I Am Not A Number - Why Too Many Change Projects Fail

Many of you will recognise this quote from the 1960s TV show, "The Prisoner". Patrick McGoohan used the phrase to describe his frustration at not being treated as an individual, and being kept in the dark about what his superiors were up to in a very confusing environment. This experience is not dissimilar to what employees face in most change projects.

A cog in the machine

Traditional approaches to business change and process improvement have at their heart, the idea that a business is, essentially, a machine that can be engineered to be efficient. In fact the term "Business Process Re-engineering" (BPR) makes this assumption quite explicit.

This "mechanical" approach to change can leave employees feeling alienated and devalued (much like Patrick McGoohan).

As these traditional approaches have developed, more emphasis has been placed on the "human" aspects. It is acknowledged that a change programme cannot work without "employee buy-in". The issue is usually tackled by running numerous workshops where consultants try to make the employees feel part of the exercise, while continuing to apply the same old techniques to the business processes themselves.

From the employee's point of view, an external consultant has interviewed him for thirty minutes to understand the job that he has been doing for thirty years, gone away and come back with a new way of doing it. This comes across as patronising at best. The consultant then rubs salt into the wounds by running workshops to try to win the employee over so that he does not obstruct the changes!

In this environment, addressing the "people issues" is all about ensuring that the level of disillusionment is not so great that the change project fails.

Processes vs People

These problems are created because the underlying approach to the business processes is still to treat the organisation as a machine that needs to be "re-engineered". The problems created by this approach are then treated as "people issues".

Processes and people cannot be separated like this. Even in this age of technology, the vast majority of business processes are carried out by people - usually informally.

It is what employees do on a day-to-day basis that makes a business work. A large percentage of the processes are not documented and are so complex that it would be almost impossible to do so. Procedures manuals are a very conceptualised view of business processes - if they could capture everything, no-one would pay for experience.

Once you acknowledge this, it becomes quite clear why most change projects are unsuccessful. A business process is not an inanimate object that can be "re-engineered" but a collection of human behaviours. The only people capable of changing the business processes are those carrying them out.

Process Improvement for Strategic Objectives (PISO®) PISO®, developed at the University of Sunderland, is a unique approach to business process improvement that provides a structured step-by-step approach for the employees themselves to re-design their own processes.

At Feechan Consulting Ltd, we work with organisations large and small throughout the UK, from public sector bodies such as the BBC and North Tyneside Council to private sector companies across all sectors.

Many of our clients learn the technique on one of our training courses and then apply it themselves, whereas others require our facilitation. Either way, it is the employees that carry out the processes that redesign them, removing the separation of people and processes and significantly improving the success of any change.

Glen Feechan is Chief Executive of Feechan Consulting Ltd (http://www.feechan.co.uk), a business consultancy specialising in business process improvement training and consultancy. Email Glen at glen@feechan.co.uk.

Glen is also the editor (and regular contributor) of Changing Business ezine (sign up at http://www.feechan.co.uk).

---

Using, Choosing, and Using an educational consultant

IntroductionThe aim of this document is to provide advice and... Read More

Preparing a Budget

Ok, you say, I know I need a budget, but... Read More

Know Your Client - The First Rule of Business Coaching

Whilst the very best coaches have undertaken independently accredited training... Read More

Hiring Great People And How to Be One Yourself: Five Secrets

Bad news.Your senior vice-president, your marketing director or your accounting... Read More

Auditing Improves Effective Planning

Speak of operations assessment, and we'll hear its significant value.... Read More

Problem-Solving Success Tip: Look For Sponsors And Solution Owners

Look for sponsors and solution owners rather than problem owners.Everyone... Read More

Five Tips for Analyzing an Income Statement

In today's article, we'll be looking at the income statement,... Read More

Blame Culture Blues - How the Language of Blame Manifests Organisational Underperformance

If you have ever worked within a large organisation then... Read More

The Rise of Corporate Chair Massages

Employers have rapidly begun to understand the importance of stress... Read More

Managing Rebellious Employees

Surveys of executives reveal that many companies fall short of... Read More

Key Control ? Who Has the Keys to Your Kingdom?

Key control, or more accurately the lack of key control... Read More

Employee Retention: Keeping the People Who Keep You in Business

The retention of highly skilled knowledge workers is one of... Read More

How Your Business Can Pick A Software Developer

Eventually, your business is going to need to have some... Read More

Steps to Build ISO 9001 Compliant Program

Implementing an ISO 9001 system represents a major effort. However,... Read More

Introducing the 15 Frameworks of Successful Self-Employed Professionals

A framework is a way of thinking, a point-of-view, a... Read More

Innovation Management - idea selection and valuation issues

Innovation is different and distinct from creativity in that it... Read More

What Makes A Good Media Story?

Media relations can be difficult, but also rewarding. And the... Read More

Riding the Waves to Success

Last week I was confused and frustrated about a few... Read More

Build Rapport Fast! - Eight Easy Steps

Building rapport is all about creating a relationship, in the... Read More

Business Relationship Germs

In management seminars I often compare debt to an infection.... Read More

Managing After Downsizing

So, you survived the downsizing. Your company did something that... Read More

7 Strategies for Sustained Innovation

The need for constant reinvention is a given in today's... Read More

The Seven Essentials of Business Communication

There are seven essential elements to successful business communication:StructureClarityConsistencyMediumRelevancyPrimacy/RecencyPsychological Rule... Read More

Deciding What to Delegate

DECIDING WHAT TO DELEGATE: Once the benefits of delegation are... Read More

Human Resource Communication Pays Off

Human Resource Communications and Corporate Communications ? are they one... Read More

Sending Documents Through Email? Dont Get Burned by Metadata!

During a recent seminar I gave located in the suburbs... Read More

Building the Trust in Your Employees - 12 Easy Tips

In Stephen Covey's great book, "The Seven Habits of Highly... Read More

Know the Source of Business

One of the first questions we ask a prospect or... Read More

Preparation: Your Companys Best Defense in Case of Catastrophe

You've hung out your shingle and are ready for business.... Read More

Diversity in the Workplace: Benefits, Challenges and Solutions

Workplace diversity refers to the variety of differences between people... Read More

Communicate To The Four Main Personality Types

You probably know this already, but there are generally held... Read More

Cultural Awareness - an HR Perspective

The use of cultural awareness training has increased rapidly in... Read More

Effective Meetings by Phone - Part 1, How to Plan a Teleconference

Teleconferences can be a boon or a bust. On the... Read More