New Technology or New Equipment
The Challenge
When organizations want to make a significant change to their business systems, new technology or new equipment is generally part of the change. For improved management systems, an organization may implement SAP, PeopleSoft, or Oracle. In a medical center, it is common to implement Electronic Medical Records for improving operational effectiveness. Sometimes, a manufacturing plant or utility will implement new upgraded equipment to replace old equipment.
What is common with the implementation of new technology and new equipment is the significant amount of preparation, education and disruption necessary for implementation. These projects can last longer than expected, costing millions of dollars due to shutdowns, outages or expanded scope with vendors. And, the negative impact on organizational morale can be huge. The typical change management strategies offered by vendors or internal departments aren’t enough to address these negative outcomes.
IMPAQ?s Solution
First, senior management gets a clear Picture of Success for what the result of the change will mean to the organization in terms of operational excellence and the culture necessary to optimize the use of technology or new equipment. The roles of senior management, middle management, supervisors and individual contributors will be clearer and evolve to optimize problem solving and decisions made at the lowest appropriate level. This foundation is used as a basis for implementing the change and adjusting the culture at the same time.
Because these large change efforts fail due to lack of accountability, effective management and poor cross-functional planning, this becomes a focal point of setting up a Leadership Accountability System. Our process results in establishing middle management as a unified team and is essential for breaking down all silo behaviors that eventually result in miscommunication, poor coordination, and unresolved problems/conflicts.
The Result
- Implementation of the new equipment or technology is on schedule and on budget
- Middle management silos are replaced by shared ownership and cross-functional accountability that more effectively plans and executes the change effort
- Cross-functional Proactive Recovery Plans prevent major breakdown
- Trust is enhanced throughout the organization because of improved and meaningful engagement at all levels
- The change is optimized afterwards due to cultural alignment in the new paradigm
