Operationalisation of the change process
Category: Bank Management
After having analysed the changing situation and defined the best logical ways to realise the expected changes, the project leader has to set-up the concrete and material conditions for the implementation of the change.
He has already specified the objectives and has to set up the actions plan: what is supposed to be done? By whom? For what date? Will enough means be available? He will thus define the steps (including the follow-up necessary to allow adjustments) and time-lag (choice of the right moment to implement the modifications that have been decided).
According to our own experience, we think that the three (main) critical conditions for a successful change process are:
A very careful choice of the partners, particularly to provide high-quality consultants, and actions needed to improve the awareness of the recipients.
A very careful preparation: it is always necessary to ensure maximum efficiency. Thus, initial work-shops may be useful in early project stages, in order to find a joint strategy for the management of change and to psychologically prepare the concerned people to « unlock the brakes ».
A very careful adaptation, on the provider’s side, to local requirements and conditions: too often, the European consultants try to teach local people the procedures that are applied to Western Europe. Most of the time, these specialists have little idea of the environment’s characteristics, when they come for the first time into C.I.S. Countries. However, to be understood and relevant, they have to adapt their messages to local specificities. It is important that western experts are conscious of the necessity to adapt the knowledge’s they teach, to specific local requirements. So, it should be necessary to forecast a short adaptation phase to introduce western consultants to the country’s and bank’s specific backgrounds. It could be supported by background papers and preparatory seminars concerning, for instance, intercultural differences and the communication difficulties they could cause. But partners need to become more familiar with the culture of the country in which they are operating and to know local conditions better. For that purpose, they need to have enough time to familiarise and properly understand local practices. They should, thus, stay long enough to understand the country. It can also be noticed that consultants get to know it the more quickly when they are involved in dealing with the C.I.S. banks’ day to day problems. The best way to find accurate means is often that local bankers participate actively in searching for the solution to their problems. Western experts can learn a lot from their C.I.S. partners, if a real dialogue is opened for finding specific solutions to solve local problems.
The methods, means and tools which could make changes easier. We have experienced a series of approaches. Let us discuss their respective advantages and deficiencies. Let us, now, look at the three main approaches that have been used to facilitate changes, their respective usefulness’s and conditions:
— trainings,
— advisory services,
— twinning’s.