To survive and thrive in this ever-changing business environment, successful change management is critical to remaining competitive and relevant.

Put simply, change management is about the effective implementation of a structured set of processes and tools to achieve a desired outcome and improve profitability. It could involve the implementation of new technologies, change in leadership, a merger or acquisition or designing new work processes. It is imperative to have a proper set of processes to oversee change in order for it to be effective.

We have set out below some of the insights and lessons learnt from our change management journey:

Proper planning and preparation prevents poor performance

It is important to identify areas within the business processes and procedures that can be enhanced. This requires planning, a fact which is often overlooked and/or taken for granted. It is also often overlooked that implementation of changes (i.e. implementation of new technologies or use of robotics) need to add value to the company by streamlining work being performed (i.e. productivity improvement). Tone at the top is required to ensure buy in from senior management and a structured approach to change is applied to making these changes.

Reflecting on our adoption of the robotic journey to perform administrative related tasks, we evoked the standard change management playbook which entailed amongst others, the following:

  • Senior partners within the audit division were involved and committed to implementing the changes, which included the creation of a specific working group to learn, challenge and advise the partners on all things robotics
  • Governance arrangement where the partners were responsible for approving all changes to be implemented and having representation on the working group
  • The working group also had to ensure that we had documented and established processes which the robotic implementation team was able to mimic in designing the steps to be performed
  • Having proper quality controls processes to check the design and configuration of the robotics for adherence to the stated specifications and eventual implementation
  • Having proper communication protocols to advise the wider audit group and wider business of the changes being implemented
  • Having due regards to training

Communication

A key success factor to change management is effective communication, to this end, keeping affected stakeholders abreast of the progress of change is important. It can take time for stakeholders to see and realise the benefits of change. So persevere.

Demonstrating and selling the benefit of the change, will go a long way to assisting stakeholders with embracing the change. So make sure that the value propositions to making the changes are clearly articulated and reflective of your corporate values.

Implementation and training

Change does not happen overnight. Effective management steams from training, practice and positive promotion of the new norm. It is important to get the staff to understand the full potential of the new tools that is implemented. This needs to happen through effective involvement, and making sure that the right people are selected to be involved with the working group from day one. Make sure to have the right mix of skillsets involved (i.e. a disruptor, a process orientated type, a communicator, strategic thinker and a doer) so to ensure diversity in views and experience.

We will cover off the other key ingredients to success and profitability in our next article. In the meantime, if you are keen to understand how our robotics can assist you to improve productivity and profitability, reach out to us.

This article was co-written by Nazarena Mitrovic, Manager Audit & Assurance Melbourne.