CITI - partners in change » Vision

Director of wealth management in a bank was handed an unmanageable portfolio of work

Paul Ashton — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 17:27:04 +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 prioritising projects. This proved to be impossible because of conflicting agendas and very differing views as to what was ‘important’. Working with the management team, agreement was gained on the prioritisation criteria whilst 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.

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.

Why has the great, early commitment faded?

Paul Ashton — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 16:04:01 +0000

Gaining commitment and maintaining impetus are fundamental to implementing successful and lasting change. After the initial surge of activity in creating the change vision there is a real risk that business-as-usual concerns will rapidly diminish our interest in, let alone commitment to, making the change. Continual reinforcement of what we want to achieve is required to make sure the individuals from the business stay engaged in the change. This requires a clear communications strategy translated into appropriate, localised directions for use by change leaders throughout the organisation, whether they are business managers or ‘people like us’ – local role models.

Things to consider

Have you established a clear, shared vision for the change among all interested parties?
Does the communications strategy cover the ‘breadth’ (involve all relevant areas) and the ‘depth’ (involve all relevant levels) necessary for long term commitment?
Are you looking out for previously unidentified individuals and groups who need to be ‘on board’?
Do you know how to communicate with each individual or group and how often?
Are those impacted by the change empowered to contribute to the change?
Does the communication feedback tell you what you need to know about how individuals and groups feel about the change? Is their commitment steady, rising or falling?