Many organisations operate over multiple sites and in
multiple regions. This has come about because of the nature of
global businesses and the increased
merger and acquisition activity throughout all
industries.
Consequently, many offices, although within the same company,
are operating in completely different ways. This is not simply due
to different languages, but also due to different operating
environments, processes and technology being in place in each
location.
Although local offices operating in silos from each other has
worked for many years, more and more companies are finding that
with globalisation comes the need to operate in the same way across
all markets. This is driven by the need to have more flexible and
cost efficient supply chains, which in turn requires
consistency of business intelligence.
To deliver this change in business model, many organisations are
moving to a more central style of management. Managers want all
areas of their responsibility to operate in a consistent way so it
is easier for them to interpret trends, identify differences in
performance between offices, and to be alerted to impending
problems.
Companies with different set-ups in local offices are finding it
hard to
standardise the business processes across all locations to
achieve these objectives. As a result, offices are duplicating work
and reporting, simply because they are not following the same
processes. This is why many companies are taking the
global decision to standardise business processes.
However, this is not just as simple as implementing the same
underlying applications that support business processes in each
office or country. Far too often organisations look at this as a
technical problem, when in fact technology is just part of the
solution.
Most of the time, the
cultural change required is much more significant than the
technical challenge. Organisations therefore need to review
processes and operating models from different offices and
locations, and design a business process framework that bridges
this gap.
Many companies struggle with bridging this gap because they do
not undertake the necessary consultation with local offices and do
not involve the employees that will be using the processes and
underlying systems at an early enough stage.
The important thing to remember is that it is not just a systems
implementation project, but a
transformation project.
For employees to change the way they work they need to
understand the rationale behind the change and feel that they are
involved in the end result. Companies will never be able to design
and implement a system that all employees love, but by involving
them they can ensure it meets their needs and gain their
buy-in.
Taking key users from each local office and getting them
involved from the beginning will help in the long run, even if
having many differing opinions to begin with can be difficult to
manage.
In addition to getting end-users to feed into the project and
ultimately buy into it, they will also be returning to their
offices with an expert level of knowledge to share with their
colleagues.
While it is important to ensure that different sites do not
operate in silos, it is equally important to make allowances for
specific local requirements, especially those that are legal or
statutory in nature. Without this, sites will simply resort to the
"old way" of working after the initial changes.
By ensuring the appropriate level of sponsorship and buy in, and
viewing the project as a business transformation initiative rather
that a systems implementation, businesses can become more efficient
and effective, and ensure duplication of work and different styles
of reporting are a thing of the past.
Tesco's standardisation
challenge >>
Tesco standardises IT for global expansion >>
Hampshire Council saves £2m a year by standardising its 8,000
desktops >>
Have your say
Do you agree with Melvin James' views? If you have an opinion about
this or any article in Computer Weekly, e-mail
computer.weekly@rbi.c.uk