2021 was a year of frustration and adjustment as we all grappled with lockdowns, restrictions, working from home and never-ending Zooming around the world. Whilst 2022 promises more of the same, the journey back towards relative normality is underway. Businesses are already seeking to embrace the opportunities and challenges presented by a post pandemic world by transforming the way they engage customers and releasing value by streamlining business operations. As business transformation experts, we thought we’d start the year by offering a few simple tips on how to make sure your transformations are successful.
Being a Visionary
The last couple of years have demonstrated that even the best laid plans can be upended by events. When this occurs, possessing a strong transformation vision is critical as it provides the reference point which justifies and legitimises both the need and the benefits of your desire for change. We recommend regular reviews of your visionary outlook to ensure its relevancy as the world restarts and throughout your transformation journey.
IR35 – labour flexibility
In the UK, 2021 saw the introduction of new private sector tax legislation with the undoubted effect of stifling the contract labour market. It's no longer possible too quickly augment your transformation team by acquiring flexible highly skilled and experienced contract resources to cope with challenging circumstances. We recommend building an adaptable strategic resourcing plan to underpin your transformation, identifying sources of skills and competences which you can tap into on a rapid basis.
Outcomes, outcomes, outcomes
Transformation journeys can last for many years, and it is easy to get to deflected off course. To prevent this, we recommend building a strategic transformation road map comprised of bite-sized chunks, each of which clearly demonstrates progress versus your overall goal whilst themselves generating valuable outcomes.
On time, On Budget
Delivering transformational change on time on budget has always been a challenge. One of the most common reasons for this is that businesses fail to allow sufficient of either when they kick off. We recommend making space for your transformation programme to breathe and cope with the ongoing uncertainty in our business environments, allowing adequate budget contingency to cope with uncertain events.
Manage expectations
Whilst in recent years we may have experienced an abnormal set of environmental conditions, the need for strong expectation management has not been alleviated. 2022 is likely to see businesses demand greater than ever results as they seek to return to normal. We recommend clear, simple communication of transformation expectations so as to avoid confusion about the direction of travel, commitments, participation, timescales and anticipated outcomes.
2022 will herald a new era for business transformation professionals in a post pandemic landscape. Successful transformation programmes will make the difference between businesses which return to normalcy slowly and those which adapt and thrive. Those who grasp the opportunity to transform will beat the competition and take market leading positions.
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