Due to rapid, continuous and radical changes, today, the environment becomes more and more unpredictable and unclear. Thus, in order to be successful and continue to exist organisations are to live with the change, predict, benefit from and manage it. Organisational change could be defined as the process or existing organisational structure and operations as well as the effort to change the behaviours of the most members in the organisation to a great extent. It could also be said that change related issues are mostly about people and the success of the change depends on the attitudes and behaviours of the people and the Human Resources strategies, policies and operations developed considering the need of the change. The HR issues such as planning, staffing, performance evaluation, training and development, price and appraisal, motivation, culture, communication, involvement and commitment are all related to the areas in which change is needed. It could be said that HR is a strategic element in change and should be proactive. This chapter is on the role of HR in change. Change itself, the human characteristics of change, the importance and the role of HR in change, the literature review of some HR models used in change and what HR should do in change will be summarised.
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It is possible to talk about many meanings of the change. For example, transition from one situation to another, translocation, movement, development, divergence from traditional and cliché systems of thought, development of methods that will provide higher efficiency and effectiveness, growth, etc. Change is to bring a system from one condition (level) to another. It is a transformation and differentiation observed in the nature, society, individual, unit, and structures like organisations. (Koçel, 2010; Eren, 2010; Özkalp and Kırel, 2009; Dinçer, 1992). In summary, the change can be defined as not to remain in the same situation, but to switch into a different form or situation, to do differently, or to create difference.
Organisational change means all kinds of change that may occur within various sub-systems and elements of an organisation, as well as in relations among them. This change may occur in human behaviours, organisational strategy, structure and processes, as well as in methods of doing business, and in technology, etc. Purpose of the organisational change is to enable adaptation to the changing internal and external environmental conditions, increase effectiveness and efficiency, ensure continuity of the organisation’s existence, development, growth, achievement of competitive edge, and becoming more active, etc. Furthermore, increasing the morale, motivation, skills and abilities of employees, creation of the environment for innovations, and ensuring that they cooperate and in solidarity, etc. are also among the purposes of the organisational change (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2013; Luecke, 2009; Daft, 2003; Dinçer,1992).