We recently experienced “Change” ourselves when we were forced to change our URL from www.sapglobalconsulting.com to www.erpassessments.com

Not just in the name change…but also what clients needs are now.

How can we provide it? How can we take our clients to the next level?

Hence, the long gap in writing this particular blog!

This particular blog is a reflection on the different types of changes we are seeing in the business world today. Last few years have been more about lowering costs than adding value. In fact I’m not sure that was so great an idea in retrospect!?

Today we see the following changes:

A)    On Competition

There has been a shift by several consulting companies to shift their conversation with clients to talking about those areas for improvement that have not been discussed previously because of fear of losing the business. The “elephant in the living room” theory. This avoidance has never worked in our opinion because eventually you have to remember your sole aim, rather like a physician “do no harm” to “do only good”

That means leveling with your client because you want the very best for them.

B)     Sales & Marketing Evangelism

More and more companies are thinking about the planet and even finding that making changes in this area can be profitable! The biggest difference I see are corporations finding deeper meaning in what the company is about. The corporations are also increasingly interested in developing a relationship with customers to serve them better.

C)    Entrepreneurship

There is also a lot more interest in freeing up individuals and teams to make more decisions on the ground, and encouraging innovation in all aspects of the business.

Many people have traditionally held back because of the old “task and control” organization however management (whoever that is, may actually to be waking up to the idea that people working in the company may have better ideas for improvement than they do.) The Six Sigma process may have instigated this movement, however my hope is that the French Revolution may set a better example!

D)    Innovation

Much has already been said about my former company Apple, BUT I can’t help but say that this is a brilliant example where one individual (Steve Jobs) with the Ideas, the Vision, drives great engineers to create and set new standards of innovation.

If we can just copy this model in other industries?

 We recently experienced “Change” ourselves when we were forced to change our URL from www.sapglobalconsulting.com to www.erpassessments.com Hence, the long gap in writing this particular blog!

 Anyway, all of the familiar symptoms came up, anger, fear, resentment, and…..opportunity! Believe me “Opportunity” was not even an early realization! It takes time to absorb even minor changes.

 Often when we are confronted with change the immediate reaction is to consider the losses…not the potential gains. In our case we felt we were losing our connection with SAP and SAP Global Consulting which is our core business and has been for the past 10 years. On the other hand it is also an opportunity to modify our thinking and consider broader issues in systems implementation such as vision, strategy, alignment of thinking, risk assessment, business case and support for the vision during implementation etc.

 Our conclusion was this was in fact an exciting opportunity to explore some of the deeper aspects of change beyond the SAP world. It is also away for us to examine the impacts of the social media in terms of cultural shifts. Some of these represent important communications in the design of any system such as Customer Relationship Management. The world in general, and markets in particular are shifting to a different relationship with customers. With information access and overload the need becomes one of whom to trust with our data? We looking for a deeper and longer lasting relationship with those we deal with? We want a relationship not a transaction. This means that companies must change their approach to system design. It also means that they must complete more analysis of the habits and demographics of their customers and find better ways to serve them. These could be in the form of dedicated Order Entry staff assigned to a particular customer based on their long term “value” or even offering special pricing. This data is in conventional systems however it is sometimes difficult to retrieve without specific mining tools. Many industries are looking for the ways to change their CRM and this presents a great opportunity to take companies to the next level of business performance. For more information please go to www.erpassessment.com and the use of a business alignment tool.

Many people working in large organizations start out with the view that implementing change is fairly straightforward. We’re all on the same team? Right??

Unfortunately the larger the organization is the less true this statement is!

Maybe there is a magic mathematical formula that determines the point where an organization breaks down and becomes a set of powerful individuals or functional silos with their own personal goals?

It struck me the other day how we approach projects such as implementing change with a set of sequential steps when in fact there is an interdependency between things which means we must examine and think more holistically.

For example, usually when a Change management project comes up and you are the one selected to “facilitate” the transformation. The conversation is usually more about the “What” of the project. What are we changing? However at that point it is almost impossible to consider the “what” issues in isolation from the other variables that will affect the outcome. Things like,,,”who”……”how”…..and “when”?

In the case of a major divisional reorganization, although there may be some clarity about the “What” the specific issues, or potential roadblocks are forgotten with the drive for improvement! Yet, clearly, the “who” in this case is essential as it would need to be someone with the maturity and respect of the organization to lead this effort. Having a more junior person in that role might increase the risks, and increase the project timeline (“When”)?

Therefore in our experience rather than adopting a sequential series of steps, it becomes more of a heuristic what-if model. In our example the “What” has to be considered in the light of complexity, levels of resistance, types of people impacted etc. Then the “who” has to be introduced based on the complexity and other factors previously identified. The choice of “who” is appointed may very well impact the project quality, risk, and timelines! Which is when the timelines comes under review based on the “what” and the “who” Similarly, when we think we have completed this process we also have to throw “How” into the equation! Yet again the complexity, or the choice of the person selected to lead the change effort, or timeline are all related to the “How” This iterative process between these elements will enable the experienced Change Agent to navigate successfully into a hopefully risk free successful change implementation.

We are a high technology consulting company specializing in strategic breakthroughs and new paths to high performance growth for the Fortune 1000.

www.barrieday.com

Although America led the world in Customer Service, it sometimes appears that this has become a second or even third priority.

On a recent phone call I was unable to get through to a Customer Service Agent for a considerable amount of time, although a reassuring voice would come on at intervals to say, and I quote, “Your call is very important, please stay on the line   and an operator will be with you shortly”

 However, over a 6 month period there was no change…..the same message…..the same lengthy wait time to reach a Customer Service Agent. Hmmmm, now I’m actually starting to think they don’t think this call is very important. In fact this call is so unimportant to them that they intentionally keep it understaffed!

Jim Collins recent change management book  “How the Might Fall” http://www.jimcollins.com/books.html  referred to this phrase of a company decline as hubris born of success, when companies become so arrogant regarding their success as an entitlement.

I’m pretty sure this strategy also affects the company’s morale and motivation.

Since responsiveness is the new path to growth, then motivation is the heart, and that means having the appropriate number of resources to ensure a level of service that suggests that Customer Service matters. Change management can help in this process by measuring the level of service provided, and determining the correct level of resources needed to meet a given service level. The difficult Change Management part is to convince the Management to spend the money!

If I recall correctly he had recently achieved a fair degree of fame with his article in the Harvard Business Review entitled “Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail.”

The lunch was typical University fare, which is to say somewhat plain. Certainly not a candidate for Yelp!

However the conversation was anything but! John had identified the types of change that were, and still are forcing corporations to adjust, or in some cases transform themselves, sometimes just to survive.

The key forces he identified were

• Technology,
• Increased International Economic Integration,
• Lack of Growth Domestically,
• and Emerging Countries linked to the capitalist system.

In addition, I think the shift from a Supply Based Economy from the sixties until recently to more of a Demand Economy, plus the rate of change also has profound effect.  The focus has shifted from the operations side of the house to a more strategic emphasis on Markets and particularly Customers.

This is probably why many companies continue to focus on product, processes and systems for improvement, as this is relatively speaking the easiest to influence and change. However for longer term durability, deep transformation and impact to the business the more difficult aspects of change are mandatory.

This means also tackling the longer term issues of Values, Behavior, and the Corporate Culture.

Too many clients pay lip service to the longer term, and therefore never achieve the full benefits of change, and the opportunities it presents for renewal.

With a more comprehensive approach which includes both the operational and the strategic aspects of the business, a new level of performance is possible. The level of alignment between the systems and the business can be measured and enables one to see the gaps and inconsistencies within the organization.

That is real change. SAP Doctor, our recently developed software tool enables corporations to see at what level they are performing, along with the gaps and inconsistencies that stop companies from making real improvement.

How many good Organizational Change professional are going to get screwed in their next major project because of the lack of Executive Sponsorship?

So many times the original enthusiasm on the part of the executive at the project start somehow is less forthcoming as the project progresses?

Let’s face it, the reason why many projects fail has nothing to do with technology, although undoubtedly there are issues. For the most part Change management and the lack of, or seeming lack of Executive Sponsorship is often usually the root cause. I believe that this is due to a weak Business Case where the drive for the project is based on IT cost avoidance rather than hard cost reduction opportunities.

Every time we’ve been asked to get involved when a project gets into trouble, almost invariably it’s because of the “manufactured” financial benefits, with theoretical “percentages of people” savings. How can an executive get excited about an Accountants Wet Dream?! Our advice is to spend that time in the beginning getting a really solid Business Case, and then making sure that the executive sponsor buys this, and even more important owns it! Look them in the eye and see how your gut registers!

From our own experience, if we’ve done the upfront work well and the Business Case is solid, and we’ve got the executive on board, it’s then a matter of guiding him or her into the appropriate attendance at certain meetings, and making some appropriate comments to the team. You can even help facilitate this. This is about a successful outcome not the ego!

Coach your Sponsor. Ask them to walk the shop floor and talk to those involved in the implementation process. Get them excited with newsletters, status reports, and especially progress! Whether it’s a reduction in inventory, or an increase in Customers if there is tangible results celebrate! But always follow your gut!

ecutive Sponsorship?

Whether we are making change in a corporation or with an individual, we need to start the process with ourselves. Our mind set. Finding our passion to speak about something and from that to be able to influence another’s feelings, assessments, and actions are powerful and effective ways to begin the change process.

“Only by investing and speaking our vision with passion can the truth, one way or the other, finally penetrate the reluctance of the world” as Soren Kierkegaard once said.

By engaging with the heart and meeting the challenges and opposition with passion and honesty are we able to sometimes connect with others and hopefully shift their point of view. Sometimes individuals are seemingly unable to “see” or imagine the world possibilities and they remain figuratively “stuck” in their own world view.

Recently, while working with a client implementing an SAP System gone wrong, it became apparent that the client had not considered the need for change in the organization and or the supporting processes as part of the implementation.  

The CIO was unable to grasp the concept of the need for change and the world of possibilities, and was unwilling to accept any point of view that differed from his view of the world. His view was based on “least worst!” rather than a new standard of excellence in the implementation of systems! Sometimes, we are unable to lift the darkness and bring clients into the light. Our conversation while profound was not able to pierce the heavy shield some people in positions of authority determinedly wear.

Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein’s book “Nudge” talk about the relatively poor decisions we as humans make without depriving them of their inalienable right to make a mess of things if they want to! The client in this case was unwilling to incorporate any of the recommendations we made, and were therefore able to indeed make a mess of things!

By throwing energy into our conversations, and taking the risk in sharing this can open others hearts and stimulate their thoughts about change. By simply telling our stories and life experiences, this can spark a rethinking in the mind of others and we are then able to consider deeper levels of consciousness, and tap into greater creativity in the path of change.

EXPANDING THE MIND SET

Often when we talk about effecting major change with a client, although we have tools and techniques, often all we’re doing to start the process is to expand the person or companies mind set. To enable them to see things in a different way.

For a company or an individual who has been doing things a certain way for 20 yrs it can be very tough to even see or contemplate the possibilities.

 The next step is where we help the client by offering a much broader set of options. Again we try to open the mind to what’s possible with a new paradigm. By exploring these concepts with other corporate leaders or individuals many new ways of thinking open up and become possible. Often it’s just a different way of looking at the same thing.

 These behavioral patterns, or how we think and respond are based on what we have done in the past, often successfully, but which may no longer be the best approach.

 Once that is achieved new concepts can be considered such as:

 Reach: The ability to attract large numbers of customers

Content: The quality of information products and services

Speed: To outperform your competition

Fast Lane : Capability and maturity of the organization

Systems Thinking : Considering processes in terms of systems

 All with an open and expanded mind.