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Business Transformation
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Will it Hurt?
Business transformation is something that should never be taken lightly. It can often be a painful and stressful process for an organisation to go through. However, with the ever changing business world and evolving technologies it is difficult to avoid and actually shouldn't be avoided, as your valued customers may just go elsewhere if you don't adapt.
In the public sector many departments have embarked on transforming their businesses to help meet the requirements of the Gershon Review and to enable themselves to operate in a more efficient and cost effective way. In some cases this has been long overdue. As a result, there does now appear to be a positive feel about the changes that are being made across areas of the public sector.
So Where to Start?
As always it has to start at the top - there must be an appetite for change to happen right across the organisation and not just at board level. Ideally, the driver will be to efficiently deliver the organisation's business plan with a structured and well thought-out programme for change. Employees must be fully engaged with the process. Complete buy-in is essential and employees must not feel as if 'it's being done to them'.
Transformation is an ongoing journey that, properly managed, will produce tangible results as processes are reviewed and improved in conjunction with streamlining organisational structures. It also has to be understood that the change programme will be a continuous journey and won't just suddenly come to a halt when an end to the programme is declared.
An effective strategy for getting the organisation and it's stakeholders on board is to initially focus on a particular element of the organisation where improvements can be more readily made and where the results will be most noticeable. This may help employees and customers to gain confidence in the process by seeing a difference and benefiting from the results.
Elements for Success
The essential elements for a successful Business Transformation are:
- Commitment
This has to be a key driver for any programme to work and is a must-have for a successful transformation programme. The commitment must come from the top with senior level sponsorship providing authority and credibility. - Communication
Sharing the objectives for change across the organisation is essential. It will enable staff and stakeholders to understand the reasons for change and the processes that will be undertaken to achieve it. - Planning
It is important to have clearly defined milestones agreed with the senior team, showing when key events are going to happen. The high level plan should form a central part of the communication programme, ensuring stakeholders are regularly updated on the progress being made. - Appropriate Methodology
An appropriate methodology is vital to understanding how the business currently operates (as is) and for developing the future operating model (to be). There are a variety of options available from using an activity analysis based approach to detailed process modelling. Keep in mind that one-size does not fit all and select a methodology that best suits the project. - Resources
The use of skilled and experienced resources is essential for undertaking business transformation. On large scale projects it can make sense to have a split team of internal staff and external consultants working together to develop the methodologies and the design of the operating models. This also provides a level of skill transfer to the client staff and provides a wider breadth of expertise across the project.
What Will It Look Like?
This will vary to the extent of change the organisation has experienced and will be a work in progress for a considerable time to allow new processes and relationships to settle in. This period of integration and bedding down should always be built into the overall programme plan and supported appropriately by the management team and overall sponsor. However, over time and against measurable targets, the benefits of the changes to the business or specific department should be noticeable.
Staff morale should increase and individuals will be focused on achieving the targets that have been set and agreed. The organisation or department will have clear operational targets with processes in place to achieve them. Many of the hurdles that were previously in place to 'make life difficult' will have been removed and streamlined processes will be in place having been through a period of trial and evaluation.
Of great importance is the fact that internal and external clients will notice a difference and will be complimentary on the improved levels of efficiency that are being experienced by themselves.
Our Experience
Oakleigh have worked on a number of assignments where we have undertaken a 'hands on role' with clients restructuring and rationalising their organisations. We have also worked with a 'big 5' firm where our consultants have led workstreams in the redevelopment of a major Government department.
Our strengths lie in providing practical advice for the set up of new departments and putting in place the initial infrastructure to enable the functions to be effective from day one. For example, we were instrumental in setting up a major department within the DfES (the Learning and Skills Council) and putting in place the initial organisational structures and processes.
We have also worked on the transformation of the DWP Programmes and Systems Delivery group and provided assistance to the Strategic Rail Authority during a programme of restructuring. With both these organisations we developed new operating models and associated organisation structures and processes.
We have also provided facilitated Pathfinder Workshops to help strategic development. These present senior management with the opportunity to look at the future away from day-to-day pressures and explore different scenarios in a safe environment. Inputs can be provided for these (or for other purposes) by competitive research, examining the environment in which the organisation operates
If you have any questions about the subjects covered in this white paper or you would like to find out more about how Oakleigh Consulting could help your organisation, please contact us on 0161 835 4100 or email us.
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