These are tumultuous times for many businesses, as they realize the need to change their businesses processes. Companies who can embrace Industry 4.0 ideas and move towards data-based workflows will be well positioned to prosper in years to come - but this can involve radical changes to almost every element of their corporate culture and processes.
Without the right change management, successfully pulling off these changes will be difficult. Handled poorly, the results will be far below what was hoped for.
LogicBay specializes in helping companies navigate these new waters, and create robust ecosystems that tie every element of their business together. Through an offering of expanded services, we are now able to offer top tier change management consulting and strategies to help businesses implement change smoothly, and profitably. How can that be done? These are some of the most important elements to focus on.
1. Robust Pre-Planning
Even though speed is important for businesses looking to stay on top of these new technologies, speed can't take priority over strategy. The most common reason we see change initiatives fail is that they were pushed through without proper planning. Before committing to any specific changes, you should be able to clearly define why change is needed, what specific business aspects need to be changed, and what specifically these changes are intended to bring about.
Businesses should never jump onto tech trends just because they're trendy. Upgrades should be focused and purpose-driven.
2. Emphasize Communication
The more radical the change, the more stakeholders will be involved. They need to be brought in early, and encouraged to enthusiastically embrace the coming changes because the changes will be beneficial to them. This is another reason why pre-planning is so important. If you have clearly defined goals and reasons behind those goals, it will be far easier to communicate those ideas to departments and team-members to get them onboard.
3. Keep It Simple
If there's one big issue with the current tech environment, it's that new technology tends to get buried under nearly indecipherable buzzwords and techno-jargon. Leave that for the technical staff. Your internal communications should keep things simple and focused on outcomes, put in plain understandable language. Most workers (outside IT) don't need to know the specifics of how your new Cloud and AI initiatives will work, just what they will accomplish in the end.
4. Focus On End-User Needs
Big-picture business overviews are necessary, but don't forget to consider the impact your changes will have on the end users. These might be workers, or customers, but either way - your changes must be beneficial to them, and improve their lives and\or experience. If your changes will ultimately make life harder for end-users, those changes probably won't bring about desired results.
5. Be Open To Feedback
Communication is a two-way street, and usually your "ground level" workers will have useful suggestions when it comes to their specific areas of expertise. Don't leave them out of the discussion. Have avenues for suggestions, questions, and other feedback so that your plans can be revised to bring about the best possible outcomes for the most possible people.
Get Expert Change Management Consulting From LogicBay
We've expanded our portfolio of services again, and can now bring you expert change management consulting and strategy services. With more than a decade's experience helping businesses move into the future and create tightly-knit data-based ecosystems, we're perfectly positioned to help you move into the forefront of modern business practices.
