Organisation Change and Risk Management

Dear Colleagues,

Organisational change management, its leadership and risk management issues have always been important. However, now more than ever before, these topics have even more currency, significantly affecting all organisations, businesses and societies in terms of survival, resilience, culture, strategy, and management practices, in a volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous, and diverse (VUCAD) world, still in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Models of planned organisational change at micro and macro levels in confronting a wide range of debilitating natural disasters have been found to be wanting given the short time frames and complexities involved.  Consequently, we have witnessed an array of factors forcing national and global leaders to rethink and catalyse organisational change utilising rapid technology transitions, diverse human resources, and industrial relations approaches to political pressures and the failure of political leadership.  

What have we learnt at micro and macro levels, professional and personal, from these most significant, disruptive and unprecedented recent changes we have witnessed?  And how are such lessons being wrought in both theory and practice to ensure we are better prepared, well lead, and managed for the ‘new normal’ in which we find ourselves?  How can we be proactive rather than reactive?  How can we be prepared to face the challenges with innovative solutions and ground-breaking initiatives? 

We have witnessed many approaches to both change and risk management, and they have crossed countries of origin and epistemological and methodological diversity. Thus, many interpretations remain possible and the topic seems even more prescient as we move from the annus horribilis of 2020 into what many consider may be an even more challenging 2021.  

For at least over the last three decades, a myriad of academics, leaders, managers and consultants have tackled the challenges of change management.  This Special Issue gives contributors an opportunity to have their say in this dynamic and crucial arena. Though not limited to the issues cited below, these may suggest a flavour of interest to contributors:

• What is the role of risk in change management?
• Are current change management risks and controls effective?
• What is the nexus between risk management and change management?
• What are the key risks in current change methodology?
• How do we identify and prioritise change risk factors such as leadership, culture, and communication?
• What are the change aspects currently in risk control models?
• What risk variables affect the readiness for organisation change?
• How can we best manage risk for successful change management?
• The role of organisational decision making is vitally affected by change risk assessment
• What are the best ways of assessing business change risks and empowering leaders and key stakeholders to make appropriate decisions concerning organisational change projects?
• What are the risks inherent in diverse change models, including their philosophical base, and change focus?
• What can risk assessment methods and models contribute to more effective change management models and processes?
• Do effective change management approaches become cost- and risk-mitigation tactics?
• What are the true costs and risks of ineffective change management at diverse organisational and societal levels?
• What is the role of risk communication in change management?
• What part does reputation management play in change management risk?
• How effective is a risk-based approach to change management in organisations or society?
• What are the unintended consequences of major organisation or societal changes?
• What are the best change management risk response strategies?
• Can the academic–practitioner divide be minimised in the development of innovative solutions?
• What are the key missing elements in change management and risk management?
• What are new and innovative models of leadership and risk management?
• Many live quiet lives of desperation in toxic organisational cultures. What innovative frameworks can change management contribute to such cultures?
• Just like countries, organisations have influential political leaders that shape internal cultures. Can change management propose innovate solutions for such organisations given the long-term risks of such leaders?
• In a VUCAD world, how can we find and develop VUCA leaders with Vison, Understanding, Courage and Adaptability?
• As we enter the decade of machine learning, bio-identity control, smart robots, conscious computers, cyber insurance, and artificial intelligence will become a normal part of life. What is the new risk profile or individuals and organisations? 
• We are all familiar with one or more of these companies (collectively known as GAFAM – Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple and Microsoft). What are the solutions from a risk perspective as we interact more deeply with these companies?  

Assoc. Prof. David Rosenbaum
Prof. Dr. Elizabeth More
Dr. David Paul
Guest Editors

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• Change Management 
• Risk management 
• VUCAD 
• Risk responses 
• Key change variables 
• Organisational culture 
• Organisational Politics 
• Change leadership