NAVAIR’s Change Management Enterprise Team is set for action

By Jennifer Young
TEAM Public Affairs, Patuxent River

Implementing change is a large project for even the most nimble corporation, but changes on the scale that NAVAIR is planning are daunting to say the least. Having the right team to ease the workforce into the testy waters of change can make all the difference in the world.

NAVAIR has been experiencing rapid change for nearly 10 years. The workforce has seen many change initiatives including ABC, BPR, and now ERP. To assist in the process of implementing change efficiently, the national Change Management Enterprise Team has been formed.

NAVAIR’s Change Management Enterprise Team is on the job, helping the workforce through the myriad of changes that lay ahead. An enterprise team operates similar to an IPT; it’s a group of people working together to solve a problem -- this problem happens to be the transition to truly becoming One TEAM.

The NAVAIR change team has a clear goal: to address the human side of change. "I’ve seen change done without regard to the human side of the equation and it is very hard. We’re here to address the people element and hopefully make the changes easier to implement to get the most benefit from our investment" said Traci Maddox, Change Management Enterprise Team lead.

NAVAIR’s diverse workforce, with 30,000 people spread over eight sites can make any transition a difficult task even with the best technology. Employing site change management representatives is part of the plan to get the right information to the right people.

"The change management reps are key to keeping the sites from being bombarded with the myriad of change initiatives. They are able to help their leadership and workforce understand the magnitude of the changes and how they can be efficiently implemented," said Tom Florip, executive director for contracts and change management executive sponsor.

The change team is comprised of people from every NAVAIR site. Reps from the sites bring their site-specific concerns with them to the table. "Every site has a different culture," Maddox said. "The site reps are invaluable. They really let us know what works and what doesn’t at their site" Maddox added.

The national team works as a cohesive unit to inform and engage the workforce. "We’re here, we’re accessible and we’re available," said Scott Foisy, head of the Combat Environment Simulation Division and Naval Air Warfare Center change management representative. "We have individual site reps, but we work in a very cohesive way."

The team is hard at work identifying those members of the TEAM who will be most affected by the change initiatives such as ERP, Balanced Scorecard and BPR; and how to best communicate the changes and benefits to the targeted groups. The site reps are developing networks of local change agents to assist in implementing change initiatives.

To find the change representative at your site or to request assistance with a TEAM change initiative, please contact 301-757-2334. To learn more about Change Management and the NAVAIR Program Management pilot click on the Processes Web site at http://processes.navair.navy.mil/1chng_mgmt.html