You are the manager of a busy dental practice in Cape Town, South Africa. The practice is a partnership consisting of two surgeries just a few miles apart, with the four partners all working as dentists.

For a number of years, the partners have been looking for new premises as the existing buildings are old and would require considerable investment to make them fit for purpose for modern dentistry.

Suitable premises, located midway between the existing surgeries, were identified at about the time you joined the practice 12 months ago, and the necessary funding is now in place. Although the move itself is expensive and the rent will be higher in the new premises, cost projections show that significant efficiency savings are possible in other areas by reducing the number of staff and reorganizing the admin work processes.

The practice currently has 18 employees: hygienists, nurses, reception/admin staff and yourself. They are all aware that the practice will be relocating to new premises. Two of the reception/admin staff have been with the practice for 15 years. They have built strong relationships with the patients and the rest of the team but are very set in their ways. In your short time with the practice you have already discovered that they are change-blockers.

Decision!

What do you do?

yy Allow all staff to relocate and see what happens yy Relocate and then reorganize yy Offer redundancy to the staff you regard as change-blockers yy Manage the redundancy/reorganization process yourself yy Employ a consultant to work with you on the redundancy/reorganization