CITI - partners in change » Organisation

Improving clients capability in marketing

Paul Ashton — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 16:39:31 +0000

The exposure of our higher education institutions to a more competitive marketplace led a client to focus on improving its capability in marketing. The faculties were enthused by the potential influx of students, but this initial commitment tended to fade in the face of more immediate and pressing matters. Recognition that the faculties did not have a common view of the proposed changes prompted the adoption of a more sophisticated, targeted communications approach, and waning enthusiasm was rekindled.

We have helped many organisations identify and deal with the ‘people’ challenges of change

Paul Ashton — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 13:17:15 +0000

A newly appointed director of wealth management in a bank was handed an unmanageable portfolio of work. He attempted to gain agreement from the management team on which projects to drop and confirm which were most important. This proved to be impossible because of conflicting agendas and very differing views as to what was ‘important’. CITI worked with the management team to clarify and gain agreement on the prioritisation criteria whist ensuring all involved had a common understanding about what was being done and why. This allowed for a significant ‘cleansing’ of the portfolio and acceptance of where scarce resource needed to be deployed.

Our stakeholders have potentially conflicting perspectives and priorities regarding the change – what should we do?

Paul Ashton — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 09:13:04 +0000

Individuals have their own motivations and agendas. This is not the result of malevolence or deliberate troublemaking – it’s just the way things are. In order for change to happen and stick, individuals need to be effectively supported in understanding the need for the change and how it will impact them, so that they can internalise the change and be committed to it. Identifying an individual’s perceptions of what is in their favour, their WIIFMs (“What’s in it for me?”), and what is against them, their WAMIs (“What’s against my interests?”) is extremely valuable, but not always easy to do, and helps to identify where potential resistance and conflicts may surface.
If it’s not wanted, the change will not be successful. Failing to understand and address the political and cultural environment is a common reason for change not succeeding in the way it should. Consistent and continuous engagement and clear communications are essential, as are allowing individuals to voice their concerns.

Things to consider

Is there a clear, shared change vision?
Have all the stakeholders, those impacted by the change, been consulted and actively engaged?
Have personal agendas been taken into account?
Don’t stifle healthy conflict, as this often identifies valid concerns as well as showing commitment.
Discourage unhealthy conflict through agreeing and publicising acceptable change behaviours.
Manage resistance to the change; don’t resist it.

After a successful implementation, management support for the change seems to have faded

Paul Ashton — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 12:21:44 +0000

History shows how change initiatives ‘wither on the vine’ without continuing management attention and support. After a change has been transferred into day-to-day operations, and management focus turns to new initiatives, drifting back to old ways of working may occur. To ensure that the change sticks, we must identify how the business will monitor and manage the new ways of working, support new behaviours and reinforce commitment to the change.

Things to consider

Is the organisational value of the change clear? Have the benefits, costs and risks been fully reviewed and validated by all who will contribute?
Have the implications of operating the change been made explicit to those expected to own the change within business-as-usual?
Identify challenges, threats and risks that may prevent realisation of the benefits in day-to-day operations and set out a strategy to address them.
Ensure that changes to roles, accountabilities, reporting and performance management are understood and agreed at all levels within the business.
Make sure that the required on-going support for the change products is in place.

No-one in the business seems to be standing up to take ownership of the change

Paul Ashton — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 11:34:11 +0000

If change is to stick, the business must take ownership of the change products – make them their own. This means that the business must be engaged from the start in determining what those change products (deliverables) should be. When someone in the business (the ‘change owner’) commits resources by commissioning a change, they must also take accountability for successful implementation. That means embedding the change products into a modified business-as-usual to ensure the realisation of the benefits sought.

With significant change, where benefits will be realised across many functions, the change owner must be in the upper layers of the business, and have significant political influence. Where ownership responsibilities are delegated, these will probably mirror line management structures, and there will be a need for coordinated activities by the senior managers involved. Without careful attention, effective business ownership may not happen. Consequently, the ownership of each change must be clearly visible and communicated to all.

Things to consider

Is business ownership of each change product clear and accepted?
Is accountability for the benefits clear and accepted?
Is the change ownership role assigned to the appropriate individual?
Are the risks of any shared change ownership being appropriately addressed?
Is the ownership of the change apparent to the adopters of the change?