The world is changing - with companies expanding, boundaries less important - customers requiring seamless service - service provision split over several locations.

“The pressure to ensure a consistency of service / product dominates.”

For single or multi locational organisations one of the key issues which needs addressing is how we bind these different cultures together to provide this seamless service.

Methodology There are many challenges facing us in this situation – binding together your organisation requires 2 separate but eventually interlocking strategies. The two elements are focused on the: 1. External perspective 2. Internal perspective

Linking these two perspectives together is the strategy and mission - this has to provide a common clear focus and framework - without it all else will fail.

So why integrate? What are the benefits? What does this organisation eventually look like? Here are a selection of the things that have resulted:

So how do we start? The strategy contains the direction and signals for how the organisation will work. It develops the components for both the external and internal perspectives. It can also establish what type of organisation is wanted both in its behaviour, technology and offerings.

Following from the strategy, a framework for change needs to be developed both locally and globally which is driven by the core principles based on the mission and strategy.

Indeed creating this overall framework is the key. It describes the way we will operate whilst allowing for local flexibility. This allows people to retain their own characteristics and at the same time buy in to the overall direction. The real question is how do we create this?

Approach

It breaks down into 4 generic stages:

1. Recognising the need - Understanding what are the key drivers, which are the ones? Which are most important? What do we need to do?

2. Agreeing the focus - How shall we tackle this? What are we trying to do? What are the threats? What are the timescales?

3. Selling the need - Getting the organisation to see the need to change - confronting the change issues - letting people know why we are serious

4. Planning / involvement / education / implementation - In our experience this part is totally determined by the previous stages but we do know we will have to address specific elements including organisation, behaviour, technology, product and service offering, systems / procedures and communications.

See case studies:

MAN B & W Ltd
BUPA