Thought for the day:
Buy-in depends on softer skills
- Posted:
- 16:29 09 Sep 2004
Employee commitment to new working practices is crucial to project success, says Lindsay Wittenberg
Changing human behaviour and culture in the NHS
outstrips technological matters as the biggest challenge now facing
the project, according to Aidan Halligan, joint head of the
national programme for IT in the NHS (Computer Weekly, 20 April).
And he's not alone.
Increasing numbers of organisations are realising that without the
commitment of employees to new working practices, an organisation's
successful take-up of IT won't happen.
Successful change means handling people's emotions. The most
sophisticated systems are white elephants unless the people who use
them understand their new roles, feel valued and involved, and are
motivated to do new things in new ways.
Introducing a new system, on whatever scale, means that the changes
need to be sold within the organisation, with buy-in all the way
down from the top.
Organisations with a command-and-control culture, like the NHS,
could manage transition more smoothly and efficiently - and run a
lower risk of losing or de-motivating key personnel - by plugging
in to how their people feel about those changes.
The culture of the organisation needs to be honest and open in its
communications, a willingness to listen to all sides of a question
- including those that are unpalatable or difficult - and ensuring
that employees feel secure enough to share bad news or facts that
disturb the status quo.
But this people-centred approach is heresy in too many IT
departments. It demands a style of leadership which paints a clear
vision and purpose, ensures that learning and mistakes are valued,
allows people on the ground to be given a say and, most important
of all, listens.
It is a challenging task for IT directors who focus on short-term
and budgets rather than what drives the people behind them. Human
beings' best performance depends not only on technical skills and
intellect but also, crucially, on the quality of their
relationships with colleagues. This means their leaders motivating
(rather than demanding), empathising, and making it easy for staff
to contribute and develop new ideas.
For an IT director to shift to this kind of culture they must learn
how to adopt a coach mentoring approach to leadership and
management.
Research has shown the return on investment from coaching includes
improvements in productivity; cost reductions; profitability and
lower staff turnover.
The director's road can be a lonely one, and it can take courage to
press ahead with a new initiative in the face of both scepticism
and pressures.
Developing a scheme in which experienced colleagues can mentor
junior colleagues in the IT department is also worth
considering.
The benefits are felt not only by the mentoring partner but
throughout the organisation.
Lindsay Wittenberg is a consultant
specialising in performance coaching and career development
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