ACR Leadership Lens: A Human Resources Perspective
Leading through constant change and disruption
When I was younger, I owned a record collection. Real records. Stacks of 33s and 45s, carefully slid into paper sleeves, each one holding a song I loved. My favorite was the big Donna Summer album with a pullout poster in the middle. I had a record player that sat proudly in the living room, with large speakers off to the side. Playing music was a ritual: selecting the record, gently placing it on the turntable, lowering the needle, and hearing that soft crackle before the music began.
At the time, it felt like the height of sound.
Cassette tapes, CDs came next, and suddenly, music was more clear, portable, and easier to skip through. Years later, streaming services arrived and changed the way we listened again. Now, millions of songs are available instantly from a phone in your pocket.
My old records? For a while, they became relics of a past era. Ironically, vinyl has made something of a comeback in the last few years, proof that while technology evolves, nostalgia and authenticity still matter. The larger lesson remains: change is constant, and every generation must learn how to navigate it.
Organizations face the same reality. As we live through times of change and disruption, our landscape and external markets shift, technologies evolve, and workforce expectations go through periods of change. In this environment, leaders cannot carry the burden of these shifts alone. Our leaders today are expected to manage operations while guiding their teams through ongoing transformation.
Human Resources (HR) plays a critical role in enabling leaders and team members to adapt, align, and move forward.
In many ways, HR has become the organization’s change engine and plays an essential strategic role as we are uniquely positioned at the intersection of leadership, culture, communication, and workforce capability, all of which determine whether change succeeds or fails.
Top 5 Areas Where HR Plays a Key Role in Supporting Change
1. Build Change-Ready Leaders
Not all leaders are naturally comfortable with uncertainty. HR helps contribute to developing leaders who can:
- Communicate vision during uncertainty
- Maintain trust during transitions
- Make decisions with incomplete information
- Balance empathy with accountability
Just as the music industry evolved from records to streaming, leaders must evolve their management styles to fit new environments.
2. Translate Strategy into People Impact
As teams experience change differently than leaders envision it, HR helps translate strategy into practical workforce implications:
- What roles will evolve or disappear?
- What new skills will team members need?
- How will reporting structures change?
- What support will team members need during transitions?
By anticipating these questions, HR helps leaders prepare for the human side of change rather than reacting to it.
3. Craft Clear Communication
One of the most common reasons change initiatives fail is poor communication. Team members don’t resist change simply because it’s new; they resist uncertainty, lack of clarity, or perceived unfairness. HR supports leaders by structuring communication that is:
- Transparent about what is changing and why
- Honest about what is still unknown
- Consistent across leadership levels
- Two-way, allowing team member feedback
With constant change, communication cannot be a one-time event. It must be continuous and authentic.
4. Support Team Members Through Transition
Even positive change can feel disruptive. The reality is that new technologies, evolving roles, and shifting priorities can create stress. HR helps organizations support team members through transitions by providing:
- Training and reskilling opportunities
- Coaching and career development pathways
- Mental health and well-being resources
- Clear performance expectations during change periods
Team members who feel supported are far more likely to embrace change rather than resist it.
5. Reinforce Culture During Transformation
Culture can either accelerate change or quietly undermine it. HR plays a key role in ensuring that culture evolves alongside strategy. This could include:
- Updating leadership behaviors and expectations
- Aligning recognition and reward systems with new priorities
- Ensuring our shared values remain visible during periods of change and disruption
It is sometimes said that "culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Change initiatives often stall without cultural alignment, even when the strategy itself is solid.
At ACR, these five focus areas guide how we equip our leaders and support our teams, ensuring we move through change with agility, collaboration, and reliability.
I’m so proud of the work we do every day with everyone at ACR, across our organization.
As change and disruption become the norm rather than the exception, HR will continue to lead ACR to keep the music playing, even while the format and the rhythm keep changing.
Authored by Rhona Fromm, Chief Human Resources Officer ACR
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