Engineering the Right Change Culture in a Complex (GB) Rail Industry

This paper focuses on an interview and observational study of two major change programmes, designed to transform workforce safety across Great Britain’s railways. The implications of the pace of change and the challenges of user-influenced design are considered in the context of a railway system where there are rapidly evolving technologies and need to consider the impact of co-operative work systems and the skills workers will need to engage with them. The study shows how things have changed over time since the programmes were first introduced, identifying the factors that have influenced this, such as a focus on a continuous improvement culture. Further research directions are proposed, including the need to identify the tools to help predict how future interventions in the change programmes might manifest themselves, e.g. the effects of new technology introduction, or factors outside of the organisation’s control such as Government policy change.