Shifting Sands: A Change Management Approach to a Flat, Employment Market
- Kerrie Smit
- Jun 19
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 23
The career ladder is looking less like a ladder and more like a climbing frame. In our present flat and fast-changing employment market, the traditional upward trajectory is no longer the only way to build a career. For individuals, this means a shift in mindset from vertical progression to horizontal growth and skill acquisition. For organisations, it demands a new approach to talent retention and development. And for change managers? It presents a unique and complex set of challenges and opportunities.
At Agencia Change, we're seeing this transformation firsthand. The conversations we're having with both our individual and corporate clients are increasingly centered on working through a landscape where job security is fluid, and career paths are self-curated. This new reality requires a recalibration of how we manage change, moving from top-down directives to a more collaborative and empowering approach.
Here’s our practical advice for fellow change managers steering their organisations and people through this new world of work, drawing on core change management principles.
The Human Side of a Flat Market: A Change Management Approach to the Core Concerns
In a flat employment market, we must remember that all employees are impacted. And their anxieties and aspirations are different. In a flatter market, the fear of redundancy can be more acute, and the desire for meaningful work and continuous learning start to outweigh the ambition for a top salary or corner office. As change managers, our first port of call must be to tap into this human element.
According to classic change management theory, any significant transformation creates people issues. In this context, the "change" is the constant flux of the market itself. To manage this, we must:
