change
Change needs timing and precision.
When applied in the right way and with the correct pressure, its like an injection needle being painless. It allows the cure to be placed at exactly the right place.
Organizational change is a science. It requires probing the environment, investigating the agility available, understanding the capabilities to absorb and adopt, accounting for what is there to win and what can be lost. Here is an example project we are currently running.
For an European Express organisation, a new system is developed that will become a revolution for transport planners. The organisation has always relied heavy on the long term experience build up over many years. It takes about 10 years to become a senior and well respected planner, some work already 20-25 years in this profession. The company spends approx. $20M weekly on transport and planners determine the effectiveness of spending this money.
The new system provides for the first time ever a real-time view of all volumes that need transport in the next 24 hours. At least 5 hours in advance all data is collected and graphically presented to planners, allowing them to take decisions on truck and aircraft requirements, their destinations and even have a view on return loads.
When the news was spreading on the new system, people started to feel uncomfortable. When noticed we started to interview some key functions in these processes. We observed many clear symptoms of fear, for loss of respect and credibility, various job-security issues, uncertainty regarding future job requirements and in some cases even personal insecurity feelings till complete loss of self-confidence. These symptoms were noted after interviewing planners, but also supervisors, managers and administrative employees.
The impact analysis showed that long term experience became a real disadvantage. As people slowly learn from experience when facts are not around. The new process allowed factual data tom be used pro-actively, requiring a very different mindset, combined with a very different work ethos. From reacting to freight arriving, planners needed to pro-actively anticipate on more fact-based data, develop new solutions and ensure overall costs were going down. From risk-avoidance to risk-taking/mitigation.
to be continued...
When applied in the right way and with the correct pressure, its like an injection needle being painless. It allows the cure to be placed at exactly the right place.
Organizational change is a science. It requires probing the environment, investigating the agility available, understanding the capabilities to absorb and adopt, accounting for what is there to win and what can be lost. Here is an example project we are currently running.
For an European Express organisation, a new system is developed that will become a revolution for transport planners. The organisation has always relied heavy on the long term experience build up over many years. It takes about 10 years to become a senior and well respected planner, some work already 20-25 years in this profession. The company spends approx. $20M weekly on transport and planners determine the effectiveness of spending this money.
The new system provides for the first time ever a real-time view of all volumes that need transport in the next 24 hours. At least 5 hours in advance all data is collected and graphically presented to planners, allowing them to take decisions on truck and aircraft requirements, their destinations and even have a view on return loads.
When the news was spreading on the new system, people started to feel uncomfortable. When noticed we started to interview some key functions in these processes. We observed many clear symptoms of fear, for loss of respect and credibility, various job-security issues, uncertainty regarding future job requirements and in some cases even personal insecurity feelings till complete loss of self-confidence. These symptoms were noted after interviewing planners, but also supervisors, managers and administrative employees.
The impact analysis showed that long term experience became a real disadvantage. As people slowly learn from experience when facts are not around. The new process allowed factual data tom be used pro-actively, requiring a very different mindset, combined with a very different work ethos. From reacting to freight arriving, planners needed to pro-actively anticipate on more fact-based data, develop new solutions and ensure overall costs were going down. From risk-avoidance to risk-taking/mitigation.
to be continued...