SUPPLYCHAINSUCCESS
CHANGE IS THE ONLY CONSTANT IN TRANSPORTATION By Joe Wilkinson
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e are living through the most dynamic transportation environment in recent memory. The parcel carriers, in particular, are in a state of flux, with large shifts in service offerings, strategic alliances, and rating logic. Change is the byword of the day. This shifting environment means both opportunity and risk, depending on shippers’ ability to develop and implement strategies in response to this change. However, change doesn’t just happen. You, as a transportation leader, are responsible for driving it. Whether it’s in your title or job description or not, you own at least some of the responsibility, and the more ownership you take, the more valuable you will be to your organizational leadership. This topic is obviously bigger than a single article can encompass. Therefore, my goal today will be to leave you
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with a handful of actionable, simple, yet critical components of driving change. Regardless of the initiative at hand, all required changes have one thing in common: people. Today’s project management and change management methodologies focus almost exclusively on tools. Spreadsheets, timelines, budgets, and other project management devices are necessary components, prerequisites if you will, to effective project management. Without them, tasks will be overlooked, timelines will slip, and chaos will reign. However, in my years of implementing change in large organizations, I have never seen a Gantt chart implement a change, drive acceptance, or change a company’s culture. Albert Einstein said, “The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” Thinking implies people, which means your organization’s people are the key to effective change. Leadership Top-down directives are a typical avenue for driving change. And they’re necessary; stakeholders need direction. However, prescriptive directives don’t drive cultural change. The metaphor, “You can’t push a string” is a common saying for a reason. You, as the change leader, need to take ownership of the cultural shift(s) that must take place. Positive attitude, selling the value, and consistent
communication can go a long way in moving the needle of cultural acceptance. Stakeholders Most project teams are made up of a project manager, one or more executive sponsors, mechanics (those who implement change), and a handful of stakeholders. Therein lies the problem where transportation projects are concerned. Transportation touches nearly every function within an organization. Sales, customer support, operations, production, finance; all of these (and more) have a vested interest in the way transportation works. Yet, too many times, project managers focus exclusively on the defined members of the team. Again, solid mechanics and executive directions are prerequisites, but they cannot and will not drive acceptance and maximize project velocity and value. To truly get the most out of your initiatives: Identify key formal stakeholders; those that will realize significant change due to the initiative. Establish an informal communication channel with these stakeholders. Convey the changes to come. Sell the value not only to the organization, but to the individual and his/ her area of responsibility. Acceptance is not the goal; rather, embracing change is the optimal path. The only way to get there is to show personal advantage to your formal stakeholders.