http://www.citi.co.uk Thu, 10 Dec 2015 13:34:49 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.3.2 http://www.citi.co.uk/how-can-we-prevent-the-business-being-drowned-by-too-much-change/ http://www.citi.co.uk/how-can-we-prevent-the-business-being-drowned-by-too-much-change/#comments Fri, 01 Feb 2013 14:35:03 +0000 http://www.citi.co.uk/?p=2974 When you are deeply involved in managing a change journey it is easy to overlook the fact that a very significant amount of change can be happening in a single location at the same time, as a result of multiple change initiatives.  This can quickly lead to ‘change fatigue’ with resulting low morale, increased resistance, low productivity and high levels of absenteeism or attrition.

Properly structured change initiatives, involving programmes and projects, are designed to avoid this but, too often, insufficient thought and planning is put into how the impacted business units will adopt multiple ‘waves’ of change. Effective portfolio and change management disciplines are good at addressing planned change, driven by the strategy, but not always adequate at coping with additional significant ‘must do’ changes.

Things to consider

1. Has your organisation an overarching corporate portfolio view of change?
2. Have you discussed and agreed with affected business units:
   • The type, rate and volume of change being introduced into their areas?
   • How much change they are trying to introduce themselves and how much is coming from external initiatives?
   • How any concerns and issues can be overcome?
   • Where ‘hot-spots’ will arise and what strategies and tactics will be used to address these?
   • What must be sacrificed to ensure that the operational business units will not be overwhelmed?

]]> http://www.citi.co.uk/how-can-we-prevent-the-business-being-drowned-by-too-much-change/feed/ 0 http://www.citi.co.uk/no-one-in-the-business-seems-to-be-standing-up-to-take-ownership-of-the-change/ http://www.citi.co.uk/no-one-in-the-business-seems-to-be-standing-up-to-take-ownership-of-the-change/#comments Wed, 23 Jan 2013 11:34:11 +0000 http://www.citi.co.uk/?p=2468 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

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

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