ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the skills of change management which are concerned with dealing with people. It is possible to take a strict textbook view of the skills of managing change, and identify a whole range of artifices like planning, budgeting, leadership, team-building, communication and so on, which will provide a snapshot of the desirable skills base for managing change. If there is one single skill which a manager needs to develop in order to manage change effectively, it is the skill of establishing trust. Trust can also be founded on the functions and characteristics of the networks which exist inside the organization, whether formal or informal. A manager's self-awareness does not stop at honest assessment of personal strengths and weaknesses, and the ability to see oneself from the perspective of others. In an examination of prevailing political cultures, T. Bentley refers to the belief that strong leadership can be the most important factor in envisioning and creating change.
