Improving the ability to accommodate change
“It is not the strongest of the species nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” Charles Darwin
Echelon works with clients to create agile organisations whose culture and flexibility are designed to thrive on change and exploit the opportunities that change presents. We develop customer-oriented processes that are operated by skilled and fully engaged employees. We create an environment based on continuous improvement and employee contribution. We establish ‘knowing’ organisations based on effective communication and people development.
Following Dr W Edwards Deming’s principles of Customer Delight and Continuous Improvement our approach establishes a culture in which people and processes remain adaptable and where change is ‘business as usual’.
Implement process improvement infrastructure
Do you drive change proactively?
Organisations need to remain in a state of constant change simply to survive the forces of shifting customer demands and competitor attacks. Driving forward the organisation’s strategic agenda induces more pressure for change.
Echelon works with clients to develop a proactive culture of improvement and innovation, where people expect and enjoy the challenges of change and do the things naturally that bring success.
We work with senior management to put change at the heart of an organisation’s strategy. We refine process, procedures and competencies throughout the organisation and support their deployment through skills development and toolkits. Our approach leads to reduced productivity loss during change, faster adoption of the new environment and realisation of its benefits, and higher overall levels of performance. Our planned and collaborative solutions create an increased capacity for change.
Implement change and improvement training
Do your people have the knowledge and skills required to operate an agile organisation?
Harnessing internal knowledge and experience is vital for successful change, and participation is a recognised driver of employee engagement. People need to be equipped with the requisite knowledge and skills if they are to contribute meaningfully.
Echelon delivers a range of training solutions designed to provide practical competencies required. We provide hands-on training in the process involved and the tools and methods used within it.
Survey customer satisfaction
Do you know what your customers really want?
Successful change delivers benefits for customers, internal and external, and is dependant on knowing exactly what they want and how they feel. Researching customer requirements and satisfaction levels is an essential component of a proactive change management organisation.
Echelon deploys a range of research tools to identify the gap between customer experience and their expectations across the entire lifecycle of the service engagement, investigating all points of contact.
We utilise a blend of research methods, including:
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survey
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interview
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focus group
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mystery shopper.
We use a mix of face-to-face, paper-based, telephone and on-line methods to facilitate reliable quantitative and qualitative analysis.
Survey employee opinion
Do you know how your employees can best contribute?
Employee input to the change agenda is a fast and effective way of uncovering many of the issues around current problems and identifying improvement opportunities. They can help to identify procedural and structural elements that inhibit the achievement of good customer service or that hinder productivity. They’re in the front line, engaging with the customer, collecting valuable intelligence every day that can translate into effective improvement suggestions.
The quality of the internal customer-supplier chain is a clear predictor of what the external customer will experience. Employees want to contribute to improvement and gain satisfaction from being consulted, helping develop ownership.
We deploy a range of surveys and participative methods to understand employees’ views.
Focus internal communication
Do your people know what’s about to change and why?
Poor communication on the subject of change leads to reduced employee confidence in the organisation and trust in the leadership. Anxiety, created by a lack of knowledge and understanding, damages morale more than the thought of the change itself.
Echelon develops internal communication strategies that provide information early and often to everyone involved in and affected by change initiatives. The messages and delivery channels are matched specifically to the target audiences to ensure appropriateness and accessibility.
Echelon, Angles House, 210 Sheen Lane, London SW14 8LB; 020 8274 9965