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CHANGE Requires the Right Questions

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So much has been written about change…

“If you do not change direction, you may end up anywhere you are heading.” -Lao Tzu

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” - Socrates

“Change is the heartbeat of growth.” -Scottie Somers

“If the plan doesn’t work, change the plan, not the goal.” -Unknown

“If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you.” -Unknown

Each of the above quotes affirms that change is not easy and it can bring you something better. Change isn’t finite as once you start changing; you will have an option to do one of three things:

1. Stop because it is too hard and regroup
2. Level off once you have reached a good point of reference
3. Continue to progress to the next path of success.

Most everyone starts off with the greatest goal and desire to change in their mind, however as they work through the details and start executing to meet the goal, they become bogged down in the mire of the work. In many cases this mire keeps them so entrenched they are forced to stop and regroup. In other cases, an individual is able to raise themselves up to see the goal and then level off, knowing they have accomplished much so far. And still others pull out of the mire, look around, find a new vantage point with multiple ideas, implement them and continue on to meeting their goal.

It all sounds so simple doesn’t’ it? Now, put a real life example to each of the three:

1. Stop because it is too hard and regroup

Sally CFO and Joe CPO selected a spend analysis tool. Their vendor assisted with the business case, the ROI and implementation plan. Six weeks into the project the business team was stuck on how to classify the data. Everyone had an opinion. No one wanted to use what other companies used successfully and the team became stuck. So, they stopped the project.

2. Level off once you have reached a good point of reference

Sally CFO and Joe CPO selected a spend analysis tool. Their vendor assisted with the business case, the ROI and implementation plan. Six weeks into the project the business team was stuck on how to classify the data. Their vendor gave them options showing them the outcome of each option based on the several scenarios created. The team was able to see their work could continue once they worked through the roadblock. Unfortunately the team didn’t understand their roles once the tool was implemented so the tool became an idle output asset. It was doing the work but the output was not recognized or used.

3. Continue to progress to the next path of success

Sally CFO and Joe CPO selected a spend analysis tool because they need to see their business spend, understand the opportunity to rationalize and consolidate the supply base, find opportunities for more cost savings and working capital improvement globally and understand where they had spend issues. Their vendor assisted with the business case, the ROI and implementation plan. Six weeks into the project the business team recognized their world was going to be different with this new tool; not only how they managed their internal data but also how they would see their data. Working with the technology vendor, they were able to outline how the data would be entered and appear differently so they could classify it correctly for the new tool. In addition, training had to be done so the new standard was adopted and used. The new output was now part their business process and had to be shared and used if the tool implementation was to be successful. New processes were identified, training was completed and the team started using their spend analysis tool. The usage and adoption goals were reached because the team measured their compliance to finding, selecting and executing on the opportunities for additional value from the tool. The metrics gave them visibility into the process improvements required by the team so they could meet their goals.

What do the three have in common? The baseline for certain, but that is about it. Group 2 implemented but didn’t reap much benefit because they didn’t understand what processes would change and didn’t coordinate training to bring the team to the next level. Group 3 took advantage of four important questions. Tim Creasey, Chief Development Officer at Prosci calls them the ‘4 change catalyzing questions’:

1. Why are we changing?
2. Who has to do their jobs differently and how?
3. How much depends upon adoption and usage?
4. What can we do to drive adoption and usage?

How do you and your teams manage change? What do you use for resources? Do you ask yourselves these questions? Perhaps Eugene Ionesco said it right, “it is not the answer that enlightens, but the question”.

The post CHANGE Requires the Right Questions appeared first on Strategic Sourcing.


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