Many businesses seek to optimize Supply Chain Management (SCM) through robust, growth-driven technologies. However, implementing or migrating to such technologies represents a significant organizational shift, often impacting every operational aspect of the business. The key to success lies in effective organizational change management (OCM) to ensure user acceptance and seamless adoption.
Let’s delve into how we can transform the technology transition zone into a strategic SCM upgrade through efficient change management.
Harmonizing Business and Technology
Cutting-edge technologies are transformative forces reshaping organizational operations, altering not only business needs and technological aspects, but also automating various activities such as reporting, planning and procurement. These technologies often bring with them significant changes to processes, workflows and employee roles throughout the organization. This transformation goes beyond technology, necessitating a comprehensive shift in how people work and interact within the organizational structure.
While it’s important to understand today’s technological terrain, understanding the business – and the impact the technology will have on the business – is equally important.
From my years of experience working across different sectors, I’ve seen first-hand why successful digital transformations require synergy between ‘the business’ and IT. When they operate independently or in silos, inefficiencies, miscommunication, limited innovation, data inconsistencies, and increased costs may arise. Effective collaboration between business functions and IT is essential to unlock their full potential, aligning objectives and action plans for the company’s benefit.
Embarking on the Technology Transition Journey
I firmly believe that the transformation journey holds greater significance than merely reaching the implementation goal. The journey represents a continuous process of evolution, learning and adapting beyond a singular destination. Here’s a glimpse into what a successful journey may involve:
Preparation and Alignment: Your Technology Transition’s North Star
Before diving into the technical aspects, lay the groundwork for organizational change. Align stakeholders, set clear objectives and establish a vision for the future state. In my personal experience, this is one of the most crucial points where end users must begin to understand how their roles are being affected and the challenges and changes they may face during the transition.
Customized Change: Unlocking Your Organization’s Potential
Craft a tailored change management plan addressing specific needs and culture. This plan should outline strategies, communication methods, training programs, and engagement approaches. It can drive an initial awareness with an intention to boost alignment for future changes. This can be done through systematic communication with all the users on the progress of the implementation project and what is expected of them. Commit to sending timely and transparent communications that address concerns and uncertainties.
Empower Your Team for Success: Building Skills, Shaping Futures
Training is not just a classroom setup. It goes well beyond this, and change managers need to create an environment where learning on the go helps users adapt to changes quickly. Equip employees with the necessary skills and knowledge required to effectively adapt to any new technology. At Bristlecone, we have adopted training with a tracking system that enables the business to track the users and know users’ understanding of the changes at any given time.
Tracking showed one of our clients that 80% of their users were reluctant to adopt a new SCM system, even post-training. With our proven approach and user adoption measures, the client experienced a significant boost in usage; adoption jumped from a mere 20% to nearly 90%.
Feedback and Iteration: Fueling Your Journey to Excellence
Listen to your users. Provide a mechanism for soliciting their feedback. Users need to know that their voices are being heard and that their concerns and challenges are being addressed. In my experience, getting feedback after every project milestone has resulted in far better alignment and user involvement – not just to improve the change management plan but also the intended goals of the technology implementation.
The client’s feedback collection process began at the initial stage, when the involvement rate was 20%. Constant feedback sessions played a critical role in driving a 350% increase in user adoption.
Moreover, as a change manager, I also recognize that the real journey may extend beyond the initial implementation. The true test of a successful change lies in the post-implementation period, where the organization assesses the long-term impact and effectiveness of the implemented changes. In essence, the journey is a holistic and ongoing process. During this continuous journey, the impact and success of organizational change become a barometer for measuring the effectiveness and sustainability of the implemented changes.
Conclusion
In transformation initiatives, successful outcomes can be achieved by prioritizing the three pillars of Process, People and Technology at the core, and understanding the dependencies and synergies between the three pillars.
Bristlecone’s integrated approach to SCM solutions exemplifies the power of meticulous planning, cultural alignment and open communication. Our people-centric OCM strategy, rooted in a clear vision and active employee involvement, has consistently helped clients improve their supply chain efficiency and innovation, while setting new benchmarks for user adoption and advocacy.
ANANTHAKRISHNAN
Senior Consultant
Change Management
Bristlecone
