Evaluating the Transformation of Transport Administrations

Every organisation must continuously plan the desired future position and the processes of change that accompany the path to it. Particularly profound organisational changes must be consciously accompanied and managed. Successful change management requires a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of strategy, structure, competencies, practices and culture, as these (and other) dimensions of an organisation ensure inertia and stability on the one hand, but can also act as leverage points for change on the other. Recent literature on change management shows that if change managers underestimate the complexity of their organisations and rely on simplistic and presumptively universal process schemes, the probability of failure is high. At the same time, the embedding of change decisions in governance systems and shared responsibility for achieving public goals such as public welfare or sustainability are of enormous importance for public transport organisations. Therefore, this project adopts a "tool-box" orientation: we believe that while there may be some general factors and processes of key importance (such as communication), organisations must always look for their own context-specific and context-sensitive solutions using a range of tools.

The insights gained will be incorporated into future organisational development processes at ASFINAG. The project is being carried out in connection with the 2016-2019 work programme of PIARC, the World Road Association, and in collaboration with the members of Working Group A.1.2, Evaluating the Transformation of Transport Administrations. The results will also be presented at the 3rd World Road Congress of PIARC in Dubai, 2019.