Implementation cost - C-Link Consulting

“If you don’t like change, you’ll like irrelevance even less”

Nick Welham — Mon, 29 Oct 2018 21:50:35 +0000

“If you don’t like change, you’ll like irrelevance even less”

– General Eric Shinseki

Change is hard, and it takes a lot of effort to effect a successful transformation. While every change has an implementation cost, there is also a cost to “institutionalizing” your organization, where people fear change. This can lead to a stale culture which is not welcoming to new hires. Employees look to make a difference when they join an organization and they want to be a part of something where they can share their experiences. If the organization cannot seriously consider their contributions, they will leave, and this will create a revolving door of new hires.

To engage your organization in a change culture:

When communicating, frame change as an opportunity, not a threat.
Get your employees used to change by asking for suggestions on a regular basis and follow up with them. This will get people used to the idea that change is “not a big deal”.
Ask new employees to document what they think should change when they arrive. Review this with them on a regular basis to see if and how their perception changes.
Don’t allow your organization to fall into a “status-quo trap”, where we fail to evaluate the current situation with the same criteria used for the options for change.
As the HBR article below says – always explain why change is necessary and what the benefits are.

If your organization is worried about staff retention issues or is frustrated by the time and cost it takes to implement change, connect with me on LinkedIn, or email nick.welham@c-link.consulting and let’s start a conversation to see if I can help.

The post “If you don’t like change, you’ll like irrelevance even less” first appeared on C-Link Consulting.

An “intervention” leads to $150,000 annual savings

Nick Welham — Wed, 10 Oct 2018 00:43:07 +0000

Client: Multi-state medical services provider.

Situation

After several years of contracting and then stagnant growth, the client was looking for a method to increase profitability. Reviews for savings had been considered in the past, but options had been rejected for fear that removing services would reduce brand equity.

Process

A strategic “intervention” was staged with senior managers by sharing the issues the company was facing and convincing them of the need for change. They were challenged to provide a range of options to satisfy the issues, and then each option was reviewed for its financial impact, cost of implementation and staff perception.

The chosen option had been previously rejected, but we were able to re-explore the issues and develop a plan with the stakeholders. The implementation affected the workflow every staff member and almost every patient. Despite the magnitude of the change, it was positively received by all involved.

Savings

This change resulted in annual savings of over $150,000. Moreover, it allowed patients to start their treatment regimen faster and had no effect on public perception of the brand.

The post An “intervention” leads to $150,000 annual savings first appeared on C-Link Consulting.

What happened to my great idea?

Nick Welham — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 14:30:39 +0000

I have a great idea!

Sometimes we have a great idea and cannot wait to share it with our team! You present it with enthusiasm and it is well received by the team, but the implementation takes forever, or doesn’t occur. What happened?

You were excited, and your first instinct was to sell the team on your idea, so they recognize the value in your proposition and embrace it like you did. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that anyone will be as enthusiastic and invested as you are, as they were not engaged in the creation.

SO what happened?

Your team quickly realized “which way the wind was blowing” and likely did not bring up crucial implementation issues or take the time to consult with key members of their teams. You vouched for the idea, so no real fact finding was done to support or refute the proposition. Unintentionally, you have directed the team while showing little interest in their opinion, or even worse, it could be seen by them as an authoritarian act. Either way, it may well cost you social capital and reduce your team’s trust.

Are you listening?

As leaders, we all like to believe that we are open to feedback, but it’s very difficult to provide a peer with honest objective feedback, never mind your boss. The very fact that you presented it with enthusiasm was read by your team as your emotional attachment to the idea. It would take a very strong and skilled subordinate to dissuade you from seeing it through.

Getting it right

It IS possible to bring good ideas to your team, to have them accepted and implemented. The key part of the process is to consider what business issues the elements of your idea were trying to satisfy and to take this to the team, so they can form their own ideas.

To learn how to present great ideas and remove the emotional baggage from the decision-making process, contact C-Link Consulting at (248) 781-0150, email info@c-link.consulting, or fill out the form below. We can show you how to use that great idea to stimulate a broader, healthy discussion, which will result in your team being both personally invested in the process and committed to the implementation.

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