Avoiding Silos When Delivering Change

What happens in your organisation when a change is implemented; particularly a change involving both system and process?

Typically, a project will be initiated; representatives from the core business and IT will liaise to design the solution. External developer resource may be engaged to create a bespoke system.  So change is quite a costly business, involving multiple stakeholders and a high level of risk.

When it comes to the implementation of the change however, how do you know you have “finished”?  Ask IT, and they will probably reply “when the system is implemented”.  Many representatives from the business would give a similar answer.

Yet organisations do not go to all this time, expense and risk just to implement “a new system”.  The new system is implemented to meet a business need, to provide tangible business benefit.

However, business benefits will only be fully realised if the recipients of the change, i.e. the end users of the new system and process, are taken on the change journey.

Firstly, the change needs to be planned via effective project management to ensure the change is delivered to time, cost and quality.

Secondly, the recipients of the change need to be involved in that journey from the start, via engaging Communications to inform them what is happening, when, why and how it will affect them.  This involves engaging with end users and the project team to really get to know the business and understand the need for change.

Thirdly, engaging and innovative Learning solutions, both classroom and digital are required, to ensure that the recipients of the change fully understand it; not only the what, but the why and the how, so they are fully engaged with the change and are enthusiastic about adopting it.

Finally, all of these elements are underpinned by consistent Brand to give the change impact and get the key messages across.

This is what Afiniti does; we integrate the key people elements of Change; Project Management, Communications, Learning and Brand.  We do not view these elements as separate silos, as is often the case within projects, but components of the Business Change whole, always focused on the business benefits from change.

This integration of the key people elements of business change is the key to uniting different stakeholders behind a common goal.  It encourages IT for example to see the business benefits, rather than just technology implementation and is the most effective way of achieving the intended benefits from change.