can they share their views and how can I act on their feedback?
• how can I reward good behaviours and good work?

Engaging managers

What is an Engaging Manager? They are someone who focuses their people and gives them scope; who treats their people as individuals; and who coaches and stretches people too. They are the local leaders who explain the big picture so their teams see where they fit in. They plan, organise and manage their team’s time and activities to deliver a high quality service but balance this against individuals’ circumstances and needs. They recognise successes, coach and motivate their teams to give of their best.

Questions to ask yourself:

• what do my teams really value about working here? What frustrates them?
• how well do I know my team as individuals and can I get to know them better?
• where are the opportunities in this change to involve people and demonstrate that we value them?
• how can I encourage my team to share ways to improve the way we deliver this change?
• what aspects of this change offer opportunities for people to develop?
• what feedback channels can I put in place and how can I demonstrate that I’ve taken feedback into consideration or acted on it?
• as a leader, how can I develop my managers as engaging managers?

Employee voice

How do we harness our peoples’ experience, expertise and ideas? Employee voice throughout the organisation reinforces and challenges views. It enables sharing ideas and good practice between business areas and wider and it demonstrates that employees are seen as central to the solution. Encouraging people to share their views and ideas helps to improve business processes and customer service. It stimulates innovation and improves job satisfaction.

Questions to ask yourself:

• how can I create an environment where people are keen to share their views and ideas?
• are there channels in place for people to share their views and ideas through
• how can I involve people in change so we harness their experience and expertise and
• can you create a vision for your people of what successful implementation looks like so they can contribute their views?
• what can I learn from other successful and engaged teams?
• who might endorse and lead change at senior and / or local level?
• how do people’s jobs contribute to change?

Integrity: values and behaviours

Organisational integrity means that the values on the wall are reflected in the day to day behaviours. So it means ensuring that you model the right behaviours and values and challenge poor behaviours constructively when you come across them. It also means respecting individual differences and treating people with respect. It means creating an inclusive environment, that encourages collaboration and builds effective partnerships.

Questions to ask yourself:

• do you know how your leadership or management style impacts on others?
• are you modelling the right behaviours and values?
• are you challenging negative values and behaviours when you come across them?
• how will you approach difficult conversations to reflect the right values and behaviours?
• how can you build an environment that encourages and rewards integrity and inclusion?
• how can you build a team that is more resilient to change and to stress?
• how can you lead change constructively to build the right culture?