All change: Managing the TA transition

When you come into a new organisation as the Head of TA, people are, naturally, slightly uncomfortable: they are wondering what you’re like, whether you’ll like them, how much you’ll change things and whether they’ll like working with you. They’ll expect you to introduce changes and will consequently feel that what was done in the past was perhaps not up to your standards. While you are likely to be delighted by your new job, remember that while the introduction of a new Head of TA ought to be a moment of strength for a business, it’s also potentially a moment of weakness where things can (and sometimes do) fall apart very quickly. This particularly applies when the business itself is undergoing rapid and far-reaching change and looking to grow substantially.

Now, you, of course, are paid to make judgements and introduce any changes to the recruitment function that you believe are essential to support the wider business’s plans.? You need to remember though, that change for change’s sake, or just to demonstrate that a new broom sweeps clean, is worthless: any changes you introduce have to be done for the right reasons. This is where things can go badly awry: the main reason why brilliant recruitment strategies break is because change around them is not well managed.??

To ensure that any changes you do make are effective, you must begin with a root and branch evaluation of the baseline data – attrition, future hiring needs, time to hire, etc.? If you simply make changes based on assumptions or (and this is a frequent cause of problems) based on what worked well elsewhere, you’re setting yourself up to fail.? It’s a bit like a new Premier League football manager who brings in some of his old players from his old club and then wonders why they don’t perform in their new setting. Instead, you have to do the hard yards and get to know your new work environment, its processes, policies (and yes, politics) and start as you mean to go on, by gathering the data you will need to set the baseline from which to track the impact of your changes.?

Concomitant with this data gathering and analysis, you need to hit the ground running with the TA team. They’re the ones with (you hope) the answers to all your questions, so empower them, listen to them (use skip meetings, especially if you have a large team – but don’t over-communicate) and, where necessary, upskill them. Quickly identify the stars and get them to carry any doubters forward. If people don’t accept or won’t buy-in to change then they, and you, will fail. Decisive action is required: the TA market is very buoyant at present though, so they won’t be out of work for long.? Consider the use of the Kubler Ross Change Curve: a well-established model that compartmentalises the stages of grief following bereavement but is now often used to help businesses and individuals come to terms with systemic and urgent change. Ultimately, your goal with the TA team is to get them to take ownership of any changes you initiate.?

That said, it’s not just about the need to get your TA team to buy-into and understand their part in bringing about systemic change: one thing that is vital in managing the transition to a new strategy is the need to keep your recruitment machine running, regardless of its current effectiveness (or lack thereof).?I liken this to trying to design a new car at the same time as you’re driving your current one. Take your eyes off the road and disaster ensues…

You will almost certainly be inheriting an existing TA tech stack. The best TA Heads are extremely conversant with recruitment technology and aware that, as well as all the snake-oil, there is a lot of very good kit out there.? However, given the need to keep the current recruitment plates spinning, this is a project that requires a bit of time. Ask yourself, does the development of a new TA tech stack add value or increase the administration duties of the TA team?? Also, consider new software in relation to any existing HR tech and the compatibility, or otherwise, of each system.??

And, as if you don’t have enough on your plate, you need to have a comprehensive grasp of the wider business. This means you’ll need quickly to develop sound relationships with other senior managers in order to set expectations and ensure they too buy-in to change and your short, medium and long-term deliverables. In these early weeks and months, planning and implementation are, in my view, arguably as important, if not more so, than the ideas that underpin them. If you are worth your salt, you should have a raft of good ideas anyway and a company that has embarked on a period of hyper-growth should itself be fizzing with energy and loads of good initiatives.? That’s good, but sometimes people get carried away, which is why I believe it’s very important to ask “why?” at least three times before suggesting solutions. If you can’t answer your own questions, you won’t be able to sell your ideas across the company, thus ensuring their adoption, if it goes ahead, is flawed (at best).?

As I suggested above, a new role as Head of TA at a company undergoing rapid change is both exhilarating and fraught with difficult challenges.? But that, of course, is where your experience and knowledge - to say nothing of your personal drive, determination and enthusiasm - will kick in. Good luck!