Implementing change: a recipe for success

When a field service organisation is implementing any kind of change to the way it operates, there are a number of challenges that need to be overcome and key criteria that need to be followed in order to transform the business successfully.

For many, implementing change can seem like an impossible feat; however, Louis V Gerstner, the former CEO of IBM, is a shining example that anything is possible. Gerstner was appointed to the top job in 1993 - the year the company posted what was at the time the biggest loss in the history of corporate America ($8 billion). IBM had gone from being the toast of Wall Street to fighting for its very survival. Under Gerstner’s leadership, IBM underwent dramatic transformation, re-inventing itself to turn what was a failing business into a multibillion-dollar enterprise.

So how do field service organisations drive successful change across their business? Essentially, they need top-down leadership, an engaged workforce and measures in place that allow them to track the effectiveness of the change project.

Leading from the top

Board and senior-level executives are the heartbeat of any change life cycle, and success and failure can often rest on their shoulders.

Despite their central role in the change process, business leaders need to understand that they don’t need to be all-seeing, all-doing and all-acting. Their role is threefold: they need to ensure the changes being made support the overall business strategy; clearly communicate all changes to staff so they understand their role in the change process and how their job will be impacted; and finally set the pace of the change, ensuring that momentum is maintained and accelerated when and if needed.

Many initiatives that start well can easily fall apart when unexpected challenges arise, so it is imperative that boards and the executive teams lead from the top, ensuring all hurdles are cleared so the processes and people remain aligned with the organisational change goals.

Engaging the workforce is crucial

For field service organisations, gaining buy-in from the workforce for a change project can bring its own set of challenges - especially since change can often be met with a lot of resistance. Research featured in Trimble’s latest industry report, ‘Transforming Service Delivery: An Insight Report’, found that 50% of field service managers ranked ‘resistance from the workforce’ as one of the major challenges businesses face when rolling out change.

However, this resistance can be eased if business leaders approach change in the correct way. Involving the workforce in any change plans, from the initial planning stages to the final rollout, is crucial to gaining employee support. Leaders must also be consistent in their communication with staff so they foster a culture in which the workforce understands the changes, why they are needed, what role they will play in the transformation and how to embrace it.

Mark Francis, director of support services for Shred-it UK, found workforce engagement to be a key factor in the successful rollout of new technology. Francis organised a number of roadshow sessions and workshops in order to educate the workforce on the new technology, providing his team with an opportunity to ask questions and gain a better understanding of the overall value this change would bring to the business. For Shred-it UK, the new technology was a great enabler to help improve its business performance but the tangible and lasting benefits come from employee engagement, commitment and passion to make it work day to day.

Measure, measure, measure

It is important for field service organisations to monitor the impact that the change process is having on overall business performance. Businesses are now able to report on the performance of their workforce by analysing their operational efficiency using data they can trust and generate customised, digestible reports that showcase key performance measures.

By providing greater visibility into the performance of the business as a whole, the technology enables senior executives to better evaluate the effectiveness of their new business strategy and identify what areas are working and things that may need to be addressed.

There is no denying that making change happen is difficult. Business leaders can’t simply give a few speeches and declare that the organisation will be transforming. Change requires long-term commitment and organisations that do implement change well can be seen to do so because of the culture of their organisation, their employee engagement, having the right processes and strategy, and also because the change is driven by the board of directors and the leadership team.

For more information and expert opinion on how to successfully implement business change, download a free copy of Trimble’s new report, ‘Transforming Service Delivery: An Insight Report’, at www.trimble.com/fsm/insightreport.