Organisation Design case study

A key transport provider in the U.K had a defined set of change initiatives delivering benefits in many areas. However consistent benefit realisation was not being achieved and there was a lack of a shared change agenda between the central and operational business units leading to some change not being prioritised and implemented.

The leadership recognised the need to create a new collective approach to change but needed our help to facilitate the design bringing our experience of what has worked elsewhere with the ability to flex to fit the organisation’s culture. Our approach helped to set up a new approach that people understood and supported and lasted the test of time.

Client at a glance
Location
United Kingdom
Sector
Infrastructure
Employees
4,000+
Change Portfolio
£1.0 billion+

The Assignment

1: What needed to change?

An initial assessment of the business change found that:

  • Multiple change programmes underway but with a lack of consistent benefit realisation
  • Pockets of change capability existed but not widespread
  • No standard approach to how to manage people-change

2: The Objectives

The business agreed the following objectives for the 9-month programme:

  • Design an integrated change approach within portfolio
  • Manage pressure of change on people
  • Create more buy-in to portfolio of change to increase benefits

3: Our Assignment

Michael Fekete, Director of Bespoke Change led the design of this new approach over 9 months, with outcomes agreed with the business sponsor upfront:

  • Role: Design Lead for Change Operating Model
  • Reporting: to Head of Business Change
  • Duration: 9 months; 3 phases, each lasting 3 months

4: Our Approach

The key elements of this assignment included:

  • Undertaking an organisational change maturity assessment
  • Investing early in creating a collectively shared vision for change
  • Establishing a Design Group to co-design the solution

5: Outcomes

Through our engagement with this client we ensured that:

  • A new operating model for change was created within business
  • Entire business owned the new way of doing change
  • Key change capability hubs were created in local business units to sequence local change

6: Ongoing Benefits

Our commitment to creating long-term sustainable change is evident in this case:

  • The change approach had support at all levels across the business
  • There is more of a balance between centralised and locally-led change
  • Change capability has matured in local business units