So, You Are on Your Way! Now, How Do You Keep Your People Engaged in Transformation?

So you have started your Finance/Human Resources/Information Technology/Global Business Services Transformation journey. You’ve created a roadmap, established a blue-print for your targeted operating model, assigned a budget and chosen your new systems and processes, and, finally, made a good start on the implementation process. In other words, you’re on your way.

People are also central to your journey and must be considered. After all, they will be with you the entire way. With this in mind, how do we deal with people when embarking on a transformation initiative?

A short story: When I was five I remember being woken up early by my parents and bundled into the car. I was dazed from sleeping and shocked by the cold dark air. “Where are we going?” I asked. “It’s a surprise!“ my mother replied, turning around. “Go to sleep and we will wake you up when we are there.”

On reflection, it was well intentioned advice. At the time, however, I couldn’t help wondering where we were going, what the surprise was, whether it was good or bad, how long we were going to take, and whether this was going to be a punishment or a reward. In answer to my constant “Are we there yet?” questions, my mother played endless rounds of i-spy, and promised me an ice cream later on. As I played the game, I became distracted. I was now focused on getting my ice-cream.

Does this journey management technique sound familiar? What options do we use for managing people while the company embarks on a transformation journey?

I’ve had plenty of opportunities to witness this first hand, and lead transitions. On the basis of my experience there are two options – I’ll call them Option A and Option B – for choosing what is right for your organisation.

Option A People are passengers on the journey . We don’t tell them the whole story; just the bits we think they must know. We keep them in the dark, perhaps as a way of protecting them from the truth. They might lose their job, and we, the company, might be afraid they will jump ship and take with them important insights and experience.

We, however, decide to keep the “cat in the bag” about the roles, the blueprint, the end destination, and what’s in it for them. It’s safer that way – like an adult treats their kids.

Option B People are active participants on the transformation journey . They can help us navigate. They have input to where we are going and how we will get there and what we need to do. Their energy and ideas are tapped. They join work-streams and projects. We inform them about where we are going, and how we plan to get there and approximately how long it will take. We also answer the question: Why? And the even bigger question: What does this mean for me? We feel that being open will engender trust and an open dialogue. We think that by sharing the roadmap, we are energising the contributions our people can make to moving forward to our destination. It is an adult-to-adult conversation.

Depending on the options you choose, there are three possible outcomes for you.

Outcome 1 You are offered and may choose to accept a role in the newly transformed organisation. We share with you the role profiles, describe a typical day-in-the-life of each role, describe the selection process in good time to allow you to prepare, develop skills, and hone your strengths.

Outcome 2 It is not clear that there is a role for you in the new organization. However, you have good knowledge and good skills and you have an opportunity to help us on the journey, which will take several months to a year to complete. Meanwhile, you can build your CV as we will give you project management, change management, process and systems improvement, and knowledge transfer opportunities. These skills are useful and will help you in the future, particularly if you want to work for a large multinational organisation.

Already, 84% of multi-nationals have already started on the transformation journey. Most of the other 16%, like us, are getting ready to start in the next year or so.

Outcome 3 We are setting up Service Centers to manage transactions and administration processes in regional hubs. Your country has not been chosen as the location for one of these hubs. We do not provide international relocation to those new Service Centers, although those individuals who are open to relocate at their expense will certainly be eligible to apply for the new roles. We do value the administrative skills you have and there is an opportunity for you to train others and transfer your learnings to the new people we hire for these Centers. If you stay with us to help with this knowledge transfer, you will gain new skills for your CV and receive a package from the company when you leave as thanks for your service and contributions. It is not happening for at least 3 months [insert timescale here] so you have time to plan and prepare yourself for the future.

We are telling you early so you can be ready, so you can make your choice. Choose to stay and help with the knowledge transfer; grow your CV and experience; receive thanks and a decent package when you leave. Or choose to leave now. Just give your normal contractual notice period. We will replace you with a temporary staff member.

Adult conversations.

Of course, it’s not as simple as this. There are more details to consider, more frequently asked questions to have answers for, legal requirements and consultation processes to honour. But you get the drift.

I trust this short story will help you to choose the options to manage your journey and to share it with willing and able people who, given the choice and with awareness, will mostly choose to engage and help with the transformation.

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Note: In case you are still wondering … my parents were taking me on a trip to the seaside and they had secretly packed my bucket and spade. So it wasn’t so bad in the end!