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Free content for food for thought. Read our latest blog articles, we have a lot to say.
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Articles
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September24
2019
Don't explain what you do, tell them what difference it makes.
No doubt you are all familiar with the following situation. Lots of efforts were devoted to a promising idea. Relying on a perfectly optimised process, the project was effectively carried out. But with a mediocre adoption rate, the initiative proved to be a failure. Meanwhile, fresh ideas emerged and people just moved on, kicking off a new production cycle. There is a palpable feeling of frustration attached to what is perceived as (and probably is) a tremendous waste of time, skills and money. You find yourself saying “why not bring in CM to the table next time?”, only to be faced with a barrage of critiques (“gadget”, “soft and fuzzy”) and doubts (“optional”, “if there is leftover money”). Best-case scenario: CM is last in, first out. You see, the key question is not whether CM should be used or not, but how to capture the people-dependent portion of ROI. ...
Written by
Vincent PIEDBOEUF -
September09
2019
Best practices for integrating "training" programmes into CM plans.
Taking a structured approach to managing the people side of change can boost the rate of project success by a substantial amount. Adoption and usage make a critical difference between getting short-lived results or effective and long-lasting change. Needless to say, training plans play an essential role along the path of implementing reforms or new processes and tools. Our partner PROSCI[1] has identified the key elements to be combined for these plans to deliver the best results. To gauge the efficiency of your freshly implemented programs, this article also lists the most useful tracking and reporting tools[2]. Key contributors to the success of training plans. The exercise of stock-taking of all best practices leaves us with six major success factors. According to PROSCI, “planning and audience matching” is reported twice as often as the other contributors. Planning / design: “Standard” or generic content is the enemy. ...
Written by
Vincent PIEDBOEUF -
September02
2019
Nudging – a well-intentioned push or mean manipulation?
Nudging is the new black within organisational behavior design. It has been celebrated as a method of intervention that, among other things, helps implement change quickly and efficiently. It is often referred to as a ‘loving push in the right direction’, which helps people make the choices that are in their best interests – without them even realising it. And yes. Nudging CAN be quite effective. But many will argue that it is not always just a ‘loving push’. If done incorrectly, nudging can take the shape of manipulation and be directly damaging. Thus, when you are trying to influence other people’s behavior, it is a serious matter that requires for you to act professionally and responsibly – and not least be able to asses when it is ethically sound. Far from innocent Nudging is about how we through a better ‘choice architecture’ – a term used when ...
Written by
Annika Lagoni -
June25
2019
Setting up a CMO is the best way to streamline change management across the organisation. Plus, this functional group does not have to be big to deliver great results. Our series discussed why CMOs are seen as a major trend for the coming years and what configuration is best suited for your needs. A recurring question is where the CMO should sit. Here again, there is no single answer. This last instalment identifies patterns based on existing research and most important variables to consider. Overview of CMOs and their main location. More than half of all CM functional groups are located in a single place[1]. By single location we mean that they are usually attached to a specific department or unit, such as the Project Management Office or Human Resources, for the most part. Higher levels of CM maturity tend to translate into more complex setups. Where CM has ...
Written by
Vincent PIEDBOEUF -
June20
2019
What I have learned from a failed change
“I haven’t failed. I’ve just found 10, 000 ways that won’t work”, said Thomas Edison, who made one of our time’s greatest changes. There is so much truth in that quote. But seriously – who has the time and money for 10, 000 attempts? Nearly a decade ago, I courageously embarked on an adventure of managing the people side of an organisational turnaround. With little preliminary qualifications besides the eagerness that follows ignorance about the complexity of managing a change, I ventured into a journey that ended exactly where we did not want. Here are three take-aways from that educational experience. Lesson #1 : You need top management involvement Though the transition was demanded by top management, we struggled with lack of executive commitment from the get-go. With little direction about where they would like us to end up. With lack of resource allocation to manage ...
Written by
Anna Balk-Møller -
June11
2019
How to set up a CMO (II): Functioning, Shape and Size.
If not coordinated, change efforts are bound to fail. Surviving in a turbulent business landscape takes a solid aptitude to manage current and future changes in a consistent way. A permanent unit, or multiple dedicated touchpoints, can give you leverage over other competitors. Now that you know what a CMO is and why it should be part of the effort to future-proof your organisation, it is time to look at all available format options. In this new instalment, we provide you guidance to find the perfect CMO match in terms of functioning, shape and size. There are no blueprint solutions, only strategies! Centralised, hybrid or decentralised? CMOs can take on different forms, ranging from highly centralised to completely decentralised. In-between hybrids are equally valuable options. Each format yields specific benefits, further summarised in the graph below: Centralised: the CMO is located in a ...
Written by
Vincent PIEDBOEUF -
June04
2019
Don’t fear resistance – Turn it into engagement!
Change is hard, difficult and filled with a lot of human reactions, and we often fear how managers and employees will react. But fear not! If handled right, we can convert the negative energy into engagement and turn the strongest dissenter into a dedicated advocate. Change leadership is a part of your leadership role. When you sign the contract and accept the role as leader of a department or even as part of the C-suit, you automatically sign up for leading change. Still many of us struggle with leading change successfully. And by successfully, I mean changing the individual behaviour for all the managers and employees impacted by a change. When resistance to change is converted into engagement early in the process, we can use the energy to mobilize our organization. Whether it is rolling out the next business strategy, our new company IT solution or implementation or ...
Written by
Malene Kingo Christensen -
May28
2019
What is a CMO and why you should consider setting one up. (I)
Whether you are currently applying CM to projects or just consider the best way to climb the CM maturity ladder, this series of 3 articles is for you.
Change Management Offices, or CMO, are mushrooming. That said, it is not unusual to come across many variations in formulation. Whatever their name – CM Network, CM Division, CM Team or Enterprise CM …, the list goes on –, all refer to the existence of an overarching functional structure that orchestrates CM efforts across the workplace. Yet, there is no one-size fits-all format. Have you ever wondered what extra benefits a CMO can bring to your organisation and how to set up one that will meet your needs? Whether you are currently applying CM to projects or just consider the best way to climb the CM maturity ladder, this series of 3 articles is for you. In this first post, we go back to the basics and explore the reasons why CMOs are more popular than ever before … and their very raison d’être. CMOs: elevated Change Management. ...
Written by
Vincent PIEDBOEUF -
May13
2019
Background. The effort at regulating capital markets in Europe has brought with it substantial reforms. Implemented in 2017, the “MiFID” (Markets in Financial Instruments Directives) legal arsenal was quickly reinforced with new provisions. In a nutshell, MiFID II seeks to strengthen both external and internal controls / reporting, enhance investor protection as well as market transparency, and reform market structures. As the investment industry is undergoing a major facelift, MiFID presents banking actors with challenges that call for a solid Management of Change. What is at stake is long-term sustainability and readiness for change. A partner of choice throughout the transition, NEXUM has put its expertise to work in a number of ways sampled in this post. The challenge. The implementation of MiFIDII has led private banks to implement operational changes and make strategic choices related to their business model/operating model. These structural and organizational ...
Written by
Veronique DI MARIA