Appointing an Interim Change and Transition Lead to Drive HR Transformation in a High-Resistance Environment for a Public Sector Law Enforcement Organisation
The Brief
Future Leadership™ was engaged by a public sector law enforcement organisation to appoint an Interim Change and Transition Lead for their HR Transformation Programme.
The HR department faced systemic issues following two previously unsuccessful transformation attempts. With high levels of change fatigue and resistance, the Interim Lead was tasked with addressing pain points, designing and implementing a future-state HR service model, and fostering departmental engagement.
Key objectives included transitioning to a contemporary service model underpinned by data analytics, process efficiency, and customer-centric delivery.
The role demanded extensive experience in HR transformation, stakeholder management, and driving organisational change within complex and high-pressure environments.
Increase in General Management Skills
According to the American Management Association, only 14% of businesses consider themselves “well prepared” to handle a sudden loss in senior management. Add to that the fact that it takes at least four months to fill an executive role, and an Interim Executive experienced in operations makes a lot of sense!
Increase in Customer Experience Skills
These days experience is everything. What truly makes for a good experience? Speed. Convenience. Consistency. Friendliness. And human touch. Our Interim Executives deliver a great experience while improving your customer experience!
Increase in People & Culture Skills
Organisations are constantly changing as they respond to internal and external pressures. Continual process improvement can enable team engagement and lead to growth. Interim Executives bring fresh eyes and effective industry best practice to the execution.
Increase in Data Analytics
Complex challenges require critical thinking and in the age of information-overwhelm it is imperative to have analytical minds at the table. These skills range across finance, data science, systems and more. An Interim Executive can be the right person to optimise your inputs to maximise your output.
The Process
Future Leadership™ collaborated closely with the client to deliver a structured search process:
- Collaborative Briefing: Partnered with the leadership team to understand organisational challenges, desired outcomes, and the attributes of an ideal candidate.
- Targeted Search: Focused on identifying candidates with proven success in leading HR transformation within public sector and large-scale organisations.
- Rigorous Assessment: Evaluated candidates on their ability to drive sustainable change, manage resistance, and align transformation initiatives with organisational objectives.
- Strategic Placement: Appointed a seasoned interim executive with expertise in transformation, stakeholder engagement, and change leadership.
Key initiatives included facilitating workshops across functional units, addressing blockers with the Health and Wellbeing Team, and integrating systems automation, process optimisation, and customer-centric principles into the HR transformation plan.
Emerging Capabilities
Governance and Compliance
Establishes, champions, and measures the effectiveness of an organisation’s regulatory and reporting systems.
Adaptability and Resilience
Demonstrates positivity and agility in navigating change, high-pressure environments, and organisational transformation.
Stakeholder Relations
Builds and sustains trusted relationships with internal and external stakeholders, fostering collaboration and trust.
Critical Thinking
Gathers and examines diverse data points, presenting well-reasoned insights and reframing challenges to achieve strategic goals.
Strategy and Purpose
Develops and leads strategic initiatives, aligning program goals with broader organisational objectives and long-term vision.
The Outcome
The appointed Interim Change and Transition Lead delivered impactful outcomes, including:
- Strategic Planning: Developed a comprehensive functional work programme supported by leader-led implementation strategies and ongoing coaching initiatives.
- Engagement and Trust-Building: Transformed resistance into active engagement through inclusive workshops and transparent change management approaches.
- Operational Improvements: Introduced system-wide strategies, incorporating automation and process optimisation to enhance HR service delivery.
- Sustainable Change: Built departmental confidence by aligning transformation efforts with broader organisational goals and ensuring practical, achievable outcomes.
Feedback from the organisation’s leadership highlighted the interim executive’s ability to deliver lasting value, positioning the HR function as modern, agile, and customer-focused.
