Primer for Airport Organizational Redesign (2022)

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46 As airport leaders contemplate their redesign needs, outline a strategic plan to guide the changes necessary, and articulate clear objectives, they should also dedicate attention to mapping out a change management strategy to guide transitions that are part of the redesign plans. To promote the adoption of changes and sustainability related to those changes, the steps the airport takes to enact any of these recommendations will be critical. Any effective approach to change manage­ ment, regardless of the scale of the change, involves the steps depicted in Figure 4­1. By thinking through each of these change management steps and mapping out tailored com­ munications that support each phase of the change process, leadership can help minimize resis­ tance to change from the onset. Several of the recommendations emphasize the importance of clearly identifying what needs to change as part of the redesign, why those changes are important, and the intended goals of the redesign. Thus, early conversations with organizational leadership and staff are important. All personnel should be aware of the upcoming changes, and messaging must be consistent, clear, and timely—in advance of initiating the redesign. In communicating about the upcoming changes, begin with leadership and staff who will be affected most directly. Then, create messag­ ing and keep leaders accountable for disseminating messaging in a timely manner. Communi­ cating early and involving personnel in the decision­making around the redesign will encourage staff to be more receptive to the change, leading to potentially useful feedback and fostering a positive response to eventual implementation. By mapping out the reasons for change, airport leaders can then begin to articulate the reason or case for the changes. Personnel are often suspicious of change because it happens frequently, often without clear direction, and seemingly with little regard for how it impacts the daily lives of workers. The first step to making a “case for change” is understanding the risks and benefits of the change. Identifying how the change will improve access to resources, decision­making capacity, developmental opportunities, and the work environment is the best way to help stake­ holders recognize why the change is necessary. It is also important to recognize the potential downsides of the change and address them head­on. Reflect on potential risks, such as implementation barriers or new issues that could emerge as a result of implementing the recommendation(s) from this primer. In this process, weigh the benefits and risks against each other and develop arguments for why the change should be pursued—even with the risks. While developing these arguments, it may also be ben­ eficial to think of contingency plans if the risks occur. After considering the risks and benefits, schedule a series of conversations or roundtable ses­ sions with stakeholders and the broader workforce. In these conversations, be receptive to any hesitations participants may have, have a dialogue about the benefits and risks, and be open to incorporating suggestions they may have. C H A P T E R   4 How to Navigate Organizational Redesign and Apply Recommendations

How to Navigate Organizational Redesign and Apply Recommendations 47   After engaging with these individuals and solidifying the goals and plan for change, return to interested individuals who could be champions for the change. Having several staff members, particularly from middle­ and upper­level leadership, who embrace the change and are ready to lead by example will help when implementing the change. In planning for change, it is important to consider the airport’s readiness for change. Every airport has unique characteristics and a distinct culture that can make implementing change easy or difficult. To evaluate how ready an organization is to change, it is valuable to reflect on several topics as described in the following text. What are the airport’s culture and value system around change? • Does the airport’s culture explicitly or implicitly advocate for change? Having a workplace culture that openly supports and values change may lead to a smooth process when intro­ ducing redesign concepts. If the culture does not encourage change, recognize that this may present challenges when trying to convince others to adopt the changes. What is the organization’s capacity for change? • How much change is already taking place at the organization? If substantial changes are already occurring, consider how introducing new redesign plans might create angst among an already unsettled workforce. The frequency with which the airport has undergone changes could also affect the current tolerance the workforce has for change. How supportive is all leadership of the redesign plans? • To what extent are stakeholders and leadership supportive of the proposed changes? Having senior­level advocates that actively support the change is crucial for a smooth implementation and for encouraging staff to adopt the changes. How have past changes been at the organization? • What is the organization’s history with change? It is important to evaluate the organization’s history to identify whether past negative experiences could result in roadblocks or whether past positive experiences may make the organization even more receptive to change. To support implementation of the redesign, it is valuable to design a communication plan to accompany the rollout of the changes. This communication plan should, at a minimum, specify: • Individuals affected by the changes (e.g., employees, stakeholders, industry partners). • Communication content based on audience (e.g., employees, the public). • Method for delivering communications based on audience (e.g., social media, internal email). • Communication schedule for each audience. • Communication leads (i.e., individuals who will manage the communication plan). Before fully engaging in the implementation of a complete system overhaul or a new set of processes, airports should consider piloting the planned changes on a small scale with a subset of Figure 4-1. Steps to change management.

48 Primer for Airport Organizational Redesign the organization, such as a small workgroup. For each division or area that will be impacted by the change, it is important to identify a “change owner” or “implementation lead.” These leads will become the individuals responsible for ensuring the changes take effect as intended and provide immediate feedback to leadership when additional support is needed to make progress. If unexpected challenges occur when implementing any of these recommendations, imple­ mentation leads should revisit the step­by­step guidance provided herein and make small adaptations to plans as needed. Showing that the pilot phase is a success will help encourage organization­wide support and enthusiasm for the full scope of changes planned. For example, if a small subset of maintenance employees report that they enjoy participating in knowledge­ sharing forums to discuss using new technologies to perform their jobs, other maintenance workers may be eager for this strategy to be implemented throughout the entire occupational group. Finally, once the recommendation is implemented and redesign changes have taken full effect, it is important for the airport to continue to monitor progress and the impact of changes. Often residual effects on employee engagement and turnover are not observed until months or even a year later. Thus, frequent pulse surveys and focus group meetings to gather insights on the employee experience and identify any emerging issues and skill gaps can help inform when miti­ gation strategies are necessary to lessen the impact of the changes.

Abbreviations and acronyms used without denitions in TRB publications: A4A Airlines for America AAAE American Association of Airport Executives AASHO American Association of State Highway Officials AASHTO American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials ACI–NA Airports Council International–North America ACRP Airport Cooperative Research Program ADA Americans with Disabilities Act APTA American Public Transportation Association ASCE American Society of Civil Engineers ASME American Society of Mechanical Engineers ASTM American Society for Testing and Materials ATA American Trucking Associations CTAA Community Transportation Association of America CTBSSP Commercial Truck and Bus Safety Synthesis Program DHS Department of Homeland Security DOE Department of Energy EPA Environmental Protection Agency FAA Federal Aviation Administration FAST Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (2015) FHWA Federal Highway Administration FMCSA Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration FRA Federal Railroad Administration FTA Federal Transit Administration GHSA Governors Highway Safety Association HMCRP Hazardous Materials Cooperative Research Program IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers ISTEA Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 ITE Institute of Transportation Engineers MAP-21 Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (2012) NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASAO National Association of State Aviation Officials NCFRP National Cooperative Freight Research Program NCHRP National Cooperative Highway Research Program NHTSA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NTSB National Transportation Safety Board PHMSA Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration RITA Research and Innovative Technology Administration SAE Society of Automotive Engineers SAFETEA-LU Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (2005) TCRP Transit Cooperative Research Program TDC Transit Development Corporation TEA-21 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (1998) TRB Transportation Research Board TSA Transportation Security Administration U.S. DOT United States Department of Transportation

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