Change Management Training Tips:
Maximum Work Flow, Minimal Head Count
By any chance, has your organization asked you to do more work
with less head count? Funny: Ours has, too. If you haven’t already
found yourself turning to independent contractors for increasingly
mission-critical tasks, don’t worry. You will.
The reasons are simple: Freelancers cost less (no benefits, and you
can hire them and let them go with the ebb and flow of the work),
and there are plenty of contractors with industry-specific
experience on the market these days. But working with contractors
has its challenges, as anyone who has done it can attest. It’s a
delicate team management process: You need to assess areas where
outsourcing makes sense, negotiate solid agreements with
contractors, and incorporate the contingent workforce into the
day-to-day operations of your business—all while preserving you
company’s culture.
It’s well worth the effort.
Define the Skill Set
GOAL: ESTABLISH PARAMETERS AND CREATE A PROFILE OF YOUR IDEAL
CANDIDATE.
Finding the right independent contractor begins with a candid
assessment of your needs, resources, and required expertise. Don’t
just do a Google search. In fact, Valerie Frederickson, who runs her
own human capital management firm, cautions that if you give this
part of the process short shrift you could end up having to hire a
second person to mop up the mess and finish your project.
It’s important to think about the types of people who have worked
out best in your organization, and to be aware of anything that
might lead to a problem. “An ex-executive may have a lot of great
experience, but if he hasn’t reported to a management team for
several years, he might not be a great fit,” warns Janice DiPietro,
a managing partner at executive services firm Tatum.
Danger! Danger! Danger!
CONFUSING LONG-TERM SUCCESS WITH SHORT-TERM POTENTIAL
It’s easy to assume that someone with a great long-term track record
at one company will automatically succeed under a shorter timeline.
Not so, says DiPietro. Decades of experience in a particular
industry don’t mean that person will understand the demands that
come with a temporary position. For example, the former CFO you
bring in to review a potential acquisition may not brief the rest of
the team on his accounting methods, leaving the company in an
awkward change management position when it opens the books to
potential investors. So look for people with both industry
experience, and experience as a contracting professional. When
screening candidates, see if they are aware of the distinctions.
Even people who are just now making the switch from full-time roles
to contractual engagements should recognize that such projects
require a different mix of skills.
Find a Rock Star
GOAL: IDENTIFY SOMEONE WITH THE SKILLS FOR SHORT-TERM PROJECTS.
The Web is a great place to find part-time employees, but use it
creatively when seeking a skilled professional. The key is to think
beyond craigslist and CareerBuilder, which will lead to a torrent of
irrelevant applicants, especially in this economy.
Scour your personal network. Your BlackBerry is often the best
change management resource for finding a candidate or someone who
can lead you to one. A former employee who left your company on good
terms may be ideal, especially since that person comes with an
understanding of the culture and personalities of managers. Also,
seek out retired professionals. If they don’t want the job, they’ll
surely have extensive contacts. A note of caution: Beware of
self-labeled consultants. They have a tendency to exaggerate the
relevancy of their skills.
Hit up professional associations. Professional and industry
organizations are great for finding people with specific skills,
such as Web gurus, marketing consultants, and creative directors.
Remember, professional associations like to help. It validates their
existence, and that keeps members paying dues.
Consider a search firm. If you need someone fast — a temporary
lawyer, for example, an accountant, or even a top-level executive —
a good search firm can cut your headhunting time from two months to
a week. But you should expect to pay anywhere from $300 to $2,000 to
initiate the search and a success fee of $1,000 to $15,000,
depending on the contractor’s salary.
Big Idea
DELEGATE
Finding and training a contractor takes a lot of work, so make sure
you have the time it requires. Frederickson says managers often
underestimate the necessary commitment, and they end up with
low-quality work and a high level of stress. Do yourself a favor and
delegate some of these change management steps to other employees.
Let Them Loose
GOAL: INTEGRATE CONTRACTORS INTO YOUR ORGANIZATION WITHOUT MAKING
THEM VITAL.
Working a professional contractor into the mix is tricky: You don’t
want someone to become so critical to your business that it’s hard
to cut him or her loose. Here’s how to strike the perfect balance:
Talk to your regular staff. There’s nothing that says “welcome” like
an employee calling security after spotting a stranger (your
contractor) wandering the hallways. Avoid awkward change management
situations by telling the staff that you’ve hired a temporary
contractor. Explain why, and take questions.
Supply necessary resources. That includes the obvious, such as
relevant documents and technology, but also be sure to introduce the
person to employees that he or she will be working with. This will
allow the person to work efficiently and avoid unnecessary change
management communication gaps.
What Not to Do
BE SUPER SECRETIVE
If you offer vague or misleading change management answers about why
you’ve brought on a consultant, your employees will assume the
worst: that they’re getting squeezed out. The last thing you need is
a hostile relationship between your staffers and your contractor. If
you’re bringing in part-timers because of an increase in work, then
your people should welcome them. But you might also be looking for
ways to run your company more efficiently by gradually using fewer
and fewer full-timers. In that case, Frederickson gives this advice:
“Be honest, but don’t say ‘This consultant is here because a lot of
you suck,’ ” he says. “A better option is to say, ‘I’m concerned
about how the group is performing, and this person is here to help
us implement a number of changes.’ ” Nothing you say will be
perfect, but let your regular employees know something about what’s
going on.
Check In
GOAL: EVALUATE PROGRESS USING MEASURABLE AND REPORTABLE OBJECTIVES.
While it’s important to check on the project’s progress,
micromanaging can strain the relationship with your contractor.
Realize that your contractor might have a different work style than
you’re accustomed to. His or her job is to deliver, not to blend in
as a full-time employee. So unless your contractor is disrupting
your organization, you should focus only on what he or she is
producing. Establish clearly defined change management milestones
from the get-go, which will help everyone involved focus on results
and not style.
Checklist
THREE WAYS TO MEASURE PROGRESS
Typically, people set milestones with a calendar: By May 31, for
example, you will submit the first 50 pages of the report. This
approach, however, might not always make sense if, say, you’re
hiring someone to be on call for emergency workload surges. Here are
three other ways to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth from
the contractor you’ve hired:
1. Account for the hours. Ask for weekly reports on the number of
hours spent on the task, with a brief description of what was
accomplished.
2. Show us the money. If you’ve brought someone in to figure out how
to save money, ask him to track the cost-saving measures along with
the amount saved; require e-mail updates tracking progress toward a
predetermined dollar amount.
3. Addressing those creative types. Creative professionals may work
best when evaluated on the work itself. Even so, ask such a
contractor to submit portions along the way, whether it’s marketing
material or sections of a Web site in development.
Say Goodbye . . . Or Not
GOAL: CUT THE CONTRACTOR LOOSE OR EVALUATE A LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP.
Even the most experienced professionals sometimes overstay their
welcome by trying to insert themselves into other projects. Such
extended tenures can become more costly than hiring a full-time
employee. Stick to the original change management plan, and end the
relationship once the goals are met. Experts also recommend having a
plan in place should the project drag on, such as setting up other
indicators — like money spent — that create a clear stopping point.
Of course, some people are worth working with again, or even
bringing on full time or in another capacity. So be sure to
thoroughly evaluate your contractor’s performance and effectiveness.
Hot Tip
LOOKING FORWARD
If your contractor added a lot of value, here are possibilities to
consider:
Make him or her a board member. Often, that’s a great option for
retired executives or people with other obligations but a keen
interest in your company. Board members are generally paid a flat
rate, say $20,000 a year, plus expenses tied to board duties.
Add an adviser. Making your contractor an adviser is a great way to
keep ties with someone you want to turn to for periodic help. That
might be someone you use to help with an acquisition, or someone
whom you rely on for regular discussions about strategy.
Compensation can be a flat rate, equity, or a mix of cash and stock.
Ask them to invest. Many contractors have money. Retired managers,
for instance, often have the resources to invest but still work as
consultants to stay involved in an industry they enjoy. Plenty of
private firms have option pools for investors.
Source: by Marie C. Baca
http://www.bnet.com/2403-13059_23-332323.html
Subject: Change Management
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