By Alastair Youngson, Business Analyst 

January 2020

 

After a lot of planning and hard work from our infrastructure team, we have just been through another successful office move. Nothing too exciting, but a shift around of the team to create a new dynamic, encourage smarter working and more importantly free up an additional room to incorporate new members of staff and be used for ad-hoc meetings. For me though, the most exciting thing is being able to see new faces and sit with different colleagues. Which provides a different kind of mental stimulation for my working day.

The truth is, as a collective, we are all creatures of habit. Even the wildest of us have our routines to ensure that our lives run as smoothly and free from disruption as possible. Take hot-desking for example, a system which has been adopted by many companies to free up space and improve working relationships. Yet often, even in these hot-desk environments, the same people sit at the same desks on a daily basis. Unable to break away from their daily routines without causing anxiety and dread.

So when it comes to implementing technology, a different kind of change, how do we enable new systems and tools and avoid these situations? Is there any way that we can implement changes within our organisation without creating that feeling of dread and terror? I’ve found that as long as I follow these simple rules, even complete overhauls of an organisation’s infrastructure or software can be achieved without panic, but with enthusiasm and excitement.

 

1.      Engagement/Inclusion – As mentioned above, we all tend to be anxious around the unknown. This is why it is key to ensure that as many stakeholders as possible are involved with the change as early as possible. By allowing your colleagues to input requirements, shape a tool around expectations and explain it to others, at their own pace, you can remove the fear that change can bring.

 

2.      Measuring the benefits – Ensure that your organisation is aware of the benefits this tool will give to them, whether it is more time, improved quality or even cementing your organisation’s position in the market. The benefits should be shouted about to produce enthusiasm.

 

3.      Continuous Improvement - One of the most common things I hear in organisations is that they have purchased software many years ago and it is not fit for purpose. No toolset should be implemented without a roadmap of continuous improvement to allow it to promote real, ongoing benefit to your organisation. This is once again a great way of involving stakeholders and enabling pride in their work, whilst at the same time ensuring your organisation remains at the cutting edge of its industry.

 

4.      Fitness for purpose – Ensuring any new toolset has been defined and selected in line with established techniques to ensure that it will be suitable for the colleagues who will be utilising it.

 

So here I am, sitting in my new room, surrounded by strange looking pot-plants and new pictures, looking at ways my colleagues and I can adjust our processes to provide an even better service to our customers.

After all, change happens to all of us eventually. So much better to embrace it than be left behind by it.

 

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