The technical core of the transition agenda
Action
From day one start building a view about how well the business systems support your business. Take advantage of the fact many people will tell you their pet peeves. These can help you identify where systems may not be working. As well as statistical performance data, complaints, faulty outcomes, time lags and other forms of process data will point to system weaknesses. Their absence may point to strengths.
Risks/Opportunities/Surprises
Beware of getting enthusiastic about big changes early, especially making accidental 'commitments' while being pleasant and building rapport with people in early conversations. While some types of changes can be implemented early on, leaders typically take time to learn about their situation before making too many major changes.
As you learn about systems, you may find some of your opportunities for quick wins.
From day one start building a view about how well the business systems support your business. Take advantage of the fact many people will tell you their pet peeves. These can help you identify where systems may not be working. As well as statistical performance data, complaints, faulty outcomes, time lags and other forms of process data will point to system weaknesses. Their absence may point to strengths.
Risks/Opportunities/Surprises
Beware of getting enthusiastic about big changes early, especially making accidental 'commitments' while being pleasant and building rapport with people in early conversations. While some types of changes can be implemented early on, leaders typically take time to learn about their situation before making too many major changes.
As you learn about systems, you may find some of your opportunities for quick wins.
Action
Adopt an assessment model/framework that suits your style and needs that you can use for a structured assessment of the business and its effectiveness. This lays the groundwork for long term change and helps ensure short term change is likely to support your long term agenda.
Risks/Opportunities/Surprises
Reviewing how the business operates may generate anxiety and excitement among people. You will need to manage expectations, fantasies and rumours while you learn more about the business.
As a business system, your organisation operates internally (technical processes, corporate processes) and externally (customer and supplier processes, regulator and market processes, community expectations). Make sure you do not neglect important components.
After a few months in the role you will find that your past experience is not enough for introducing improvements. This usually leads to a six to nine month learning period before you can implement further improvements. Initiating your assessment process early in the transition can help accelerate your learning, bringing forward the opportunity for future improvements. This is especially important for businesses in trouble.
Adopt an assessment model/framework that suits your style and needs that you can use for a structured assessment of the business and its effectiveness. This lays the groundwork for long term change and helps ensure short term change is likely to support your long term agenda.
Risks/Opportunities/Surprises
Reviewing how the business operates may generate anxiety and excitement among people. You will need to manage expectations, fantasies and rumours while you learn more about the business.
As a business system, your organisation operates internally (technical processes, corporate processes) and externally (customer and supplier processes, regulator and market processes, community expectations). Make sure you do not neglect important components.
After a few months in the role you will find that your past experience is not enough for introducing improvements. This usually leads to a six to nine month learning period before you can implement further improvements. Initiating your assessment process early in the transition can help accelerate your learning, bringing forward the opportunity for future improvements. This is especially important for businesses in trouble.
Action
After sufficient time in your role, use what you have learned from your assessment of the business to design your long term strategy. This plan will form the beginning of the major changes you are likely to implement around your first anniversary in this role, give or take a few months. You will need your boss and stakeholders on board and good change management strategies.
Risks/Opportunities/Surprises
The length of time it takes from day one in the role to learn enough to develop a strategic change plan will vary based on business circumstances. A turn-around situation may need a plan in a matter of weeks or months. A successful business in a stable environment might take twelve to eighteen months to develop a plan. Either way, you will need quick wins along the way to maintain people's confidence that you are on the job.
After sufficient time in your role, use what you have learned from your assessment of the business to design your long term strategy. This plan will form the beginning of the major changes you are likely to implement around your first anniversary in this role, give or take a few months. You will need your boss and stakeholders on board and good change management strategies.
Risks/Opportunities/Surprises
The length of time it takes from day one in the role to learn enough to develop a strategic change plan will vary based on business circumstances. A turn-around situation may need a plan in a matter of weeks or months. A successful business in a stable environment might take twelve to eighteen months to develop a plan. Either way, you will need quick wins along the way to maintain people's confidence that you are on the job.
Action
Implement short and long term strategies to align your business (people, functions and operations) according to what you have learned and planned. Make sure your strategies address actual issues, for example, is a dysfunction in one area caused by interpersonal conflict or a systems design issue. Either could produce similar symptoms but require different solutions. Also carefully select what you will track and measure to ensure progress in the right areas. What you measure will focus people's activities.
Risks/Opportunities/Surprises
An organisation is a system. Changing one part influences other parts. Unmanaged this can create havoc, managed it means you can select the most malleable part of the system to generate changes across the whole system.
Implement short and long term strategies to align your business (people, functions and operations) according to what you have learned and planned. Make sure your strategies address actual issues, for example, is a dysfunction in one area caused by interpersonal conflict or a systems design issue. Either could produce similar symptoms but require different solutions. Also carefully select what you will track and measure to ensure progress in the right areas. What you measure will focus people's activities.
Risks/Opportunities/Surprises
An organisation is a system. Changing one part influences other parts. Unmanaged this can create havoc, managed it means you can select the most malleable part of the system to generate changes across the whole system.
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