The Taylor Clarke Partnership. Realeasing Potential In Organisations

Client Requirements

Babcock Networks (formerly Eve Group) are a leading provider of managed services to the communications, power transmission, utilities and property sectors. Working in close partnership with our customers, who include the UK’s major network owners and operators, we successfully deliver large scale network infrastructure projects not only in the UK but internationally.

Their three core businesses are all industry leaders. Transmission is an approved supplier of turnkey network design and construction services to the power transmission sector. Communications provides the mobile, broadcast and fixed network sectors with end-to-end network infrastructure services. Turner & Partners is our professional services business, providing specialist consultancy to the telecommunications, utilities and property sectors.

Babcock Networks are currently implementing a major £1.5m business critical ERP system implementation during which is the major catalyst to transform how the business currently operates and performs. A significant amount of aligned restructuring, process re-modelling and cultural change is required to capitalize fully on this systems investment. Current systems and processes are not capable of supporting an organisation well positioned in a high growth market

They are aiming to complete the system “Installation” in around 9 months, although full “Implementation” benefit release arising from fundamental changes in how the organisation thinks, behaves and acts will emerge over a longer 18 month to 2 year period. Following completion of a similar project with First Engineering, another division of Babcock, we were invited to put forward proposals to prepare and support the change team on delivering on this ambitious plan.

Our Contribution

Following a review of past change performance Babcock Networks recognized that the scope, complexity and pervasiveness of this project would significantly stretch their current change implementation capability and capacity. We are providing a range of interventions to help prepare and support the senior management team, project team and key operating managers to manage the “People” aspects of this change including helping managers -

• Significantly improve their understanding of the individual roles they have to play to implement change successfully to maximize benefit release.
• Develop the core change leadership skills and behaviours needed to ensure people remain sufficiently engaged, energised, committed and focused throughout the implementation.
• Create high performance team working between the senior sponsors, project team and local sponsors and change agents in the interim roles that will cut across their normal hierarchical roles.
• Understand, make sense of and deal with their own natural resistance and commitment issues…a prerequisite to effectively leading their own teams through change.
• Become proficient in the application of the proven, practical and flexible TCP change methodology that will help them create, execute, sequence and course correct the wide range of transition activities key to effectively managing the people side of change. E.g. – Communication, Involvement, Training, HR Process alignment.

A number of bespoke workshops, communication events and 1:1 coaching interventions have been implemented with the key managers involved to ensure the project got off to a good start. In addition to a heavy front end involvement to up-skill key people, a number of regular learning and application “Reinforcement” or “Top up” interventions are currently running to –

• Reinforce the learning’s and application skills to capitalize on the initial change knowledge, skills and tools introduced by connecting them to the real experiences, challenges and live issues emerging from the project as it unfolds. Often people need to feel the “pain” before fully appreciating the impact of their learning.
• Fulfil a trusted adviser role, providing an objective, external source of expertise to consult around problem diagnosis and resolution through an on site presence for key team meetings, group sessions and 1:1 coaching consultations as appropriate.
• Help the project and wider sponsor/change agent teams maintain their effectiveness, cohesion, energy and motivation during particularly demanding periods of the process by facilitating a number of away day problem solving workshops

 THE IMPACT

While the impact of this current programme on the release of system benefits has yet to be assessed, delegate feedback has been very positive in terms of –

• Greater realism and understanding around the impact of change, supported by the methods, tools and skills to feel more in control of the change process.
• Recognition of the importance of resourcing the project to ensure the people issues are given full attention
• Improving the balance of peoples attention to designing the solution and engaging peoples contribution to releasing benefits
• Ensuring sufficient Sponsors and Change Agents are working in harmony to ensure the change does not get subsumed by day to day delivery priorities
• Building confidence through having a sufficiently rigorous transition plan to overcome resistance and build commitment

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