Specialist business change management in the supply chain arena:

Total APS has a team of experienced change managers whose primary aim is supporting organisations to deliver their supply chain business change. Typically these changes are:

• New systems delivery impacting the business operations "as is "
• Co-location of teams or systems 
• Business Re-design
• Service transformation
  
• Service transition, including the business change from in-sourcing or out-sourcing

Most Change Management undertakings will involve some or all of the above.

Invariably at the heart of any business change are the people themselves.

It is widely accepted, and our experience confirms, that business change cannot successfully deliver the expected benefits unless the change is owned, supported and delivered by its people at all levels of the organisation.

Typically we support the client's selection of a change model or set of dependent upon the following:

• Type of organisation – ranging from mechanistic, creative to responsive

• Size of organisation – small, medium or large company

• Maturity of organisation – history of being a learning organisation

• Appetite for change - the motivation outweighing the resistance to change

• How “open” is the organisation at the start point? – the willingness to embrace the change and accept new ways of working

• How well do you value your people and are you able to demonstrate this?

• In summary understanding your organisation from within will lead to the appropriate model selection.

Within our change models we have a number that are more frequently used than others. The model selected will be dependent upon the particular situation and we often mix and match to fit the needs of the specific project. Below are some of the typical models we have used to deliver business change within a clients supply chain:

Lewin – 3 Step model

Model – Lewin uses a 3 step model of Unfreeze - Move - Refreeze.

This is force field analysis which examines the driving and resisting forces in an change situation. With the Underlying principle Driving forces must outweigh resisting forces in any situation, if change is to happen.

• Pros: Lewins’ ideas are valuable when analysing the change process at the start of an initiative. His force-field analysis and current state/end state discussions are extremely useful tools.

• Cons – However, the model loses its worth when it is confused with the mechanistic approach, and the three steps become ‘plan, implement, review'.

Kotter - 8 Step model

Create urgency, Form a powerful coalition, Create a change vision, Communicate the vision, Remove obstacles, Create short-terms wins, Build on the change, Embed the changes in the business culture.

We focus on getting early steps right with a clear process – building a coalition and setting a vision. This is achieved by addressing power issues around change and highlights the ‘felt’ need for change in the organisation and emphasise the need to communicate the vision and keep communications levels extremely high throughout the process.

• Pros – Kotter’s eight steps are an excellent starting point for those interested in making large or small- scale organisational change. The model places most emphasis on getting the early steps right: building coalition and setting the vision rather than later steps of empowerment and consolidation.

• Cons – Change is seen as linear rather than cyclical, which implies that a pre-designed aim can be reached rather than iterated towards.

Bridges – Managing Transitions model

Focuses on the people as they transition through 3 stages commencing with the Ending Zone – where people are supported through letting go of the past and coming to terms with the change. Next is the Transition stage (the most difficult) where nothing is permanent. Last is the New Beginning where the changed environment starts.

• Pros – Bridges model is an excellent tool when the change occurs through its people. Success is more likely even through systems or process change. The model is best used when underpinned by Senge and Morgan’s model for structure on Behaviour.

• Cons – Can be ineffective if not championed by the sponsor. Also the people need to be given the opportunity to partake. Must never be a tokenistic gesture.