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As part of the Human Resource Management (HRM) Programme for ExecutiveOfficers (EOs) I and II, the Management and Executive Development Centre of theHong Kong Polytechnic University arranged a visit on 11 January 2012 to the MassTransit Railway Corporation Limited (MTRC) as well as its training centre at theMTRC Kowloon Bay Depot for EOs to understand the MTRC corporate culture andits HRM strategy. MTRC senior management also shared their valuable experienceregarding management changes resulting from the merger of the MTRC and theKowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC), and the development of corporateculture within the merged MTRC.The MTRC was established in 1975 and waslisted in 2000. December 2007 also markeda major milestone when KCRC operationswere merged with the MTRC (Rail Merger),heralding a new era in the development ofHong Kong railways. The Rail Merger presentedhuge challenges to Human Resources (HR) interms of integrating all staff from two distinctcompanies – the MTRC and the KCRC - andrealising synergies through applied HRMstrategies. Valuable lessons were learnt on howto address staff fears and achieve harmoniousstaff relations in this exercise.As in many re-organisation exercises, thegeneric staff fears are related to job security,fairness of selection, changes in terms andconditions of employment, adaptation to newworking environment, change of work culture,etc. There are five interrelated approaches totackle the fears:1. Staff communication as first priorityIn order to create a sense of ownership andfamiliarity among the affected staff, thereshould be constant and regular communicationsbetween staff and management so that the staffaffected are informed of the latest progress.In addition to such traditional communicationchannels as emails and notices, face-to-facecommunications should be arranged for all staffon each major HR milestone.12
2. Consistent key messages for staffTo assure staff of the reliability of management,consistent key messages should be disseminatedto staff. While telling the staff that changes areinevitable, they should be assured that trainingand support will be provided in order to enablethem to adapt to the “changed” environment.3. Engaging staff bodiesFormal staff consultation with the staff bodiesis encouraged. This aims to build a betterunderstanding of changes and how to achievethem. It also redirects energy towards supportingthe changes, rather than against them.4. Steering committees & task forcesHigh level steering committees and task forcesinvolving key stakeholders are needed. Membersof the steering committees and task forcesshould come with “caps in hand” and talk aboutwhat is best for the “changed” organisation.5. Develop strategies to address the fearManagement must first understand the fear andthen address that specific fear. There must befair and objective selection of the staff of the neworganisation. Appeal mechanism should be inplace. Where necessary, external consultantsmight be invited to assess and redesign theorganisation structure and job portfolios withinthe merged company.To conclude, the important factors of the HRstrategy for the management of change areparticipation, involvement, and open, early, fullcommunication with staff and not just imposingdecisions upon staff. By involving the staff, theyget to better understand the objectives of thechanges, and the workings of the new system,thus creating a feeling of ownership. The MTRCmerger experience is very useful to EOs who areinvariably the agents of change in governmentdepartments.Moreover, one of the key HR missions in themerged corporation is to foster a corporateculture. During the visit, we were requestedto point in the direction of Tsimshatsui in theseminar room. Without the presence of signaturebuildings, streets names and other tools, the 25attendees pointed in 25 different directions. Thissimple exercise demonstrated the key elementin fostering a corporate culture, which is to alignemployees with different values in the samedirection.As HR managers, our role should be to engagestaff to excel in various aspects and to steer themin the same direction. The four step approach inlaunching a Vision, Mission and Values (VMV)alignment and reinforcement campaign adoptedby the MTRC is inspiring. Different campaignsand channels help enhance staff awarenessand facilitate them to reflect on the VMV of theorganisation and generate insights for proactiveactions. Also, there are different rewards andcompetitions to recognise staff actions.The HR strategy adopted by MTRC hassuccessfully fostered a corporate culture thatstaff can learn from, grow and take pride in. Thisis the same sort of model we are looking for inthe civil service sector.Thanks to the valuable information sharing bysenior MTRC HR management, the MTRC visithas not only given me valuable insights intopractical HR strategies in the management ofchange but also consolidated my learning fromthe HRM Programme. I would highly recommendother fellow EOs to join similar programmes tolearn from corporations, which have succeeded inimplementing a culture change amidst immensedoubts, fears and possibly great resistance. Theexperience was definitely an eye-opening one.Yeung Yam Yam13
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