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British Airways Talent Management

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MANAGING CULTURAL CHANGE

Talent Management

British Airways (BA) was formed in 1974 by the merger of the British Overseas Airways Corp (BOAC) and the British European Airways (BEA). BA’s integration did not come without problems. By the early 1980’s BA generated debs in excess of £500m, staff discontent and customer dissatisfaction were common denominators across the operational equation and in 1980 the airline topped a list of airlines to be avoided at all costs.

The appointment of Sir Colin Marshall, chief executive during the period 1983-1995, brought winds of change at the distressed air company. Sir Colin Marshall identified that focusing merely on cost cutting would not …show more content…

External agents would transfer best practices methodology from the external business field to BA, which would have a huge impact on employee’s motivation and learning process. These consultants would devise new tools to be used within the organization to eliminate waste, in terms of non-value adding activities, and manage cultural differences in long run (Exhibit: 03).

The agents analyze the gaps and run the change effectively with standard metrics. Effective change agents involve actively in the change implementation process in short run and for long-term follow up. On the flip side, this alternative demands considerable financial investments from BA.

All management levels of BA should engage in the task of eliminating waste, which is time consuming and continually nurtured. This can be efficiently implemented through the creation of a change management team that is a combination of Internal and External change agents. This team would gain the necessary synergies that can address the internal issues and develop the skill-set required to improve productivity.
Exhibits
Exhibit: 01 Identifying the Right Strategy

Source: Managing Multicultural Teams by Jeanne Brett, Kristin Behfar & Mary C. Kern

Exhibit: 02 Internal Change Agent Plan

Exhibit: 03 External Change Agent Plan
Phase
Activities
Metrics
1.Prepare for the Change
Analyze BA Organization
Form the teams
Diversity
Employees work life balance
2.Run the

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