introduction

Finance Departments are secure in the knowledge that their future is assured. This is not a statement stemming from ego or guesswork, but rather calculating words based on solid and sound evidence, because that’s what their essence is about and credibility is earned from solid and sound evidence.

A business discipline, such as Finance, is one that will never be pushed to the peripherals of business because it does three things:

• It collects data
• It analyzes data
• It makes informed decisions based on the evidence and trends from the data

This is something that the function of HR is not always, and in some cases not often, able to do, and hence the question must be asked; is HR itself responsible for the way it is perceived currently?

Let me give you some examples of where HR’s record has been somewhat dubious along the way.

• When its dealing with people issues, what’s the guarantee that it will link HR initiatives to the real needs and/or business objectives when it doesn’t have access to these (if not central in the organizational structure)

Change Management does!

• When HR is dealing with the normal reaction to change ie resistance, its first and foremost purpose as per the SOP’s can be to discipline rather than to anticipate, understand and manage the resistance (give it what it wants)! That’s what a structured and credible.

Change Management does!

• On a typical work day, when can one see a net cash flow or ROI diagram on the desk of the HR leader? Never, yet the Change Manager’s desk will likely have one closeby!

Disciplines produce evidence, and the relatively new discipline of Change Management presents so many opportunities to collect and analyze data in order to ensure that whatever actions are taken to address change initiatives would be the most appropriate.

Change Management is NOT a new-look substitute for HR, nor should it guarantee to be a sub-function of HR. It has now earned a place at the board table, and has the right to earn directly attributable business success it brings.

Debbie Nicol, Managing Director of ‘business en motion’, moves businesses and leaders ahead through change. Debbie applies the Prosci® Change Management Methodology in her business consultancy and learning organization across the GCC and Asia. Connect with her on LinkedIn , Twitter or Facebook

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introduction

The Business Planning Process is at the core of all business. Or is it?

Commonly, substitutes exist. Lists of prioritised action plans, documented reorganisations or a set of goals or highly-organised budgeted figures have been interpreted and submitted as Business Plans.

What has been missing is a commitment to a contextualisation process to which decisions may align, and will support the ‘red thread’ connectivity throughout the entire plan.

Common sense tells any intrepid traveller a plan will map out the way forward. Perhaps this may be where the confusion lies. A map will only be useful if we contextualise where we are standing right now, in relation to come where we have come from. The map will also help us ascertain which paths helped us to get to where we are now, and which we may never need to use again, given that they did not contribute to our destination.

So too, any successful business leader needs to be connected to the past. Taking a snapshot of where he’s been, what has happened in the past whilst incorporating beliefs of the future will help decide what to bring into the future and what to leave behind.

Has the intrepid traveller ever inquired as to the reason he is walking that path at all? Has he ever formalised which part of the map he wishes to ‘explore and conquer’?

So too, any successful business leader reflects on the reason for doing business, along with the business battle field and weapons to use.

This essential contextualisation process of any business plan, and the subsequent connection of its meaning into the forward action can often be judged as irrelevant, unimportant, as that itself will not produce the revenues!

So what sort of leader will see great value in the contextualisation element of a business plan?

• One who is connected! Connected, aware and present with the world around, the people around, the change happening around!
• One who believes that there is no right or wrong decision, yet forges business-promoting decisions upon past, present and beliefs for the future.
• One who doesn’t have the answers, yet knows the questions to ask, and is willing to gain input from those closest and those furthest from the issue.
• One who constantly pushes the boundaries, who takes insights and reflections from the changing world around
• One who is interested in sustainable results, and not the ‘quick buck’ rule
• One who may even look at the money as an enabler to find meaning! In this chaotic world, how much value can common sense add to a Business Plan?

Debbie Nicol, Managing Director of Dubai-based ‘business en motion‘, and creator and author of the ‘embers of the world‘ series, is passionate about change. She works with both traditional and contemporary toolkits that move businesses and executive leaders ahead, whilst working on leader and organizational development, strategic change and corporate cultures.

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introduction

In tough times, it’s often the organizational learning that’s first to go. Learning professionals must now take a stance; must prove that the organization cannot operate without Learning and Development and must show evidence of the results organisational learning facilitates. Sounds like an easy solution?

What can Learning professionals be doing differently to result in sustainable influence? How can a strategic approach to learning benefit the organization, and what form can it take?

Download the presentation on Strategic Learning Interventions in Organisations to learn more

Debbie Nicol, Managing Director of Dubai-based ‘business en motion’, and creator and author of the ‘embers of the world‘ series, is passionate about change. She works with both traditional and contemporary toolkits that move businesses and executive leaders ahead, whilst working on leader and organizational development, strategic change and corporate cultures.

The post Strategic Learning Interventions in Organizations appeared first on business en motion.

Interview: Debbie Nicol, on Change Management

introduction

Q1. I believe that you are a Change Practitioner for organizations. What exactly does that mean?

A Change Practitioner will integrate the people into the technical aspects of a change project for one main reason – to ensure that they will produce the desired business outcomes.

Have you ever noticed how many Change Projects exist in business today, that do not produce ‘on time, on budget†results, even while having had the best Project Management applied?

Q2. What benefits come from applying Change Management?

• Business results achieved
• Costs reduced
• Mitigated risk of resistance
• Financial outcomes met

With change, things will be likely to become worse before they get better. How much worse, and for how long depends on how well you manage the people side of change.

Q3. What do you believe to be the keys to success when managing change?

There needs to be an ambassador of change, who goes far beyond the funding duties. That role is vital and must work through consistently transferring ownership of the change to the people, yet maintaining the ‘figurehead†position. This will add credibility and weight to the intended change. There are many techniques in how to do this, including timely, targeted and structured communication, training, and resistance planning.

In the words of Covey, we should always start with the end in mind. The Business Case for any change project must reflect what returns will be achieved. This is where change takes the people into the business, and with active, visible and consistent leadership, people willingly engage.

Q4. What do you mean by that statement exactly, that ‘change takes the people into the business�

People are human beings, all with personal agendas towards change, with potentially both positive and negative impact.

I hear often that Change Management is simply the HR aspects, the ‘soft stuffâ€, where in fact that could be defined as ‘inculcating the business into the peopleâ€, a very different perspective to ‘taking the people into the businessâ€. The latter statement implies that the people ARE your business, and are the only mechanism you have to achieve results through.

When ensuring each individual is ready, willing and able to change, and each person understands the need for the change, hears about the change, and becomes an ambassador of the change, they are now closer to being business partners. They will ensure your returns – the new IT system will be fully utilized, granting 100% return on your investment, the new processes will be quickly adopted, granting efficiency of production to the organization, the new sales team will be proficient in using the new customer-focussed sales technique, again providing returns to the corporate culture change required.

Q5. What insights have you gained from your practical experience of change projects?

• Organizations donâ€t change, but rather people change, one person at a time.
• Understanding an individualâ€s response to change and resistance are critical to organizational change.
• People will only partner with a strong ambassador of change, who actively partakes in the role required consistently, visibly and actively and one they trust
• The greater the impact of the change on the people, the more chance of not achieving ROI, and the greater the need for Change Management.

Q6. What does ‘business en motion†offer within the portfolio of change services?

• Business and strategic change planning
• On-site evaluations of change readiness or change resistance
• Customized ‘change training†for all levels of the organization
• One-to-one coaching for change leaders
• Implementation plans for change
• Measurement of change

Debbie Nicol, Managing Director of Dubai-based ‘business en motionâ€, and creator and author of the ‘embers of the world†series, is passionate about change. She works with both traditional and contemporary toolkits that move businesses and executive leaders ahead, whilst working on leader and organizational development, strategic change and corporate cultures.

The post Interview: Debbie Nicol, on Change Management appeared first on business en motion.

Social Constructivism – Changing Together

introduction

Social constructivism is an emerging approach to change, which encourages change, and learning, through the people, who may be your customers, employees, community etc. Itâ€s easy to identify those who donâ€t buy into this approach. Observable corporate traits include the desire to maintain control, the degree of closure in minds, a stagnant environment lacking regeneration, a leader who hides behind the people, and lack of communication in change.

Getting returns (business outcomes, adoption of the change, mitigated risks) on change efforts quite often appear through minds of others, if we are open enough to see and hear it.

Work with the organizations which build their next strategy through the people, the college which designs its new curriculum through and with the community, the business which asks the people what the corporate culture should demonstrate, the local government which asks what the community centre needs, the population that says what the encyclopedia of today should contain, the leader who asks for input into a solution – and feel the difference with business results.

Why not change your approach to Social Constructivism – provide the framework, and watch the future unfold in unanticipated ways.

Debbie Nicol, Managing Director of Dubai-based ‘business en motionâ€, and creator and author of the ‘embers of the world†series, is passionate about change. She works with both traditional and contemporary toolkits that move businesses and executive leaders ahead, whilst working on leader and organizational development, strategic change and corporate cultures.

The post Social Constructivism – Changing Together appeared first on business en motion.

Who Killed Change?

introduction

‘Who Killed Change?â€, a parable by Ken Blanchard and John Britt, highlights some very real challenges that organizations face during change.

It details how the factors of organizational culture, commitment, sponsorship, change leadership teams, communication, urgency, vision, plan, budget, training, incentive, performance management, accountability are active players of ‘organizational changeâ€. It briefly touches on the roles of employees, leaders and executive sponsors too.

What the book does not specifically capture is what many change management processes prioritize so well!

• Integration of the budget, timing and technical issues WITH the change and people issues.
• The exact role of the executive sponsor BEYOND the approval of funding and the launching of the project
• Factors behind employee and manager resistance, along with solutions to ensure both anticipation of these, and the role of the manager to work through and with these. Combined with this would be the factors of psychology of change, and which of the factors effect which of the roles, and at what stage.

Blanchard speaks of death of change being a slow one. Nicol adds the word ‘painful†to ‘slowâ€, given that denial is often the hardest factor to face.

Nicol, a Change Practitioner, highlights that many companies†service excellence approach, corporate cultures or expansion plans do in fact suffer from slow death. Far from a ‘sudden death†in business, a slow death happens so discretely, that we cant even sense the loss looming. It would be so easy to minimize the risk, if only we were in touch!

One customer speaks loudly as he walks to the competitor – death has begun.

How in touch are you with your customers?

One employee whispers to his friend about the leaderâ€s inconsistency – death has begun.

How in touch are you with your employees?

One policy or procedure is not adhered to – death has begun.

How often are you measuring and correcting inappropriate application of policies?

One leader behaves against the company behaviours – death has begun.

How connected are the leaders with themselves, employees and the culture?

Debbie Nicol, Managing Director of Dubai-based ‘business en motionâ€, and creator and author of the ‘embers of the world†series, is passionate about change. She works with both traditional and contemporary toolkits that move businesses and executive leaders ahead, whilst working on leader and organizational development, strategic change and corporate cultures.

The post Who Killed Change? appeared first on business en motion.

is it time to show our vulnerability?

introduction

All too often I hear protests from the Learning and Development or OD Department – we just get lip service! OR they arenâ€t serious about us! OR we are not maximised! OR we are only there to accept blame when something goes wrong. With true leadership being optimistic and self-confident, this is surely not the behaviour of L&D leaders but rather L&D maintainers (and disillusioned ones at that)! Is it time to turn the tables not on others but rather ourselves! Is it time for us to be placed in the centre of vulnerability – and perhaps only then will we see the picture clearly!

Vulnerability is the art of exposing elements that would otherwise remain closed or hidden. When this is done in a non-supportive environment it can be quite damaging and damning, when done in a supporting environment, it can stimulate growth, innovation and creative solutions and when done privately with ourselves, it can stimulate much needed reflection and connection.

Ready for some reflection? Letâ€s get to the barest level of vulnerability – almost naked one could say with the following question:

Could the business exist and survive without your L&D Departmentâ€s input?

If the answer is yes in any shape or form, then the L&D function is simply not adding value, and should stop disbursing the blame to external parties, and accept that we simply do not add value. There may be a myriad of reasons why we donâ€t such as we are not placed in the organization where we are empowered to add value, that is not the desired use of our time or many others too, however the bottom line is that we are not adding value. In todayâ€s discerning balance sheet, that equates to L&D being ‘surplus to requirements†and would be the first thing to go (which is commonly the case).

If you find yourself in this situation coupled with a supported and collaborative environment, what can be done to stimulate all the advantages of being vulnerable?

1. Ask the right question(s)
2. Ask the right question(s) to the right people
3. Ask the right question(s) to the right people at the right time

Ask the right question (s)

What is the right question? We can only discover this when connected to the bigger picture, and know the answer to the question what is it that the organization wishes to be. Once knowing the desired state, we can identify the necessary and supporting action, and with that natural linkage of cause and effect, the one who asks the right question will be forearmed with the logic required to hold a business-enabling conversation.

Ask the right question(s) to the right people

When opening the discussion, we clearly are entering the sphere of business-enabling capability. This capability will be in the hands of the business drivers, not identified by titles but rather by impact. Ask yourself what are the priorities of the business on paper, and as seen in everyday reality? Ask yourself what does the L&D department have capability of adding to that impact?

These people are looking for discussions that have been well researched, with fact, with evidence and with business reasoning behind it. To become one of the ‘right people†you need to be seen as credible. So perhaps another question may be what does credibility draw from?

Ask the right question(s) to the right people at the right time

There are key strategic times in the business cycle. When an L&D operative is acting outside of the business cycle, out of sync with business targets and disconnected from the vision and mission, the function can have no chance to be considered a business function. Perhaps an inquiry into the business mechanics would reap some inside information not considered previously, and all supporting mechanisms such as the scorecard and its measures could be aligned to the organizational scorecard (which it should always have been anyway).

For the L&D Department to become credible and an integral business component, its time to reflect upon ourselves and not react to others. We can surely not collaborate on a business level until we understand the business and its needs through the eyes of the value seekers and holders. Like it or not, the L&D department is NOT just about the people. ‘become†responsible and serve the business as well as the people.

How clearly do you see the picture now?

Debbie Nicol, Managing Director of Dubai-based ‘business en motionâ€, and creator and author of the ‘embers of the world†series, is passionate about change. She works with both traditional and contemporary toolkits that move businesses and executive leaders ahead, whilst working on leader and organizational development, strategic change and corporate cultures.

The post is it time to show our vulnerability? appeared first on business en motion.

pride and passion in service

Today, after voicing my frustration to an insurance company, I received the following reply, in writing, from a service coordinator.

‘My philosophy is that a company is doing well not when the Management is happy but rather when the Customer is happy. Moreover I expect reasonably good service from my own service providers and hence I have a moral responsibility to extend the same to my customers‘….before he proceeded to solve my problem.

Whilst I was delighted beyond description, I also pondered: what is it that allows this chap to epitomize service? Naturally there are outstanding individuals who personify excellence, yet sad to say no many! So with the majority in mind, I pondered deeper, reflecting upon the external drivers that this chap was immersed in everyday.

1. Could he be surrounded by a reward system? Possibly, yet would it capture every single email and response he sends?

2. Could he be provided the competence and confidence by the environment? Most likely, with training and coaching.

3. Could he be allowed to make mistakes? I would say this response has developed over time, allowing learning to refine any ‘mistake†into such a ‘jewel†of a response.

4. Would he be ‘on the bus†of the company vision, sharing it enough to want to make it happen?

I would guess most definitely, seeing where heâ€s taking the company every single day!

Pondering brought the one final question – what would have brought all of those into his environment. Nothing short of a great leader, one who walks his talk, demonstrates by example, is in touch with the customers and staff….and the list goes on!

Can we please bottle this magic formula, one that clearly places ‘connection†at the center of customer service? Congratulations Tom – the business world needs more of you!

Debbie Nicol, Managing Director of Dubai-based ‘business en motionâ€, and creator and author of the ‘embers of the world†series, is passionate about change. She works with both traditional and contemporary toolkits that move businesses and executive leaders ahead, whilst working on leader and organizational development, strategic change and corporate cultures.

The post Pride and Passion in Service appeared first on business en motion.

Training vs Change Management

introduction

Recently explaining Change Management to be the process which links the people to the new business performance, one keen listener asked ‘so if my hamburger chain stops making hamburgers and now wishes to sell salads, thatâ€s a change, one that would simply require training – right?â€.

Further discussions revealed that the organization had a choice to make. Training would undoubtedly equip a team member to make and sell the salads, changing his behaviour according to the new business performance, yet ‘on a rather peripheral levelâ€.

Picture that same salad maker having embraced the change so much that not only would he make and sell salads, but also excitedly tell the customers about the reason for the change and the new future it faces. This may then result in this server also hearing from many customers of a new menu item, eg that a healthy add-on to salads would be fruit juice or fruit portions. He actively sends this message through the organization, resulting in upgraded choices.

The outer change in skill level has now been complemented by an inner change of becoming an active ‘partner†in the businessâ€s future. The reality of change, when occurring on both outer and inner levels, is real change. The future of self-leadership is a balance of both inner and outer change.

How much of your training stops short of the real change you hope for? What could you be doing differently to change the depth and breadth of your organizationâ€s learning?

Debbie Nicol, Managing Director of Dubai-based ‘business en motionâ€, and creator and author of the ‘embers of the world†series, is passionate about change. She works with both traditional and contemporary toolkits that move businesses and executive leaders ahead, whilst working on leader and organizational development, strategic change and corporate cultures.

The post Training vs Change Management appeared first on business en motion.

inside-out or outside-in visioning

introduction

When our backbone is aligned, we walk tall, freely and with no hesitation. We make great progress and can respond to any unexpected influence swiftly and efficiently. Could you as a corporate leader say the same about your business?

Many businesses display the exact opposite, with lethargy and loyalty superseding productivity, agility and positive response to complexity.

The recent HBR article seen here shines a spotlight on the importance of alignment to achieve real results in todayâ€s complex business landscape. Perhaps on the surface this does not seem so revolutionary, as the corporate world has, for many years, applied techniques such as the Balanced Scorecard to ensure alignment between what we wish the business to be, what we do and the measures we apply. Yet on further reflection, the ‘revolution†suggested is one that takes alignment to a deeper level, for business to align to ‘noble purposesâ€, ensuring:

• stakeholder orientation

• moral obligation to give back

• environmental awareness

Could this be another way of referring to ‘outside-in visionsâ€? For years, corporate visions have created separateness – ‘we will be the #1 providerâ€, ‘we will have the best productâ€. How do these visions show a commitment to serving those integrated with the product such as the customer and employees. Most definitely these visions serve the investor for greater returns, yet at the expense of whom? Perhaps then the real issue with ‘noble purposes†or ‘outside in†visions is measurement and balance.

When creating vision, do we become so focussed on the detail that ‘the what and who†of measurement is forgotten? Measurement most certainly matters yet in whose eyes? Does the customer care if you have increased sales by 10% or do the staff display excitement by greater profits especially when they may not receive a share?

Could a form of noble purpose be to put all stakeholders equally at the centre of the vision, ensuring they are at the centre of the experience from the very beginning. The Scandinavian Leadership Group show solidarity in the way visions are defined: ‘how we would like to see our worldâ€, with ‘we†and ‘our†representing those we would like to make a contribution to. Collaboration and a mind-set of service to all is at the core of business thinking in these visions:

A utilities company: clear air and water for more people

A hospice: people in our community look forward to growing old in our community

A sports club: young people in my home town lead a healthier life

An association: A society in which everyone wants to do his/her share

When a vision revolves around all key stakeholders, it cant help but be a noble purpose. When this occurs so too the measurement cant help but be aligned with what stakeholders desire, and hence our business activity will most definitely be aligned and serving in nature.

How aligned is your business with those you wish to serve?

Debbie Nicol, Managing Director of Dubai-based ‘business en motionâ€, and creator and author of the ‘embers of the world†series, is passionate about change. She works with both traditional and contemporary toolkits that move businesses and executive leaders ahead, whilst working on leader and organizational development, strategic change and corporate cultures.

The post inside-out or outside-in visioning? appeared first on business en motion.