Delivering Success: A Best-of-Breed Approach to Change Management

Some time ago in our monthly newsletter, we proclaimed that “software is not your solution.” We received some interesting feedback from our technology partners and colleagues, but we meant it. It is our steadfast belief that regardless of vendor reputation, strength of functionality, and the number of implementations, software alone cannot provide a sustainable set of capabilities companies need to realize their strategic objectives. We underscored that tenet with a recent blog post affirming, “True Transformation Needs Change Management.”

When we bring up organizational change management (OCM) during client discussions about desired capabilities and roadmaps, it is often met with either trepidation, metaphorical finger-pointing towards the human resources or training departments, or sometimes even blank stares. Many executives view change management as a necessary evil, but one that can be easily handled by a few targeted communications, new or updated training materials, and maybe a go-live party upon the project’s conclusion.

And that perspective couldn’t be further from the truth.

Combining our firm’s fourteen-year history with decades of deep retail and consumer goods industry experience of our consulting team, we have collectively been involved in hundreds of transformation projects. During these, we’ve seen the gamut of approaches to change management. We can say with confidence that the projects where clients take a deliberate and focused stance on infusing strong change management principles and ensuring execution have a much higher success rate at achieving their desired capabilities. Companies simply cannot implement new technology, processes, or organizational structures without focused change management and expect success. Period.

Projects where clients take a deliberate and focused stance on infusing strong change management principles and ensuring execution have a much higher success rate at achieving their desired capabilities.

There are many books and publications touting different change management methodologies—and they all hold solid philosophies and tactics. However, in Parker Avery’s view, the most successful approach is a blend of what we have personally seen to be the most effective change management strategies, customized to each client’s unique personality, initiative, and organizational landscape. Over our years of working with companies to drive change, we have developed our proprietary change management toolkit that represents the best-of-breed, time-tested approaches. Using this toolkit, we work closely with our clients to design and execute their specific change management strategy and plan.

We understand the nuances of roles and business processes across buying, planning, stores, and supply chain—as well as how key functions need to function and work together.

A key tenet of our best-of-breed approach is the understanding that change not only impacts the organization, but it also impacts the individuals who comprise the organization. As such, we work with all levels of management to understand how best to support and lead their individual team members.

Further, we believe our change management approach is successful because it comes from the perspective of those that have worked in retail and CPG. Our approach doesn’t come from the lens of an HR practitioner or a change management generalist. We bring deep change management expertise, but we also understand the nuances of roles and business processes across buying, planning, stores, and supply chain—as well as how key functions need to function and work together.

It’s not reinventing the wheel. It’s taking the most effective components of the very best wheels and working with our clients to accelerate their strategic objectives. A solid, tailored approach to change management enables the organization to understand and embrace the reasons for implementing new capabilities and builds a sustainment program to ensure desired ways of working persist.

If you have any questions about your own initiatives please reach out to us. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss any of your challenges or ideas about navigating change.

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Kathi Toll
Principal, OCM Leader

The Parker Avery Group is a leading retail and consumer goods consulting firm that transforms organizations and optimizes operational execution through development of competitive strategies, business process design, deep analytics expertise, change management leadership, and implementation of solutions that enable key capabilities.

Delivering Success: A Best-of-Breed Approach to Change Management

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