Most team changes are small. One role, one move, one conversation.
Occasionally the whole structure has to change. The strategy has moved, the market has moved, and adjusting at the edges will not get you there.
It is one of the hardest things a country manager does. In my experience, how you do it matters as much as the decision itself.
Be sure it is needed. Rebuild only after smaller changes have been tried honestly.
Link it to the plan. The reason is the new strategy, never personalities.
Let HR lead the process. Local law, contracts and fair terms, followed exactly. No shortcuts.
Tell people in person. Face to face, one at a time, with HR in the room. Nobody should hear it from a colleague or a rumour.
Help those who leave. Fair terms, a good reference, and time to find the next role.
Look after those who stay. They are watching how their colleagues are treated, and they will decide how much to trust you.
Tell customers who to call. Doctors and pharmacists should never lose their contact because of an internal change.
Then hire for the new plan, not to replace old names.
“People remember how they were let go long after they forget why.”
Lesson 16 of 17 in Step 5: Building the organisation, with the full guide and a checklist for this week.