Transformation — the importance of transparency & inclusivity on the bottom line

In business transformation, it is critical to get to a place of understanding through transparent and inclusive dialogue early on, if you want true and lasting success.

So why do so many organisations take the secrecy path or fail to engage early by waiting for the perfect launch date? It is an almost fatal error of judgement to do this, sometimes with a result of what feels like an impossible object to move. This immovable object is known as resistance.

Ask anyone working in the transformation and change management space, and they will tell you resistance is the mortal enemy of transformation.

People like transparency in their workplace. Research tells us that transparent workplaces are more inclusive and their employees are far more engaged. People feel included when they know what is going on and are invited to share their experiences and ideas. Then your people are more likely to become wedded to the success of your business. When done well it can also create excitement. This can be particularly important if your organisation has been stagnant for some time.

Far too often change specialists are brought in way too late in the transformation program. Change specialists and champions should be invested in and engaged early across the organisation through the strategy-building phase. Good change agents are exceptional in supporting strategic planning and preparation.

Leaving the people who will be doing the heavy lifting of new technology across your organisation in the dark, instead of building a strategy for success, will more likely build a wall of resistance. If you do this, whilst you plan, they surmise. It is dangerous when plans and surmising don’t line up, particularly in the critical early stages of any transformation program.

When you build strategies with your people, you build solid change agents across the organisation who will support to do the heavy lifting needed every step of the way. These people will become the go-to people within their teams to engage and uncover resistance, causing roadblocks as the transformation program progresses. These people are absolute gold and should never be taken for granted. Honour and support these people as the program progresses, because they are the people who will build the lasting change that beds in faster and further than any external contractor will be able to do in the short term. This is how you build for the long game of transformation for the life of your business.

When it comes to technology transformation programs, it is important to get your organisation structure in order before you even start to tout the transformation word to the entire organisation. A good solid structure will support and enhance a digital transformation exponentially. Ensure you first understand what your organisation does and how you presently work, along with a view of what you want the future to look like. Then make the necessary changes to the organisation’s structure to match future business requirements, before you kick off any transformation program.

By preparing for a digital transformation in this way, it is likened to building on a solid foundation of rock. When you do this your people feel clearer about what is coming and most importantly why it is coming.

Far too often organisations get a long way down the path of future strategising before they suddenly realise they don’t have a clear picture of their current position. Like any journey you are about to embark on, it is impossible to map a course to any destination if you can’t see with clarity where you are right now. No matter how clear you are about what you want, a starting point is essential or else how will you chart your course forward?

To this you must build a solid organisational structure to prepare your organisation for success, or else you are setting up for failure. During the process of building that solid foundation, you are beginning to build resilience in your people, thus setting the transformation up for success. If you take care of your people, they will transform your organisation. Organisations don’t magically transform on their own, simply by buying new technology. Technology needs the heavy lifters, your people, within the organisation to uplift and bed them into place long term.

The same applies across all levels of the organisation, including you if you are the CEO. Transformation is the train we all get on for life. No business transforms without a transformed leadership approach, so this requires us all to do some personal work, including the CEO. No one has all the answers. Transformation programs are the perfect opportunity for a CEO to grow with their people, collectively engaged and empowered.

The approach of widening and accepting these new ways of working brings value to us all on the way, not just at work, but in every part of our lives. In life, we all want to be valued and bring value to others. Let the new road of transformation in your business bring back value into people’s lives, watch them flourish, and your business will prosper as a result.

Transparency and inclusivity both require constant effort to keep it real every step of the way. Without focus, old habits can easily creep back in, with a slow and fatal progression to reverting to old ways of working.

The statistical results in business speak for themselves. Whether your business is large or small, transparency and inclusivity will take your business further and faster, every time.

Building a fearless organisation brings into play the exceptional skills of creativity and risk-taking, which is the very fountain where new ideas are born.

When we step into transparency and inclusivity in the workplace, we build resilience through developing a workforce able to deal with volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity together.

In this fast-moving technology era, where customer demands are constantly increasing to stay relevant, fearless new ways of working are essential for success. If we don’t work on removing the fear from our organisations, we take a much greater risk of becoming irrelevant. This slow and steady demise results in stagnation and a joyless workforce, that will be constantly beating on your door. The impacts of which fall, fair and square on the bottom line in every business.

Want to know more?

Reach out for a chat today if you would like some support to build greater transparency and inclusivity in your organisation.

info@enterpriseevolution.com.au

A more vibrant, joyful and successful workplace awaits you, and we can help you get there.