Instilling confidence in change

In an environment of continuous industrial, societal, and technological evolution – it’s often all too easy to act on change – almost for change’s sake. In an era when ‘standing still’ is often extremely dangerous, organisations know that they want to evolve and progress, but many act on change without really knowing what to change, and why. It’s a common and extremely deep pitfall to make.

Organisational change is difficult. Cultures and practices are often long embedded, and ‘change’ is often considered as a threat within organisations and across their stakeholder networks. So, how do organisations change effectively with confidence and buy-in?

A great place to start is with change readiness assessments to ascertain how capable of change an organisation is, what its general appetite for change is, and where it needs to focus its change efforts. A good change consultancy will work with its subject matter experts to understand, for example, how its client can procure more effectively going forward, or use data and digital platforms to drive efficiencies. Typically following an internal survey or research model, a change partner will create a framework for change that’s bespoke for its client organisation. It will not only analyse the core organisation, but its wider supply chain and partners, forming alliances with them as and when required to clarify the ‘why’ - precise need for change - and ensure the right tools are in place to deliver it effectively. ???

The key thing to note is that effective and real change can look so different across sectors and the organisations within them. In infrastructure, for example, certain things change rapidly with cycles of change taking only a matter of weeks, while other areas evolve at what seems like a snail’s pace, often taking decades before they are truly different. In others like rail, we need to separate sector fundamentals and consistencies from the fact that many aspects within it move extremely quickly. Sensible use of the available tools, that are updating and evolving all the time, is vital to minimise organisational risk whilst maximising efficiencies for rail-based organisations. ?

It is also vital that organisations, and the consultants they partner with for support, recognise the dramatic reduction in today’s horizon timeframes. Whereby ‘Horizon 2’ used to be deemed as years away, most organisations today consider and plan for the arrival of ‘H2’ within the same financial year – a staggering shift in paradigms. Planning for the ‘future’ is no longer about setting up the next generation of business leaders for success but ensuring that our current year’s financial targets are met, and today’s customers come back to us next month. We all must accept that the rate of change, be it welcomed or not, exceeds the once natural or ‘normal’ rhythm of operations.

Many of our client organisations come to Mott MacDonald for support with their change programmes because of the evolution and change journey we ourselves have undergone in recent years. Our team of change experts and management consultants identify similarities and we’re brilliantly placed to “meet clients” wherever they are on their change journey or transformation programme. Many of our clients are public sector based, and we’re helping them demonstrate their professional competencies and abilities to facilitate their major, publicly funded, projects and programmes. By helping them show they meet current and future regulatory requirements and demonstrate the collective good to come from their investments, we’re enabling them to change and evolve with much more confidence and pace.

Are you interested in learning more about our advisory solutions? Please reach out to me for more details or visit our website: https://www.mottmac.com/advisory