Organizational Change

Executive summary

Organizational Change

Globalization and constant innovation of technology result in a constantly evolving business environment. Social media and mobile adaptability have revolutionized business. The effect of this is an ever increasing need for change, and therefore change management. The growth in technology also has a secondary effect of increasing the availability and therefore accountability of knowledge. Easily accessible information has resulted in unprecedented scrutiny from stakeholders resulting in increased pressure on management.

Due to the growth of technology, modern organizational change is largely motivated by exterior innovations rather than internal factors. When these developments occur, the organizations that adapt quickest create a competitive advantage for themselves, while the companies that refuse to change get left behind. This can result in drastic profit and/or market share losses. People are resistant to change in organizations because it can be uncomfortable. The notion of doing things this way, because ‘this is the way we have always done them’, can be particularly hard to overcome. Furthermore, in cases where a company has seen declining fortunes, for a manager or executive to view themselves as a key part of the problem can be very humbling.

With the business environment experiencing so much change, organizations must then learn to become comfortable with change as well. Therefore, the ability to manage and adapt to organizational change is an essential ability required in the workplace today. Organizational change directly affects all departments and employees. The entire company must learn how to handle changes to the organization. The effectiveness of change management can have a strong positive or negative impact on employee morale. This service approaches organization change a broad perspective formed by over three decades of experience and success across industry and functional lines. Whether in the development and implementation of new business process for development stage companies to the integration of acquisitions for more mature companies, change management is critical to a company’s success. The service can be focused across the enterprise and is appropriate for leaders at all levels of the organization.

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Service Methodology

Regardless of the size of your company or the specific issue requiring change, organizational change management should begin with a systematic diagnosis of the current situation in order to determine both the need for and the capability to change. In the case of an early stage company it may be a need to increase efficiency by reorganizing workflow or the utilization of subject matter experts. In the case of an acquisition it may be the need to do things consistently across the enterprise or the elimination of dual function.

In every case, the most critical aspect leading to a successful implementation is a company’s ability to win the buy-in of their organization’s employees on the change. Effectively managing organizational change is a four-step process: Recognizing the changes in the broader business environment; Developing the necessary adjustments for the company’s needs; Training employees on the appropriate changes; Winning the support of the employees with the persuasiveness of the appropriate adjustments. Change management processes should include creative marketing to enable communication between changing audiences, as well as deep social understanding about leadership styles and group dynamics. The objectives, content, and process of change should all be specified as part of a change management communication plan.

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Service Options

Companies can elect whether they just require Appleton Greene for advice and support with the Bronze Client Service, for research and performance analysis with the Silver Client Service, for facilitating departmental workshops with the Gold Client Service, or for complete process planning, development, implementation, management and review, with the Platinum Client Service. Ultimately, there is a service to suit every situation and every budget and clients can elect to either upgrade or downgrade from one service to another as and when required, providing complete flexibility in order to ensure that the right level of support is available over a sustainable period of time, enabling the organization to compensate for any prescriptive or emergent changes relating to: Customer Service; E-business; Finance; Globalization; Human Resources; Information Technology; Legal; Management; Marketing; or Production.

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Service Mission

As a discipline, change management has been around for decades. It is a constant at the largest and most respected consulting companies. It has become core course study at the most notable business schools. Yet, it continues to be the undoing of many companies. Change management requires discipline, focus and dedication to the plan for change. My goal is to gently guide the company through the steps of change ensuring a positive outcome. I remain respectful of company culture – it need not change. I am respectful of the values of the Company and strive to reinforce areas of strength and work only on areas of change, which guarantees continuity in business and the sustainability of any project. I work side by side with change proponents and thought leaders until we can reach not only a business success but also an increase in motivation and dedication of the employee base, evidence of long term success in this endeavor. All companies, large and small can benefit.

Over more than 25 years in business I have been involved in the acquisition and integration of over 100 business, each requiring a clear and careful approach to ensure that the best and brightest remain engaged while at the same time improving efficiency and process – in effect, making change. I also have significant experience in development stage and high growth companies, each in their own way requiring change to evolve to the next level of organization.

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Service objectives

The following list represents the Key Service Objectives (KSO) for the Appleton Greene Organizational Change service.

1. Change Management
   In order to grow and survive we must change as our environment requires. Those companies that adapt to change are the ones that survive – for generation after generation. The impetus for change can vary – M&A activities, high growth environments or the evolution of strategy. As a discipline, change management has been around for decades. It is a constant at the largest and most respected consulting companies. It has become core course study at the most notable business schools. Yet, it continues to be the undoing of many companies. Change management requires discipline, focus and dedication to the plan for change. My goal is to gently guide the company through the steps of change ensuring a positive outcome. I remain respectful of company culture – it need not change. I am respectful of the values of the Company and strive to reinforce areas of strength and work only on areas of change, which guarantees continuity in business and the sustainability of any project. I work side by side with change proponents and thought leaders until we can reach not only a business success but also an increase in motivation and dedication of the employee base, evidence of long term success in this endeavor. All companies, large and small can benefit.
2. Process Development
   Operations and process improvement enables organizations to increase effectiveness by understanding, optimizing and aligning activities and processes to maximize output and returns on improvement initiatives. Through the integration of people, process and technology, organizations can make more effective decisions, increase stakeholder value and drive higher levels of efficiency organization-wide. It is critical success factor for organizations to improve the performance of their personnel and operational processes. Operations improvement can require new resources, thinking, new methods and new techniques for monitoring and measuring so organizations can fully understand, optimize and align processes to achieve strategic objectives. This service is designed to gently guide the company through the steps of change to ensure a positive outcome.
3. Mergers & Acquisitions
   The intent of this service is not to determine whether any one or more acquisitions is strategic for the company. Rather, the focus is on making the acquisition and post-closing operations a success. People often quote statistics that claim that 90% of all M&A transactions fail. By many measures that is accurate. But transactions continue to occur. This service significantly increases the likelihood that your acquisition will fall in the 10% that succeed. To start we assemble an internal team to perform due diligence on the acquired company to first identify those areas of process where differences exist. Once identified, the team can focus on those aspects that require change in order to have a smooth integration into the surviving company. With that information we can write a detailed plan to carefully integrate the business. Starting with clear communication plan and evolving to joint process development teams we will carefully bring along the acquired entity in a careful and less invasive way. In every successful M&A transaction the message is always one of inclusiveness with the end goal of complete alignment and success of the combined entity.
4. Start-up Environment
   In start-up and early stage companies life can be hectic. People focus more on how to survive than whether to establish process. Everyone is a jack-of-all-trades, jumping in to whatever needs to be done. Customers can be added at alarming rates. Revenue can be skyrocketing. It seems like new people are coming on board every day. It is an exciting time. Yet with all this excitement and activity, inefficiency starts to creep in. Questions like – “who do I speak with about approving X” or who is handling customer Y’s issue” sometimes go unanswered. It’s time to grow up and act like a company and begin to establish clear process and procedures. Establishing process enables organizations to increase effectiveness by understanding, optimizing and aligning activities and processes to maximize output and returns on improvement initiatives. Through the integration of people, process and technology, organizations can make more effective decisions, increase stakeholder value and drive higher levels of efficiency organization-wide. It is critical success factor for organizations to improve the performance of their personnel and operational processes. Operations improvement can require new resources, thinking, new methods and new techniques for monitoring and measuring so organizations can fully understand, optimize and align processes to achieve strategic objectives. This service is designed to gently guide the company through the steps of change to ensure a positive outcome.
5. Process Reengineering
   As much as we like to think that all business run smoothly, sometimes we need a restart in certain areas. Earnings start to lag, revenue is down or costs are creeping up. In any of these cases the approach that we follow is objective, practical and focused. We start with a detailed analysis of any department and/or function determining why the company’s performance is less than optimal. Once identified, the team can focus on those aspects that require change and develop the methodology to accomplish it. Reengineering broken or outdated processes enables organizations to increase effectiveness by understanding, optimizing and aligning activities and processes to maximize output and returns on improvement initiatives. Through the integration of people, process and technology, organizations can make more effective decisions, increase stakeholder value and drive higher levels of efficiency organization-wide. It is critical success factor for organizations to improve the performance of their personnel and operational processes. Operations improvement can require new resources, thinking, new methods and new techniques for monitoring and measuring so organizations can fully understand, optimize and align processes to achieve strategic objectives. This service is designed to gently guide the company through the steps of change to ensure a positive outcome.

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Achievemants

Greenline Industries

In this privately owned biodiesel technology company, Mr. Jackson reengineered the biodiesel plant project delivery process significantly enhancing change order process, performance reliability and scheduling accuracy, resulting in 25% improvement in cost efficiency. He also developed new selection criteria used to reevaluate all outside contractors and partners. Mr. Jackson updated the sales process and sales personnel evaluations system that supported substantial increases in sales and revenue growth. He also established and managed finance and accounting structures and process including internal controls to ensure adherence to regulatory requirements and efficient reporting processes to support ongoing performance analysis, forecasting and future planning.

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Zero Waste Energy

In this privately owned organic waste treatment and waste-to-energy company, Mr. Jackson realized a 25%+ improvement in the project delivery cost by reengineering the company’s estimating and bid process. He also focused on improving process and efficiencies across the operating enterprise, including finance and legal.

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Cotelligent, Inc.

In this public IT services and consulting company, Mr. Jackson strategically reconstructed and continually downsized the business following divestiture of IT staffing business in response to the changing market for IT services. He orchestrated a total of three major restructurings, from development of plan, communication and execution, and the termination of senior executives. He also managed the divesture of the IT staffing business in a transaction which sold 22 offices with 2000 employees representing $200+ million in annualized revenues to a venture backed company for $125 million.

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Private Consumer Goods Company

Transformed company through the development and implementation of effective corporate restructuring, turnaround and communication plan.

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Bekon Energy Technologies(Eggersmann)

Mr. Jackson assisted this wholly-owned subsidiary of a German company enter the North American Market. He spearheaded development and execution of business plan, defined sales and marketing objectives and led development of robust sales and marketing initiatives. Mr. Jackson also provided hands on leadership, conducting detailed analysis of market identifying opportunities and steering business development efforts. He was also responsible to cultivate relationships with key leadership in potential and existing customers, together with managing all dealer and representative relationships.

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More detailed achievements, references and testimonials are confidentially available to clients upon request.

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Industries

This service is primarily available to the following industry sectors:

Technology

Technology is the collection of techniques, skills, methods and processes used in the production of goods or services or in the accomplishment of objectives, such as scientific investigation. What we often think of as “Technology” is really just the application of modern technology to our daily professional and personal lives. For example, what used to work before, might not be working now, it must have gotten old or been replaced by more modern technology. Technology simplifies life in so many ways and everyone defines technology in their own way. To some people, it means smartphones and laptops. To others, it means the source of the radical changes that are happening in all phases of life. Some define technology as science applied to practical purposes. Some people fear to use technology while others see it as the source of longer and more complete lives.

In this service offering, I consider the use of technology in only positive value added ways. For example, technology advancements have improved our access to and use of information across the enterprise, creating better evaluation opportunities to improve performance. It encourages innovation and creativity, placing the opportunity to develop new goods and services across more of your employee base. Technology has improved the ways we communicate, providing us with many more sources of knowledge and information. It also improves efficiency and production allowing companies to deliver ever more complex goods and services in new and innovative ways. It is the combination of people, process and technology that allows us to become successful.

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