Business
he says, at the forefront of any leader’s mind should be two key questions: change is an answer to what question, and what is it you want to achieve? A change management programme doesn’t necessarily have to mean radical upheaval. As Debbie Rayner, Director of IT at law firm Ogier in Jersey, says: “A lot of small changes can add up to a radical difference without the added downside of upheaval and disruption to the business. Understanding your organisation’s appetite for change, identifying quick wins, and a common sense approach go a long way.” Jonathan Atkinson, CEO of change management consultancy Greenlight, says his own rule is not to change unless you have a robust business case that spells out the proposed benefits and how they will be measured and made real. “Companies need to change for many reasons. It might be because systems, processes or services have become out of date or because they simply need to be improved due to new demands, or there are opportunities to grow revenues or profit,” he says.
CHANGE OR DIE “Evolve or become extinct,” Rayner says more plainly. Moving towards a state of continuous improvement is what most firms should be aiming for. “It’s essential that we continually challenge why we’re doing things and the way in which we are doing them, and that we adapt our processes to continually enhance and improve the services we offer,” she says. Mike Jeacock, COO at the Jersey Financial Services Commission, is spearheading a major transformation programme at the financial regulator. The reasons behind it, he says, are to increase efficiency and effectiveness and to bring about modernisations that were put on hold during the financial crisis. Once the “major surgery” that he is spearheading is complete, only “routine changes” will follow, he says. Although advancements in technology are the catalyst for much change, Rayner warns that organisations can be too easily seduced by the next magic Hogwarts IT solution. “Any time the IT
Many experts agree that change in a business should encompass continuous small improvements married with the major change programmes that are sometimes necessary
department is the driver of change into the business is a recipe for disaster,” she explains. Instead, technology should underpin and support the strategic plans for every area of the business, including cultural, environmental, technical and financial issues. “Just because a new technology ‘can’, doesn’t necessarily mean the organisation ‘should’,” she cautions. Many experts agree that change in a business should encompass continuous small improvements married with the major change programmes that are sometimes necessary. Solely sticking to a ‘big bang’ approach, which drags an organisation kicking and screaming into the present day, can be fraught with problems. The business may have to wait for months, or even years, to reap any benefits from the new regime – or worse, a change may be so delayed that it becomes outmoded itself.
WHAT TO CHANGE Identifying which areas to fix in a business can be done in a number of ways. The most straightforward is to talk to employees, clients and suppliers to find out what is going well and what needs to be worked on. This leads to an important stream of organic ideas for change, but must be supplemented by a proactive approach that analyses whether each process or area of business is working as best it can. Atkinson advocates a combination of business analysis techniques and measurement to identify any areas of weakness. “Measuring the performance of certain functions or outputs paints a picture that allows you to understand what needs to improve,” he says. “Then it’s back to the business case again – what are the impacts in terms of time, cost and resource to improve, and what is the return on investment.” He argues that the greatest assets an external consultant brings are objectivity, along with lessons learnt from other organisations,
54 January/february 2016
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