2023 GLOBAL SRM RESEARCH REPORT
CASE STUDY: DENIZ KAFALI
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Common mistakes Kafali says there are two elements that businesses sometimes overlook and can cause issues. The first relates to employees and how they view projects. “Sometimes people are very focused on the technology,” she says. “But they need to think about how it fits into their wider activity because it’s very likely that they are using a lot of things around it. Unless you actually make those connections and solve them, there’s a risk it becomes myopic change and doesn’t work.” Those overseeing projects, meanwhile, need to bear in mind that there are likely to be other change management programmes going on in the organisation. “You need to understand how you sit in the bigger picture,” she advises. “This is not the job of the users but the change management team. Sometimes, there is too much change, and people don’t know what to focus on. The risk there is that you lose their attention.” Deniz Kafali Üçüncü, global vice president, customer success, at State of Flux, offers the following tips for organisations embarking on a change management programme: 1. Do your homework Most organisations only discover the current state of affairs long after making implementation decisions. Conducting thorough preparation and assessing alternatives means you can progress at pace and generate better adoption. Define what success looks like for the change management team and formalise it with a few simple KPIs 2. Spread the word Develop mission and impact messages early on, and make it clear that leadership is behind the change. Technical architects have a big role to play as they understand their own organisation and can ensure messages cascade at all levels. Collaboration tools such as design Making change count
Even in the current climate, the business case remains solid for technology programmes, believes Kafali, as long as the change management element is undertaken correctly. “It means companies can fix core problems which will affect a company’s bottom line and its operability objectives,” she says. “In the context of SRM, it will build a very different kind of conversation with your supply chain. You’ll be able to bring them into the journey of thinking about issues, challenges and innovations together.”
State of Flux can help its clients with such programmes, either at a tactical level by setting key performance indicators and managing the data collection process or handling the change management process. The latter approach often makes sense when companies need to deliver change at speed and lack the capacity or capability to manage programmes themselves. Sometimes, this can go full circle, with an organisation in time implementing other programmes. “They may look to adopt it in a different part of business or to
Seven steps to make change stick
‘People will embrace change much better if they understand how it impacts and helps them personally.’
change the process itself,” she explains. “SRM is a living strategy; it’s not something you do once and then turn it on. It needs to adapt to the changing needs of the organisation.”
To find out more about how State of Flux can help your business on its change management journey, visit stateofflux.co.uk .
Many change management programmes fail not because of the underlying technology but the way in which the rollout is handled. Deniz Kafali Üçüncü, Global Vice President, Customer Success, at State of Flux, outlines here how to ensure your initiative delivers lasting benefits.
Change is vital to the modern business world, with technological developments often the catalyst for wider transformation programmes. But despite the clear benefits that such projects can bring, many often struggle because organisations have not approached the rollout in the right manner. Deniz Kafali, global vice president, customer success, at State of Flux, says the starting point is to identify where the organisation is now, by conducting a readiness assessment. “The first conversation should be around what do you have, what are you looking to achieve and what’s happening in your organisation today,” she says. Once a decision has been made to roll out a new platform – and the accompanying change programme – it’s important to ensure employees who will be affected understand what’s happening and how it can help them. “Where you’re trying to
improve ways of working and to engage people to collaborate better on a complex process, you need to make sure they understand why the technology is there and why they should change,” she says. “People will embrace it much better if they understand how it impacts and helps them personally,” she adds. This means “walking the floors”, either virtually or physically, where those driving the change can explain the benefits and answer any questions. Embracing feedback Once the technology element of the implementation has happened, it’s a good idea to grant access to a selected group of users, such as those from the technology team, procurement and potentially a small group of end-users. “Making use of ambassadors before the system goes live can help ahead of the formal change management programme,” adds Kafali.
This will help identify any potential issues – whether technological or more process-related – early on, she adds, and is part of what helps to create what she terms a “good journey”. “That means working with agility, making them experience it, collecting the feedback, making small adjustments and then going into the next phase,” she says. “That’s a far more effective way than trying to solve everything in one go. Unless you’re giving people a product where there is nothing you can change, you need to think through a bit of iteration and an agile way of working.” She also suggests giving the programme its own brand identity, which can help employees relate to what it is trying to achieve and give them a sense of ownership. “They need to feel that it’s not something being done to them but something that is happening in collaboration with them,” she adds.
5. Carry key organisational influencers with you.
thinking boards and surveys can also help. Define the change in brand identity and use personas to tell your story. 3. Aim high, but start small. It’s important to put your priorities in order. Achieve some, advocate results and aim higher. Often programmes don’t come to fruition as there is huge complexity and an inability to prioritise quick wins. By the time they reach the goal, organisational priorities have already moved on. 4. Know your audience Some programmes are about the functionality of a new technology, and less so how it helps a particular end-user or changes the way they work. Understanding the end-to-end process for a user, and how the new kit sits in that, will entirely change the conversation and help spot issues to address early on.
Creating internal ambassadors is key in change management to drive the change throughout the organisation and bring back that much-needed customer voice. Listen to suggestions and make adjustments as you go. 6. Be mindful of other programmes. Be aware that other programmes may be taking place at the same time. Ensure you’re not overwhelming employees with information or change and that they can see the benefits. 7. Keep an eye on the prize. It’s good practice to keep your KPIs at hand for the overall programme and to regularly have a stock-check of the next steps and hurdles to prioritise actions on your critical path with the end goal in mind. This will make sure critical points that might affect your success are addressed.
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