Use of an experienced professional facilitator to desensitise the change process, yet bring experience and structure to the process itself. Use of external resource as well as bringing impartiality allows for internal focus to remain on satisfying the customer.
• Need to change to survive
• Struggling with a new situation
• Staff not supporting a need to change
• Some individuals want to block progress
• Not sure how to bring about change
• Too much to do – not enough resource
• Professional and experienced help
• A ‘neutral’ person facilitating the changes
• Extra resource at a time when staff need to concentrate on maintaining good customer service
• A resource whose only focus is bringing about the change you want and will disappear when the change is achieved
Piton Ltd is a management consultancy offering advice and hands on development in strategic planning to achieve business improvement and growth. Piton sought support in the delivery of a change management programme for a long established charity group and its associated trading company.
The charity had lost the bulk of its council funding and needed to radically alter its structure, find alternative income streams and massively increase the contribution from the trading arm.
This had to be achieved whilst still maintaining its charitable goals and charter. The challenge was to implement changes in a way that was acceptable to the charity whilst facing up to the immediate need to trade in a far more commercial manner.
Stephan Polshaw’s key role was to work with the trustees and managers. Extensive, in-depth, confidential interviewing was carried out to collate the perceptions and core values of the key players and to expose any areas of conflict that would hinder the essential changes needed for survival.
From the information gathered and analysed, options and ways forward, which best suited those subject to the change, were constructed. Where deep felt conflict did exist, this was brought into the open to be addressed rather than left to fester and potentially cause difficulties down the line.
The intervention brought about an honest and open platform to build a sound course of action for lasting and manageable change.
Consultant(s):
Stephan Polshaw
A neutral, objective facilitator was able to gather thoughts and concerns that would not have been forthcoming to internal staff.
Highly effective information gathering techniques were used.
Staff knowledge and experience was captured and put into the overall plan whilst avoiding entrenchment of the individuals’ perception. Conflict minimised and managed. Exposure of hidden agendas allowed for progress to the next phase of improvement.