Managing Change Process in UK Post-Brexit

This article discusses the steps taken by UK Prime Minister to manage change process post-Brexit. It covers the challenges faced and strategies used for effective change management. The article also highlights the critical lesson learned from the Brexit scenario.

Running Head: BREXIT 1
BUSINESS
STUDENT’S NAME
COURSE
UNIVERSITY
DATE

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Table of Contents
1.0 .INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................................3
2.0 .Managing the change process............................................................................................................4
2.1. Contingency planning.........................................................................................................................4
2.2. Participative leadership......................................................................................................................6
3.0. Current challenges of faced in the process of change management................................................6
4.0. The steps that might be used in the strategic change management in UK.....................................7
5.0. Current challenges in leadership faced by the UK prime minister.................................................8
6.0. Critical lesson...................................................................................................................................8
7.0 Conclusion............................................................................................................................................9
8.0 References..........................................................................................................................................10
1.0 .INTRODUCTION

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The term Brexit is commonly used to refer to the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the
European Union (martins, 2017). Brexit literally means British Exit. The UK has been affiliated
to European Union since 1973. Throughout the years, it has been paying contributions into the
European Union and received some membership benefits in return. Some of the benefits for
being a member of the European Union are: privileges for having an access to the European
single market, freedom of trade between member countries, freedom of movement between
member countries. In the year 2016, the United Kingdom held a public referendum to decide
whether to leave the European Union or not. The results of the referendum depicted that more
than half the voters wanted Britain to exit. The British government did a campaign to convince
the people to stay in European Union due to many benefits more so the economic benefit but it
was all in vain (Chalmers, 2017). The people wanted to have a centralized decision making
system where the decisions they make on various aspects affecting their life in UK should be
based on their representatives in UK but not outside Europe. Public safety was another issue
where lack of restrictions on migration from some of the Eastern European countries and Middle
East countries would jeopardize the national peace and the well-being of the United Kingdom
citizens. The campaign succeeded and led to the resignation of the David Cameron who was the
prime minister who never wanted to lead his nation throughout the exit process from the EU
(Dallago, 2016). Theresa May succeeded David Cameron as the new prime minister and started
the negotiation process.

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2.0 .Managing the change process
Following the Brexit incidence, there is a small degree of certainty about the future of the United
Kingdom (de Witte, 2017). As a result the financial institutions have built their operational goals
so as to overcome the economic crisis expected as a result of the Brexit move. The Brexit move
is not yet enforced as negotiations are still in progress till 16th march 2019. Throughout this
period, negotiations are in progress between the UK government and the European Union to
foster the relationship that existed before to enhance the continuous support from the EU even
though not maximum benefits. The prime minister is also doing a series of activities so as to
prepare the nation for the new change that is coming next year on 16th march after the
implementation of the Brexit move. Some of the activities are as outlined below:
2.1. Contingency planning
The prime minister has been holding various meetings with her key members of the cabinet on
the effective ways of operations after the implementation of the Brexit move so as to prepare
psychologically for the worst that might occur (Seo, 2011). Contingency planning is basically the
process involved in building a procedure so as to be prepared for the worst event that might
occur as a result of a given action.

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According to Madanipour (2010) some of the steps that can followed during the contingency
planning process are:
a) Determination of some of unfavorable events
The prime minister with her cabinet are having several meetings to determine on how the nation
shall survive especially after the economic down fall that shall be experienced as a result of the
implementation of the Brexit move. Some of the anticipated outcomes as a result of the exit are:
 Lack of financial support from the EU
 Lack of security backups in case of worst occurrences such as terror attacks
 Movement between U.K and Europe would be difficult and the extra administration
costs will lead to increased costs.
 The hospitality industry will be negatively be affected. This is because of
interdependence of the travel industry and hospitality industry.
b) Determination of the alternative courses of action
The prime minister together with her team should determine the
measures to be taken so as to deal with some of the major impacts as a
result of implementation of Brexit.
c) Assessing the extent of the impact
The prime minister and her team should try to assess the extent of the
impact of the Brexit on various sectors of the economy and look on the
precautionary measures to take.

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2.2. Participative leadership
The prime minister has to involve all his team in the decision regarding the future of the nation
after the Brexit. This is very effective because it enhances the brainstorming of ideas which
enhances effective results.
3.0. Current challenges of faced in the process of change management
Some of the challenges faced by the prime minister in the process of change management in the
UK are as outlined below:
Lack of maximum support from the stake holders
The prime minister might lack the support of some of the stake holders in the government during
the transition process. This include some of the members of parliament from the north who really
supported the idea.
Fear of the unknown
Some of the people might fear the change that shall be implemented due to the uncertainty of the
future. The change might be fruitful and marvelous but the fear among the people might make it
appear bad.

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4.0. The steps that might be used in the strategic change management in UK
The Brexit scenario came as a shock for a few individuals in the United Kingdom, Theresa May
has to use the following procedure to ensure that some of the changes adopted thereafter follow
the following procedure:
Creation of urgency for need for change
The prime minister should convince the citizens why they need to accept the new status and
leave everything under the control of her government which is very able to tackle the situation
accordingly.
Defining the vision
The government should define its vision for the action so as to give the people the new direction
after the Brexit so as to enhance confidence among the citizens.
Seeking the support of key stake holders
The prime minister and her cabinet should strive to obtain the maximum support of key stake
holders in the process of change. This is crucial because the key stake holders shall play a crucial
role in convincing a few individuals who are trying to resist the change process.

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5.0. Current challenges in leadership faced by the UK prime minister
Theresa may is facing a lot of challenges as a result of her Brexit deal as outlined below:
Lack of support from the majority of the Members of parliament who casted a vote of no
confidence against her with the intention of uprooting her from power but luckily she survived.
She has been criticized by her party over her negotiations in Brexit plan.
She on toes in the negotiation process with the Brussels over the Brexit plan that was initiated in
2016 as she wants come March 29th 2019, UK, should remain as the member of EU but she is
facing much opposition.
6.0. Critical lesson
Leading and managing change in the organization is not an easy task. It requires perseverance
and commitment. It requires a strong heart especially when facing opposition among people. An
individual needs to standout and focus on his or her target and go for it. The people in the United
Kingdom were no longer interested to be part of the EU, this was a critical change in UK which
was not accepted by all. The Prime Minister Theresa May is proceeding with some negotiations
to see whether the decision can be reverse due to the benefits of being a member but people need
change which has even almost cost her job.

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7.0 Conclusion
Managing change in the organization is very important especially if the change is critical.
Leaders should not try to use their own means to prevent the people from achieving what they
want. They should give an idea a trial before coming up with conclusions in relation to the
change that the people want. Theresa May should stop the negotiations and wait for the
implementation of Brexit on March 29th in 2019, this might come with some advantages for the
people and the nation at large with cannot be seen at the moment.

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8.0 References
Chalmers, D. (2017). LSE Law Brexit Special #4: Trade after Brexit. SSRN Electronic Journal,
pp.56-58.
Dallago, B. (2016). The future of European integration and Brexit: Is Brexit only Brexit? Acta
Oeconomica, 66(s1), pp.111-136.
De Witte, F. (2017). LSE Law Brexit Special #1: Negotiating Brexit. SSRN Electronic Journal,
pp.65-80.
Madanipour, A. (2010). Connectivity and contingency in planning. Planning Theory, 9(4),
pp.351-368.
Martins, H. (2017). Brexit Means Brexit – But What Does Brexit Mean? Political Insight, 8(1),
pp.3-3.
Seo, M. (2011). Comparative cultural research Interaction usage by following task based on
Fiedler’s contingency theory of leadership. Journal of the HCI Society of Korea, 6(1), p.17.