5 Easy Ways to bring about Change Management in Shared Services - by Hansa Sharma

It is a known fact across industries that the toughest part of any project implementation, change initiative or innovation is the change management during and post implementation. In a Shared Services environment, constant innovation and new change initiatives are the driving forces for success. The success of these initiatives lies in bringing in effective change management amongst employees and business partners who are used to the old models of working and find it difficult to change course as and when new technology and processes are implemented.

So how does one go about effectively bringing about change in the way people work? Should we force down the changes and dictate the new system to be followed? Or do we approach these teams and make them see the benefits of the change? What should be the right mix?

The right way would be a subtle mix of both. In my experience of setting up new processes in Shared Services, there are many factors that helped bring this change. But there some key ways of how we have been able to effectively handle change management in the real time scenario.

Listed below are 5 ways that were effectively used to drive change in the Shared Service Center in our organisation:-

Create calm in chaos

We often get bogged down by the chaos around us. And this is the moment we give in to the pressure and give up changing things and become part of the chaos. The trick is to remain calm when everyone else is doubtful. People want to be led. Be the leader who is composed in chaos. When they see someone calm in the midst of chaos, they generally tend to think that everything is under control. Keep your calm, because you know that the system that you are implementing is going to kill the chaos. People will see value of the new system/process when the new system is able to correct things that were hitherto difficult to handle. They will begin to accept the change.

Be prepared to get mauled

Yes, it going to be that way in the beginning. Every resource averted to the new idea will want to point out all the possible flaws in your new idea, tool or process that you want to bring in. The trick here is to believe completely in your plan of action and its results. You will have to be diplomatic though.

This strategy worked well for us when we wanted to implement an online Employee Onboarding system. Although the teams involved were aware that the implementation would bring in 50% of cost reduction and save 40% of time for the Recruitment, Onboarding and Background (BG) verification staff, there was rejection of the new portal and process. The recruiters believed that it would double-up their work, the documentation staff was not sure if things will work on time and the BG team was not sure of the movement of documents. But by patiently and systematically convincing and proving the benefits to each team involved we were able to implement the project successfully. Today none of the team can think of going back to manual system.

Slow and steady still wins goody points

Being slow may not be the best trait these days, but when it comes to changing people, it doesn’t happen overnight. You may have to re-emphasis on the benefits of the tool/process/system repeatedly. You will need to show results, deliver exemplary service, and go an extra mile in the initial stages to prove that the new system is actually helping them. Be open to suggestions, feedback, improvements & criticism.

A live example of being able to hang in just a little longer proved very useful for us when we wanted to implement a Business Shared Service (BSS) Model which would bring in a single helpdesk for all employee queries including HR, Facilities, IT, Training, Resource Management and Finance services. The HR service was already on the ticketing/case management model and working with SLA’s and metrics. However to implement the same standards across the teams was a daunting task. The IT team was particularly averted to this model and did not want to work with a SLA driven approach. Each time we wanted to implement the tool, they would put spokes in the wheel and stall the project. After 6 months of continued efforts which involved accepting and changing certain aspects, we were able to implement the BSS model across the organization. Today it’s the lifeline for all employee queries. We were able to successfully bring a culture change. Employees have successfully changed over from the culture of randomly sending e-mails to systematically logging their issues in the portal.

Sometimes the whip is required. (But play the Good Cop/ Bad Cop Routine)

Don’t be all good and agreeing all the time. You will need to put your foot down and ensure your project runs the way you have intended it to be implemented. Too many tweaks in the process may ruin the benefit it is meant to deliver. Keep using the 80:20 rule to prioritize actions that are critical to the mission.

The Good Cop/Bad Cop routine was played effectively as members of the implementation team took roles of the Good Cop/Bad Cop. While the Bad Cop continued to put pressure on the teams to adopt and use the Shared Services way of working, the Good Cop ensured all teams involved agreed on mutual terms and worked towards the successful implementation of the project.

Don’t get complacent once the project is implemented

Often, post implementation, we generally tend to relax and let it go. The key for successful implementation would be constant improvement and constant control of the process and operations of the same. This should be governed by a strong SOP and controls that will never let the project fail. People will see the difference the sustained effort brings and will believe in you more in the future. Document every step of the project implemented, create knowledge and transition documents and let the world know what changes you have brought and how it has helped the organization.

Conclusion

There is no one solution that fits all for successful implementations. You will need to formulate your style and method of driving change effectively when implementing new systems. The methods mentioned above few of them that i was able to use and successfully drive change initiatives in our organization.