CULTURAL CHANGE

When building the plan, I kept the teams focus on the outcome for the customer and what experience we wanted to deliver for each project and how they connected. We worked back from this future state to identify the deliverables for each project. 

A programme of this size could not work without engagement. I needed this engagement from employees from all around the globe. I created change leads in each country who supported creating awareness for the programme and recruited their own army of change agents in turn. I also adopted a train the train approach, upskilling employees to deliver training requirements in local language but supported by the group training department, again adding another layer of change agents.

We achieved this by ensuring we invested in impact assessments and understanding what our messages needed to be for each of the impacted groups. 

Embedding the new behavioural standards wouldn't happen overnight, it would take time. I achieved this by implementing a 12- week certification period post project go-lives. This behavioural assessment touched every employee from senior management to operational agents, across every country. Metrics were detailed and specific to role and responsibilities and every user group knew what was expected and how they were being measured, creating the engagement needed.

This ensured every person was fully supported through their individual transitions. All areas were able to demonstrate they had achieved and embedded the new ways of working before achieving sign off. These new measurements were transitioned into the business as the normal procedure which was part of the closure acceptance criteria for this cultural change programme.

Throughout the lifetime of this programme, I ensured our communication strategy reached all corners of the organisation. Our strategy included targeted communications for the different user groups and countries, programme updates to stakeholders and sponsor and overall programme updates companywide.

We identified many different channels to ensure not only could we get our messages out, but they were relevant for the different communication styles of the audiences, making sure they landed and were understood. I also ensured we had 360 feedback loops set up across the programme. 

Visibility was also key, so where possible I travelled across our locations to show support to my in-country teams and be there to answer questions raised from the feedback channel.

Having a strong communication strategy was critical for this programme and elevated its profile across the entire company. Every employee when asked could articulate what the programme was about, what it meant for them personally and what the future state looked like.