One of the few things that stays constant is change. It places demands on business that can often be turbulent and confusing. Stakeholder demands increase and it’s imperative to reframe the organisation to meet new challenges. Competition, as well as tough, macroeconomics forces businesses to deliver faster, better and cheaper services. This leads to the need for change to long established processes, procedures as well as people’s roles and responsibilities.
Staying ahead
You need to stay ahead of the pack. So roles need to be reshaped and streamlined, technology will shift work patterns and communication will be needed throughout. HC provides support with experienced change management consultants who will support you to drive through the necessary changes you need.
Breaking the mode
Breaking the pattern of long established ways of working is hard. You need to get past usual ‘but we’ve always done that way’ or ‘it’s always worked for us before’ or even worse ‘we’re different’. It’s never easy and resistance to change is normal. During the change process, it’s important to take advantage of the opportunity and to integrate into the organisational culture an awareness and an appreciation that change is normal, acceptable and beneficial to businesses. Short term goals need to be clearly communicated along with ways to measure their success. That way staff can buy into these predicted and tangible “wins” and feel a part of the process.
Note of caution
There’s also a note of caution. Many change projects have had no effect and in some cases actually damage more than they improve. To improve performance you need a synchronicity between decision making and organisation structure. It’s not the only important factor in success, but it is key.
Practice
In practice, this is about the ability of a business to execute key decisions better and quicker than the competition. There are many standard decision step models, but at HC we tend to look at the organisation first and adjust models according to the needs of the team using them, giving you unique and bespoke solutions. This avoids ‘the one solution fits all’ scenario. Change is not always a bad thing, but it has to ‘fit’ with your business, the competency of the individuals involved, and the needs of the business. It’s vital to plan and consider all potential outcomes. Most importantly you need sustainable stakeholder buy-in.
HC supports you in the programme management and implementation of your change projects assisting with specialist change practitioners. We work with you to deliver successful change programmes.
If you’re looking for practical support and ways to set up a change programme, please contact us and we’ll be pleased to discuss the various options open to you.