PES network seminar : change management and continuous improvement : summary report

Public employment services (PES) are important actors in the economy because of the pivotal role they play in supporting employment and economic inclusion. For PES to be efficient and effective they need to react quickly to changing employment landscapes. Having the right change management approaches in place to enable this is crucial because it helps to create environments that equip employees with a shared understanding of i) why change is needed and ii) where the PES is going. Change can then be integrated into organisational practices as a continuous, evolving response at the centre of the PES, which helps them to become flexible 'learning' organisations. It is in this context that the PES Network Seminar 'Change Management and Continuous Improvement' took place on 4 October 2016 in Brussels. This event built on discussions from a first PES Network Seminar on Change Management, which took place in January 2016. As such, it provided PES with an opportunity to further explore the drivers of change, ways of overcoming barriers to change, staff as 'change agents', empowerment of middle managers, and how PES can move towards a culture of continuous improvement and become 'learning organisations'.