Many organisations have used the last 6 months to review their set up and structure to make sure they are set up for what is perhaps a different future, with new regulation, ways of working and customer expectations.
Defining the organisational design is the first step – and our recent blog here has a number of tips to help you on the way. The hard bit is to successfully implement this!
- Define the vision – a clear statement of the vision and explanation of the changes required to be able to deliver that. This should be in a number of formats which can be shared with different groups i.e Leadership, Managers, Colleagues, External parties (if required)
- Think beyond structure – make sure you consider the ways of working, behaviours, mindset, methods of communication and people elements that will make this a success – it’s not just an org structure that shuffles the chairs around. What are the key interventions you need to plan to help deliver these changes?
- Mind the gap – only by really understanding what the gap is between the current and new ways of working, will you be able to articulate the difference and desired transition. This piece of analysis is key and needs to be conducted by people who will bring an unbiased and open view to the table.
- Prepare – have a clear plan to implement this underpinned by a communication roadmap, detailing how you will connect with who, when and what the content is.
- Be agile – there will be changes, adjustments and improvements as you go through this process, particularly if you need to engage in group consultation, so be prepared to consider and plan for a number of different scenarios and outcomes.
- Test – test the vision and comms with a select group of people, get feedback and improve
- Support leaders – leaders will need to be bought into the vision and will no doubt have to have some difficult conversations with members of staff – make sure they are equipped with the right messages and invest in leadership development and coaching to drive through change
- Relevant communications – lots of visually engaging, multi-channel and tailored to individuals so they know what the impact is to them and their teams – a big topic – we can write several blogs on this alone!
- Reference materials – have detailed packs, FAQs and information available and encourage 2-way communication. Share these with managers and team leaders beforehand to ensure they are equipped to answer questions from their teams.
- Be fair, open and empathetic – listen, engage and treat people with respect.
- Manage risk – as you go through this process there will be a number of risks – it is important to identify these upfront, mitigate where possible or if not within your control minimise its potential impact
- KPIs – identify what your success measures are, in the transition phase and the final state – and make sure you measure against these
If you would like advice and support on how to overcome challenges to your projects, please get in touch with us at info@ninefeettall.com
