Change is of course to be expected in business, especially successful ones, but the speed and scale of change that’s hit us all in recent months has left even the most agile of companies slightly winded!
For the organisations we’ve be working with, knowing how best to react and respond to such pace and unpredictability has proved challenging to say the least. Companies need to be in the best possible position to take advantage of opportunities as and when they arise.
Even if you know of us, what you may not know is that much of the work we do at Maier is about helping businesses to assess, and where needed, remodel their structures and processes – reorganising the way teams work (more often than not across functions) to increase capacity and capability within the organisation.
One of the benefits of the current economic climate (yes, even in the doom and gloom we truly believe there are opportunities to be had!) is that it has forced companies to take a closer look at how effective their systems and set up really are – and more importantly to question where and how they could be improved.
Gaining clarity of purpose is critical to the success of any restructure;
‘what is it that we want/need to achieve as a result?’
The team driving it needs to:
- develop (and communicate) their vision of how the changes will improve and/or add value to the business
- be able to say what success will look like and when to expect it.
All straight forward in theory but difficult to deliver in practice!
Our expertise is in:
- facilitating teams through these tricky (and sometimes thorny) initial discussions,
- providing a framework that allows everyone to voice their aspirations and concerns,
- challenging what we see and hear when necessary
- and ultimately guiding the group(s) to an agreed outcome and most importantly gaining their commitment to act – not based on individual or functional preferences but on business priorities.
Inevitably when the word ‘restructure’ is heard emotions begin to run high – as much for those that won’t be directly affected as for those that will. Understanding the rationale and knowing the necessity behind the changes doesn’t necessarily make the process any easier, teams can be quickly thrown by significant changes to the structure and in many cases the loss of peers or colleagues.
We’re adept at steering teams and individuals through some of the more emotionally charged parts of the restructure process, offering advice and support where needed and tools and techniques to help them get the balance right between professional logic and personal sentiment.
Whether you need to work on a 1:1 basis to develop personal transition plans or whether team development or group coaching is in order, we have a range of cost-effective options all of which can of course be tailored to your needs and requirements.
Whenever we work with teams who have been through, or are going through a restructure, without exception the majority of the grievances voiced are about communication.
Occasionally it’s to do with inconsistency of message from the top team, more often than not it’s about the lack of information available at a time when senior managers are expected to be highly visible and more vocal than usual.
Delivering potentially ‘bad news’ is never easy but then the alternative is no news at all, that’s when the rumour mill kicks in! With any change there has to be an element of ‘business as usual’ – even if ‘usual’ is in this case anything but! Improved communication adds clarity and pace to the decision making process and results in greater empowerment and delegation throughout the organisation.
We can help you to define the where, when, what, how and who, creating a purpose built communication strategy aimed at selected key groups or the entire organisation.
Where we’ve been most effective is when we’ve worked side-by-side with senior leaders to develop a series of key messages and to help them deliver them with impact.
For businesses getting effective and tangible benefit from any investment is important but particularly so in the current climate. Our approach to consultancy and development at any level continues to be outcomes driven, focusing on the hard-edged but realistic options available to individuals, teams and organisations.
If you want to hear about any of our ideas or the work we’ve been doing recently in more detail please give us a call on 01603 507236 or drop me a line at jo.smallwood@maier.co.uk