The advent of deregulation in many countries brings with it some form of commercialisation and competition in the way that its nuclear plants are now being operated. Part of this culture is to recognise that change becomes a normal way of life. If a nuclear plant utility is to succeed, then the management must recognise and be capable of managing change. Change also brings with it an increased risk, as performance targets are set to stimulate production and new and innovative courses of action are encouraged in the management team to achieve these targets.

A number of important characteristics applying particularly to a change in management system have been defined in IAEA-TECDOC-1123. These include the following, some of which were mentioned earlier.

Organisational changes must be communicated by managers in a way that all levels of staff can understand and accept. Limits of authority must be clearly set. Critical performance variables must be monitored and systems should be in place to do this. Advantage should be taken of latest information and technology (IT) systems to facilitate good communication and feedback to management. There must also be sufficient internal controls and audits to confirm that procedures are being performed satisfactorily.