This article is the continuation on an earlier article “Technology doesn’t wait … is your foundation ready?” where i explore my experiences with business development driven organizational transformations.
The methodologies explained are the intellectual property of Paul Marien / Umasib bv Belgium.
Over the years, I have tried and refined my approach and developed a number of methodologies, depending on scope, complexity, current iceberg and whether the change is run as an interim line management role or as interim lead project manager. And whether for a change project or for an integration project after M&A.
Either way, the approach starts from the vision, strategy, values and process documentation. And is implemented bottom up, with top down governance. it is tailored for maximum engagement (bottom up) and efficiency without loosing top down governance. Actually identifying the common interest in and value from the transformation project in co-creation mode with middle management and their teams. Effectively preventing resistance by early involvement. And improving process, IT and Data maturity at the same time.
I have developed and refined this transformation methodology and concepts over the last 25 years in 7 different manufacturing and engineering companies on projects spanning sales, sales support and customer service with sales, engineering and operations, in mid and large sized multinationals, generally around a transition from reactive transactional to proactive commercial, lean and customer centered behavior.
The requirements to maximize success and efficiency to implement new processes, reshape the business and at the same time work on culture and process and IT maturity, are as follows.
The prerequisites for success: the B.A.M4 4Effect
(Copyright Umasib bv)
- Boardroom
Executive sponsors and top management support, engagement & governance is crucial.
Change is about changing how people behave. Leadership should lead by example.
There is no hiding discrepancies by leadership on mission, vision, values, strategy and management behavior.
Company culture is not being determined by what is proclamated, but by what is tolerated. - Application: The customer journey is where it all starts, icw vision, mission, values and strategy to cover the WHY on the transformation. Transformation mgt is about executing the strategy, not implementing tools. It aims at most effectively balancing the customer’s needs – real, percieved and hidden needs with operational execution (world class excellence) to deliver value against those needs.
- Motivation:
Changing people’s behavior is the difference between change management and project management. Support from staff functions to line management: HR, FIN, IT, QARA, … and line management, clearly aligned around the goals of the transformation, are crucial as well - Management:
Specialsed change management lead withy early involvement and thorough preparation.
Leadership tends to overestimate its maturity and underestimate the complexities and people aspects of change. Poor preparation, poor support and/or poor execution builds distrust, confusion and resistance. To be avoided because this is very difficult and expensive to correct. Prevent this. - Means:
Time: operational resources capacity, capacity from within the organization: operational and middle mgt
Budget: for tools, specialist services, re-organisation, training, document mgt, IT tools, Data & BI reports development, … - Methodology:
in preparation: Maturity scan to size the iceberg,
In execution: Phased Gate Project Mgt. to melt it down in stages, bottom up for engagement with top down governance at set intervals
The preparation by subject matter expert(s)
- Desk research:
Vision, Mission, Strategy, Policies, Procedures & work-instructions, Organogram, (Systems, Document Management) We absorb the organization documentation set and screen for discrepancies and misalignments. - Maturity scan:
The maturity scan reveals how well the organizational design is integrated in the culture and how well it is aligned within the organization. The higher the maturity of the organization, the easier and faster change can be achieved, and mostly also the agility and ruggedness of an organization increases with higher maturity: Process-, IT- and Data- maturity, which are key for transparancy (quantitavely on actionable data) and AI (qualitatively on both actionable data and content.)
We optionally use a maturity scan based on Vlerick Business School, extended with IT and Data maturity aspects, but certainly will execute a quick and dirty personal assessment on maturity levels during onboarding - Poject preparation:
- Stakeholder management: mapping, introductions, building awareness & trust.
- Execution preparation: Team composition, requirements, roles & responsibilities, expectations, time requirements, future prospects (Diversity, skill-set, …)
- Goals of the transformation project & methodology training:
- Training: Lean & agile (process design & mindset), Customer Centered (process design & mindset); Proactively managing expectations; ISO9001 concepts; metrics & link to business management and all previous training topics. The framework on excellence.
- scope / stage = bottom-up execution, with clear focus on expectations and deliverables for each stage.
- Process redesign = workflow, systems, tools, function profiles, process flows & work instructions, data & BI.
- Stages: As-Is ==> Concept Solutions + draft +/- ==>clustering solutions & detailed +/- with estimated budgets ==> business case + draft development planning & roll-out planning ==> detailed development planning, roll-out planning and documentation ==> Roll Out & Go Live
- Gates = top-down governance and alignment: decision on:
- deliverables from the workgroups: acceptable or incomplete (proceed, redo/refine, abandon)
- decision on priorities and expectations for next phase, go no go on certain topics depending on workload, budget, ROI, capacity, … .
- Goals & metrics
- People/HR aspects
- People/behavior aspects
- Process aspects: mapping as is, adding issues and opportunities (workload perspective, competence perspective, tools perspective, data perspective) + ToBe redesign
- Alignment: Presentation findings preparation and onboarding + alignment on the project preparation & execution plan with board and management.
Change project Go Live
The preparation stage will take 4 to 12 weeks, depending on the size of the company and complexity of the processes (A highly regulated business such as medical devices carries a much larger and more sophisticated organizational dataset and in general more different function profiles and function holders, that takes more time). For the change manager, this is a massively intense period of absorption, processing and connection.
The development phase will take anywhere from 8 weeks to 8 months in general, depending on budget, maturity, capacity and in house capabilities. And whether the project is run from a line managers position or a change project managers position. (for bigger companies, the latter is advisable.)
Major benefits of this approach:
- Short Term: (3-6 months)
- ROI on potential quick wins / “low hanging fruit”
- External view on issues, opportunities & blind spots for board and management, to consider in the strategy plan.
- Medium Term (6-24 months)
- ROI on structural process change initiatives (aiming at impact on bottom line)
- Transparency on capabilities of young potentials & middle management participating ==> career planning
- Increased engagement and ownership, with shift from departmental thinking to process thinking, triggering ownership and continuous improvement. (middle management empowerment)
- Reduced resistance and increased efficiency through small and bigger successes.
- Long Term (>1-2 YRS)
- Improved maturity through hands on – on the job – training on process management & documentation, training, cross-departemental communication and alignment & big picture thinking. Rooted in Mission, Vision, Values and company Policy which provides clarity and focus.
- Improved efficiency
- on in-house change management capability and skill, leading to increased agility and general resilience. (concept thinking, business case development, process ownership, IT and Data maturity)
- in general performance and transparency. In collaboration with management, staff functions and subcontractors such as IT professionals.
- Shift in balance between Transformational workload vs Transactional workload for most management layers
Boosters & katalysts in the change process.
As a change manager I take my time to discuss and review potential kandidates with their line to join the workgroups. After all, change is a people business. But i have a particular reason for that as well. I am looking for the quiet, intelligent and somewhat introvert type that often goes unnoticed, or where management is not sure how to manage them. What i am really looking for is mildly neurodiverse cognitive diversity in the team.
A mix of:
- Those who hide that they are different, and managed to blend in. Masked creativity, big picture thinking, systemic thinkers who intuïtively feel when things are off. Who have adapted themselves to fit in. Who blossom and thrive when recognized for their strengths and can be themselves in this isolated project environment. They can be a blessing to progressing effectively through their insight, knowledge of their function and work environment. They have been adapting and adjusting their whole life and get a possibility to put that change muscle to good use in a safe, professional and structured environment.
Often they are more confident with change compared to neurotypicals.
This builds the management pipeline for the future. - Neuro-typicals that will challenge the changes, surface the concerns, point out the problems and challenge the more progressive team members. But still of the altruïstic kind, preferably. Because the focus is on the process to the benefit of the whole, not the individual nor the department.
The more narcistic variety i will avoid at all cost. And often they bail out once they understand the effort and challenge and associated risc with taking a leadership or membership role in a change workgroup. A proven, effective way to balance value contribution and individual ambition to a realistic level. And bring the right quality of employee to the surface in these VUCA times.
The biggest challenges:
- Managing the entire project team and people aspects: productive collaboration through authentic collaboration and active scope management to maintain focus and effectiveness.
- Same team members having to manage different skills in different stages: process mapping, conceptual thinking, solution detailing, business plan development, alignment, balance. (interests, effort vs result, process vs department, real vs perceived, explicit vs implicit, …) without cutting corners and with different degrees of detail with each stage.
- Build and keep the momentum.
Organizations need time to change, to grow. They have a history.
What i have found, is that the more top down an organization has been managed, the lower the general maturity, the bigger the challenge and the bigger the iceberg. The bigger the gap between the proclaimed maturity and the actual maturity, between the proclaimed culture and the actual culture.
Conclusion: On all business levels we need to change our thinking, our ambition. Challenge old habits.
This is the rather conservative initial response i hear from boards and top management, when i talk to them in private. Or what i have noticed on the floor the last 5-15 years.
- Boards and CEO’s: “Everything ‘works’ now (more or less), Let’s not touch it.” “Under these turbulent geopolitical times, let’s not venture into synergies and change projects.” Stabilize. Controll. (micro-management)
- Middle management: in these times of uncertainty, let’s shut up and stay under the radar, focus on (small) cost improvements, focus on the department.
This kind of reasoning and thinking is no longer sustaineble on the long term.
Change, experimentation, scenariothinking is no longer an option—it is survival.
Boards, CEO’s and Management teams better fundamentally re-invent their organization and make a plan. Catch up, clean up, and prepare for what comes, pro-actively, while you still can.
Processes need to be refined and rearranged. Process flows should be your roadmap for change, your language bridging your outside world with your internal kitchen, line management and staff functions alike, especially for larger organizations. Your tool to document and compare scenario’s, brief IT on required changes. Your training material to educate new hires. Your language to drive change, value creation and build agility and resilience.
Culture needs to mature. The organization needs to mature. From department managed to processes driven. Processes starting with the customer journey, embedded with the mission, the vision and the values.
Are you ready ? ? GO! 😉