HR as a catalyst in change management at BAA: The differing experiences of Glasgow and Edinburgh airports

UK airport operator BAA plc has undergone two major change‐management programs since it became one of the first publicly owned organizations of its kind be privatized. Human‐resource management has been an important factor in both. The “Freedom to Manage” cultural‐change program, introduced in 1995‐1996, concentrated on the need to harness employees’ skills and brainpower to manage customers, costs and internal processes effectively. It was motivated by the belief that, when given the opportunity, employees would have the ability to make a greater contribution to company performance than had previously been expected. Employees were given greater personal responsibility for their own areas of the business and the authority to act, within certain common‐sense limits.