Sanderson Business Change

The 12 Do's of Christmas Job Hunting

2009-12-14T11:42:00.009Z

On the First day of job hunting…Be realistic

Competition is fierce so you have to accept that you will be up against a lot of people for every role you apply for. These are tough times for jobseekers. Many of the companies who are not actively laying-off staff are freezing recruitment. That said, the fundamentals of the job market haven’t changed, even if the odds are a little longer. Vacancies are certainly scarcer, but this just means that you have to be better prepared.

On the Second day of job hunting…Target your niche market

In the current climate it might be tempting to apply for every single job you are qualified for (and sometimes over qualified for) and just take whatever comes along first. You wouldn’t dream of being so unselective if you were house hunting so why do it when you’re job hunting? Instead of blindly sending out your CV’s to every Tom, Dick and Harry, target those ‘in the know’. Seek out agencies with consultants who a) really know what they’re talking about and b) have great contacts to ensure you get put forward for the jobs which best suit you before they even hit the market. Remember this could be an opportunity for life, not just for Christmas!

On the Third day of job hunting…Get ahead of the crowd

Instead of wasting hours of your own time tracking down vacancies make sure you get the right jobs coming directly to you. Registering for job alerts will enable you to save your job searches, set-up email alerts to make sure you get the latest jobs, upload and save your CV and review your previous applications.

On the Fourth day of job hunting …Develop the perfect CV

Every job hunter needs an impressive CV that describes their educational and professional history. A well-prepared and individually tailored CV is invaluable and can greatly improve your chances of getting the job you want.

On the Fifth day of job hunting…Make sure you’re relevant

It is surprising how many people send in CV’s that haven’t been tailored to specific job criteria. In order for recruiters to get through the bulk of applications received, they scan through the details, noting keywords, skills and specific work experience that match the details of the job ad. That’s why, to get yourself noticed, you need to concentrate on getting your CV to talk directly to the recruiter and in the language they understand. By adapting this, each time you apply to a unique job vacancy you can make sure you are telling them exactly what they want to hear.

On the Sixth day of job hunting…Get organised

Make sure you keep a record of all the roles you have applied for and use a spreadsheet to document all of your applications. Include contact details and make sure you follow up all your applications. It’s also a really good idea to log all your meetings and interviews in a calendar.

On the Seventh day of job hunting…Get expert help

We’ve got 30 years worth of recruitment experience so why not take advantage of it? Our recruitment consultants work a niche, ‘vertical market’ structure for each specialist division, giving unrivalled coverage and understanding. In this way, we offer a truly consultative recruitment service.

On the Eighth day of job hunting …Be patient

Be prepared to accept that you could be looking at longer time scales than you might have expected a couple of years ago. A lot of recruiters are taking more time to make sure they recruit the best applicant and therefore it can be a much longer process.

On the Ninth Day of job hunting…Use technology

To stand out from the masses, you have to be creative to get noticed. A well written CV and cover letter is only just the start. What about creating a blog to boast about your skills? Employers know that the most productive employees are those who take initiative and are excited about their work. By taking these extra steps, you’re positioning yourself as the talent that they’re looking for, not just another resume in a pile.

On the Tenth Day of job hunting…Get networking

Whether you want to discover a better way to write your CV, find job leads faster or simply network better then using social media tools like LinkedIn and Twitter could really give you the edge. The bigger your network the more contacts (and potential employers) you will be exposing yourself to.

On the Eleventh Day of job hunting…Be resilient

There are many reasons that you might not be selected for a role and its best not to take it too personally. More often than not, there may be a ‘behind-the-scenes story’. Take any feedback on-board and work though any areas you might want to improve on. It may take time but you will get there in the end, with some careful thought and some good advice.

On the Twelfth Day of job hunting…Shine!

So you’ve done your research, found the perfect role, written a spot-on CV and bagged an interview, now what? When it comes to landing that dream job, it is usually the candidate who performs best at the interview who wins. Even if other contenders have more impressive resumes, better qualifications and more experience, employers are invariably swayed by the person who has obviously done extensive job interview preparation and impresses most on the day. With all of that done, the dream job should be yours for the taking - good luck!

A Healthy Mix – Blended Sourcing Strategies

2009-11-18T16:51:00.000Z

Can you afford not to explore a potential 50% cost saving on your projects?

The final topic I addressed at last months Lean Government conference focused on alternatives to expensive consultancy resource. Consultancy led solutions are often chosen for the wrong reasons and can result in unnecessarily high cost and scope creep.

So, what is the alternative to using expensive consultancy resource?

Businesses like Sanderson have spent a long time developing market knowledge - with a particular focus on skills and capability. As a result we have access to a wide range of niche skills through contractors or smaller niche consultancies. When this experience is drawn together it’s possible to build a solution that offers greater levels of skill, experience and knowledge whilst costing less. More importantly, this type of solution is far more likely to focus entirely on your key deliverables.

What risks are recruitment organisations able to take?

This was a question asked at the Lean Government conference. It led initially to a comparison with the risks taken by consultancies – risks that in reality are minimal…..for them. The consensus view was that consultancies now look to pass risk back to the customer. From my perspective, a recruitment business like ours is less inclined to take financial risk, but is quite willing to share the objectives and deliverables of your project – a partnership approach that is less likely to be taken by a consultancy.

Where has this approach worked?

Sanderson has experience of delivering a range of projects using blended resource. Over the last 12 months, the quotes from bigger consultancies have been anything between 30% and 100% more expensive than ours. Our case study looked at the successful implementation of an Oracle EB-Suite into Surrey Police at 50% of the cost quoted by Oracle.

The reality is that every deliverable, every work-package should be reviewed against a full range of sourcing options. It is all too easy to plump for a consultancy solution, but it is likely to be far more expensive and less focused. The UK’s flexible (i.e. contract) resource market is one of the most mature in the world. By bringing the appropriate skills together in a single package, a decent recruitment organisation can deliver everything that a large consultancy can and more.

But there’s no point pretending that this is a step for the feint hearted – remember the old adage ‘no-one ever got fired for choosing IBM’. Taking this approach means that you’ll need strong stakeholder support and effective governance. That said, a cost cutting agenda is clearly paramount at present and likely to become stronger over the next 12 months – can you afford not to explore a potential 50% cost saving on your projects?

Skills Acquisition – Whatever happened to the War for Talent?

2009-10-29T15:41:00.001Z

In recent years, there have been plenty of column inches devoted to the “War for Talent”. It’s become something of a cliché and given the number of recent redundancies may appear incongruous. Despite the recession, the war rumbles on. Where professional roles are concerned, the UK has a growing skills gap that is projected to peak in 2020. Whilst the fall in GDP will slow the size of this gap – it is likely to be a problem for us all over the next decade – and especially as we come out of recession and return to growth.

What about the increased number of available candidates?

At the peak of the boom and thus the peak of resource demand, over 90% of candidates who registered with Sanderson were already in jobs. That figure is now less than 50%. Unfortunately this does not mean that the skills shortage problem has gone away – it only means that the number of active candidates has increased. Most of these active candidates will offer generic skills that you probably already have within your organisation. The problem is that highly skilled people, with niche experience are staying put as opposed to moving around the market.

Adverts = lots of response. But is the response any good?

Possibly yes… but probably no. An advertising led approach to candidate and skills acquisition will get you lots of CV’s, but the best talent (paralysed by perceived market instability) is staying where it is. As a result the skills you attract may not be aligned to your business objectives.

As a result, you really need to ensure that your recruitment partners are adding real value. They should work with you in a way that:

Offers a real life view of the market – i.e. that passive candidates are not moving for either agency or direct attraction. The recession has changed people’s view of employment and you will need to take a more joined up strategy in order to tease out the real talent from the market by managing their views and opinions.

Ensures it’s not about money – the real talent in the market place, and particularly highly / niche skilled candidates are not enticed solely by the money or the brand (especially as so many brands have become tarnished in the last 12 months). Every job has to be positioned correctly – in a way that reassures the candidate that it is right for them and worth moving for.

Makes honesty the best policy – very few businesses can show consistent or aggressive growth and it is more likely you have had to cut back and reposition in order to grow again. Be honest, share the pain you have experienced and share your vision of the future. Good quality candidates will do their research anyway, honesty will build some trust.

Makes partnership the only way – your recruitment partner becomes your voice in the market and an extension of your own employment brand, ensuring you are marketed well to your chosen candidate market. This can only be done with a long-term commitment and strategy. If you get this right you can begin to drive both candidate sentiment and market perception – get it wrong and these elements will work against you.

Done correctly you will end up with a partnering arrangement with a business who will develop a network of top quality talent on your behalf. This not only delivers better results for you, it is also more fulfilling for the recruiter and will ensure you have a long term relationship to rely upon – especially as we move towards a decade of shortages in key highly skilled areas.

Contact me on Twitter @NickWalrond, or by email at Nick.Walrond@sandersonplc.com. Or simply leave a comment below.

"Carpet War" Image source: Flickr Creative Commons - (Photomish Dan)

"Open to Partnership" Image source: Flickr Creative Commons - (CQuarles)

Recruitment Process Efficiency - A lot more interesting than it sounds

2009-10-20T10:57:00.001+01:00

As I discussed in last weeks blog, the recent masterclass I gave at a Lean Government event focused on cost efficiency and the development of a lean approach to resourcing.

I divided the masterclass into three topic areas, the first of which was ‘Process Efficiency’. Not a title to set the world on fire, I admit – but something which is a lot more interesting than it sounds – and if it’s not interesting it’s certainly worth knowing. Either way, it’s what I want to look at this week before moving on to ‘Skills Acquisition’ and ‘Blended Sourcing Models’ in future postings. As a whole I’m hoping that my practical approach will put you on a lean resourcing path.

A "One Stop Shop" is not necessarily Lean

In recent years a lot of businesses in both the public and private sectors have moved towards a one stop resourcing shop – this is either run by an in-house team or outsourced to an MSP (Managed Service Provider) or RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcer). As a solution this may work - BUT, and it’s a big but (hence the capitals) it will be geared towards a ‘high volume, low unit cost’ model which will has a major pitfall – it encourages a strictly transactional hiring relationship with the candidates you target. (i.e. need a person – go to market, need a person - go to market etc, etc, etc).

‘You may think that your unit price is competitive, and indeed it may be, but the person you get will not be delivering value for money.’

This means that your cost per hire remains low, but that when you need skilled professionals you’ll be recruiting resource that is below par. Without a proper relationship with the market and some real resourcing expertise this approach will just carry on carrying on. You may think that your unit price is competitive, and indeed it may be, but the person you get will not be delivering value for money.

My recommendation...

My recommendation is simple - form direct relationships with businesses that are already active in the candidate market – those that can deliver the skills you need for the future. You need to do this in advance of any resource requirements. It is critical to ensure that your chosen recruitment partner is then able to track both active and passive candidates (i.e. the good one that aren’t looking for work) to ensure you get someone who is well aligned to your strategic objectives.

...then focus on your non-permanent population

From a total cost cutting perspective, it is our experience that most businesses will achieve the best results by focusing on their professional non-permanent population – be they contractors, professional temps, consultant or interims. – it is likely that a large percentage of this resource is not controlled by any process – and whilst the direct hiring relationship increases the chance of getting the right individual, the lack of control will have led to over-spend and increased risk.

We regularly see situations where contractors have been hired directly by senior stakeholders, against their own budgets, at rates significantly over the market norm. In addition, it’s unlikely that contractors will be operating via robust terms of business, or indeed have undergone the correct level of compliance checking (see Baroness Scotland for further information).

25% savings are a reality

Targeting non-permanent resource in a coordinated and constructive way - ‘finding and replacing’ where appropriate - will (on average) deliver 25% cost savings. Most larger organisations spend in excess of £2m on professional non-permanent resource and should be able to show a minimum of £500k in savings.

Handled correctly, you will have a strong relationship with expert recruiters (in specialist areas) that will deliver the talent that you need whilst working within a framework that delivers value for money and manages risk.

How you get to this point is another topic all together, but as they say – if you’re interested ‘Ask me how’!

Contact me on Twitter @NickWalrond, or by email at Nick.Walrond@sandersonplc.com. Or simply leave a comment below.

"Lean" Image source: Flickr Creative Commons - (Zepfanman)
"Piggy savings bank" Image source: Flickr Creative Commons - (AlanCleaver)

Knowledge Based Recruitment - A Lean Approach

2009-10-07T14:25:00.002+01:00

I know this subject has the potential to sound rather dry, but it is something I’m genuinely passionate about. It’s arguably the most important subject in our industry right now – combining a grown up approach to getting the right resource with the need to save money. The danger is to ramble on about theory without actually achieving anything.

Presenting a Masterclass

Last week I was asked to present a masterclass at a Lean Government event, focusing on cost efficiency and the development of a lean approach to resourcing and recruitment. The challenge was to ensure that the session was informative and left those attending with some practical measures to implement within their own organisations. At the same time, the subject needed to be covered in sufficient depth to do it justice.

After much deliberation, we decided to cover three key areas;

i) Process Efficiency,
ii) Skills Acquisition, and
iii) An Alternative Solution to Consultancies.

Getting the theory out of the way

I’m hoping to give you the same information via this and subsequent blogs, but wanted to set the whole thing up first. So, having said I’d stay away from theory – here’s the theory bit!

It’s just not possible to successfully make your resourcing process ‘leaner’ if you don’t have a relationship that you can rely upon with a recruitment partner (or partners).

What became apparent to me whilst putting the masterclass together was the importance of holding real business relationships in making resourcing leaner and more efficient. It’s just not possible to successfully make your resourcing process ‘leaner’ if you don’t have a relationship that you can rely upon with a recruitment partner (or partners).

Back to basics – a really simple example

Let me explain what I mean. If you need a highly skilled person to come into your business and assist you in delivering a specific objective (whatever your business and whatever the objective) it’s vital that your recruitment process will:

a) deliver someone who can do the job, and ;
b) Deliver someone who is aligned to your strategy - i.e. they share and buy into your vision and are willing to work with you to get there.

Accepting that this underpins the acquisition of critical skills the key question is then - how do you achieve this?

What won’t work...

...picking up the phone to a resourcing or recruitment supplier with whom you have had little or no contact in the past. They don’t know you, they don’t you’re your company and they won’t be aligned to your strategy. At best they’ll be able to provide you with a selection of the most available people who have the skills to do the job – but will they share your business vision?

What will work...

...picking up the phone today and building relationships with recruitment suppliers before you need critical resource. Share your business vision with them, your aims, your objectives and your wildest dreams if that’s what it takes. Then make sure that they are properly connected to the market and will want to share your vision with the best people they know. When the need for skilled resource does arise then your chance of getting someone who is genuinely aligned to your objectives will increase dramatically.

And Finally

It’s likely that you will end up forming a partnership with one or more recruiters. They will be happy to talk through potential requirements, give you a view on the market, or act as an expert sounding board. More importantly, they’ll be motivated to work with you and find you the right person.

Without this approach you’ll run the risk of ending up with a decidedly average solution – and in these ‘lean’ times of efficiency and business change we need to look beyond average.

So, my advice is simple. Develop a relationship of trust with a true recruitment consultant (i.e. a recruitment professional), who will understand your vision, represent you effectively in the market place and use their own relationships to find the best people – preferably before you need them.

Only when you’ve done this are you ready to look at your resourcing process in more detail.

Look out for some practical advice on what to do next in my blogs on ‘Process Efficiency’, ‘Skills Acquisition’, ‘An Alternative Solution to Consultancies’.

Tell us what you think in the comments below, or why not contact me on Twitter @NickWalrond.

"Boxes" Image source: Flickr Creative Commons – (Adam Pieniazek)
"Binoculars" Image source: Flickr Creative Commons - (Paul.Carroll)

Delivering More For Less

2009-10-01T12:13:00.001+01:00

The chances are that you currently have to deliver your projects with less budget and less people, but with an increased expectation from your management team or shareholders. You’re not alone - the project world is currently beset by a need to deliver the same or more in less time and at less cost.

So what do you do?

Focus on what is essential - identify the specific deliverables within your project workstreams that will deliver what you want (i.e. what your sponsors want). These have to remain relevant and visible throughout the course of the project
Align what you are doing - identify the actions that you need to take to deliver what is essential and eliminate all other activity. There is often a long list of deliverables that can be taken out of the project without affecting the end result
Show demonstrable progress - make individuals accountable for each action and ensure that progress is clearly visible to everyone

Better resource at a reduced cost

These guidelines can also be applied to project resourcing to reduce cost whilst delivering better results. It’s likely that by identifying what must be delivered in order to meet expectations that you will be able to rationalize – for example removing expensive consultancy resource in favour of in-house skills or independent contractor expertise.

The open market can deliver a high level of skill and capability if you access it in the right way. By developing a strong relationship of trust with a knowledgeable recruiter you are likely to be able to access a higher level of skill and capacity than you are receiving from large consultancies (or in many cases in-house resource).

Resource that does what YOU want

Furthermore the workload of independent contractor expertise can be directly aligned to the actions you have identified by

a) implementing project milestones, and,
b) inserting deliverable and retention clauses into your contracts with these individuals - ensuring collective responsibility for the end goal and a higher level of engagement

This is not revolutionary as many organisations are now approaching their projects in this way - but it does require a certain amount of courage. You may initially be going against the grain to use resource in this way, but you can make the transition more easily with the right support structure and partnerships in place.

What does this mean for lean?
By applying lean principles it is possible to use the current “budget cut” climate as an opportunity to reinforce the objectives of a project and to eliminate wasteful or non-aligned activity. Projects always suffer a degree of scope creep, and over-governance - over time and they tend to gain sub-projects and multiple objectives. Now is the time to lighten the burden, slim down to a simpler set of actions, review your resourcing arrangements in favour of more cost effective skills, and get back on track.

“Delivery” Image source: Flickr Creative Commons (kamshots)

Shared Service or Outsourcing – which will come out on top?

2009-09-24T16:38:00.000+01:00

It is now inevitable that, whoever wins the next election; large cuts in public spending are going to happen. Government borrowing was £16.1 billion in August and total government debt currently stands at around £805 billion. The figures involved with these cuts depends on which journalist, politician or commentator you believe, but it can be safely assumed that it is likely to be around 10% over the next 4 years.

This will become an increasingly emotive issue over the next few months as most of us do not want to see longer waiting lists, dilapidated schools and a cut backs in basic public services. However, if the government is to realize these kinds of benefits then the money is going to have to come from somewhere. As the Liberal Democrat shadow chancellor Vince Cable recently pointed out “The time for generalities is over, we need serious proposals for cutting public spending and tackling the UK’s budget deficit.”

IT and Back Office – Safe Targets

The concepts of “outsourcing” and “shared service” within the public sector are hardly new ones, but given the current situation it is likely that both will again be on the agenda. IT and Back office functions are seen by many as the way to save vast sums of money and do not carry the same kind negative press that other cuts may. IT, in particular, is likely to be under scrutiny as the UK spends more money on it that any other European Union country and it is still seen by many as a luxury.

This year’s Operational Efficiency Programme (OEP) set out savings of £3.2 million in IT, recommending sharing back office operations and IT systems, putting in place robust information management measures and more rigorous governance of change projects. How this is going to be achieved, is something that many public sector departments are currently considering and whether to rationalize processes via a shared service or to outsource has become a hot topic.

The Case for Outsourcing

There are clear benefits with both, but the true results of outsourcing are sometimes more difficult to quantify. This has not been helped by the high profile failure of major programmes within the NHS and government departments which have been run, mainly by large consultancies. What they do offer however, is a “quick win” as they can be set up at a fraction of the cost of a shared service and usually in half the time. They also provide an extra layer of accountability that can be underpinned by eye catching service levels.

The Case for Shared Service

In contrast, there appear clear benefits that can be gained from sharing services across the UK public sector and the experience of the private sector shows that typically corporate shared services can deliver efficiencies of between 20% and 50%. Also, where central government departments have established corporate shared services, e.g. DWP, HMRC, DfT, DEFRA and HMPS significant benefits have already been realized.

Time for a more experimental culture?

However, would a big push towards shared service really be a wise move for the public sector and could the cost be justified given the current state of public finances? Maybe it is also relevant to consider David Cameron’s recent statement that“we’ve got to have a culture that’s a little bit more experimental and is prepared to take a bit of a leap sometimes with a small organization.” Perhaps multiple smaller companies really could provide the kind of savings that we need and maybe (by combining this with properly conceived shared services) we could realize the savings that we need? We will wait and see.

Sanderson are sponsoring Public Service's "Lean Government" event on the 30th September.

Sanderson are also delivering a masterclass at the Lean Government event entitled "Accelerate Business Transformation through Lean Resourcing" which will further explore some of these issues.

To find out more about the Lean Government event, click here.

LEANing forward?

2009-09-20T15:54:00.000+01:00

A blog from the BBC site last week, amusingly pointed out that if Gordon Brown was now being forced to cut “unnecessary” programmes, fix inefficiency etc. then by association, there was an admittance that unnecessary programmes and inefficiency had been acceptable. With regard to “unnecessary” programmes an absence of professional project portfolio management capability is a recognised issue for the Public Sector - and often the Private sector to address. This capability gap is without doubt the root cause of many of the major programme failures that have proved difficult to the Government and the primary supplier.

It is a business and especially a LEAN business imperative that this root cause issue is addressed, and addressed fast across both sectors. With scarce investment funds - the absence of a professional and centralised programme management function that ensures that value will be delivered to the taxpayer (or share-holder), is a mistake.

There is significant capability resident in the SME community to bridge the capability gaps around portfolio management and to do so quickly, on a flexible and cost-effective basis. Moreover, there is a tacit understanding from the SME community that skills transfer is an implicit part of a contract for the delivery of such services – a key Government requirement.

Lack of awareness and investment in this area is in large part responsible for completely avoidable overspend of £bns - spend that could have been put to far more effective use. There are much more complex issues to fix that will involve costly and complex change programmes and it will be hoped that these programmes deliver significant benefit, BUT, if we embark on them across the delivery of LEAN Government without effective portfolio management, we will probably end up with headlines that no one wants to read.

Sanderson are sponsoring Public Service's "Lean Government" event on the 30th September.

Sanderson are also delivering a masterclass at the event entitled Accelerate Business Transformation through "Lean Resourcing", aimed at demonstrating alternatives to traditional resourcing concepts which substantially accelerate the speed of delivering business change, whilst significantly reducing costs. This will show how to reduce the total cost of resourcing by 10%+ per annum and business change and technology projects by 30%+.

To find out more about the Lean Government event, click here.

The Importance Of Being Lean

2009-09-18T10:42:00.002+01:00

We believe we know what Lean Thinking means… eliminate waste, reduce costs and add value…

Lean Thinking invites us to map the steps in our work activities which are required to deliver the most value. This process will often lead to the identification of activities which add little or no value at all.

Now, more than ever it is extremely important that programmes and services within the Public Sector are accountable and effective. There has always been controversy and negativity from the public regarding the cost of Government and Gordon Brown has now used the word ‘cut’ in his speech to the TUC. As he has promised that cuts will not be from ‘front line services’, there will be even greater pressure to eliminate waste and reduce cost wherever possible.

Waste, waste and more waste

The problems are often due to poor governance, poor requirement definition, unrealistic budgets and lack of expert capability. The Public Sector must demonstrate sustainable investments and real value for money. Following on from the Gershon review and the subsequent Treasury funded OEP (Operational Efficiency Programme) earlier this year, it has targeted a £7.2 billion saving over the next three years within Government back-office and IT.

There have been high profile inconsistencies in the successful delivery of IT enabled projects – soaring costs, shifting budgets and increasing delays in delivery.

Recent figures have suggested that overspend on Government IT projects has exceeded £1 billion over 5 years, with the Ministry of Defence being the biggest culprits with a huge £785 million over their budget. In fact one Government department was reported to be 46% over their IT budget with an overspend of £62.4 million!

Lean Government Event

With increasing pressure on Government to not only cut out the over-spend and waste, but also actively re-invest savings to raise performance, the impending Lean Government event, due to be held on 30th September 2009 at Central Hall in Westminster, has been specifically developed as a guide to efficiency, innovation and collaboration.

This forum will aid Government bodies in their transformation of work environments from wasteful inefficient organisations with unsatisfied employees, to Lean efficient organisations with motivated employees.

Sanderson are delivering a masterclass at the event entitled Accelerate Business Transformation through "Lean Resourcing", aimed at demonstrating alternatives to traditional resourcing concepts which substantially accelerate the speed of delivering business change, whilst significantly reducing costs. This will show how to reduce the total cost of resourcing by 10%+ per annum and business change and technology projects by 30%+.

It will also focus on the importance of Workforce Management and Resource Planning to productivity and quality improvements, and hopefully assist in the curtailing the huge over-spend that has gone on.

To find out more about the Lean Government event, click here.

Book Review: Making Change Happen by Jane Northcote

2009-07-22T14:24:00.005+01:00

Sanderson is lucky enough to have two consultants in our Business Change & Transformation network who have written books on the complex subject of business change.

Jane Northcote and Nick Waugh are both highly skilled independant change management consultants and thought leaders in their field. Their books are the result of many years' experience in successfully implementing change for large corporations. Unlike many books on the subject that approach change from a strategic, corporate perspective, Nick and Jane's books are accessible handbooks for practicioners of change.

This book teaches the crucial skills that individuals in an organisation need to implement business change. It sets out a simple step-by-step method to acheive business goals and build a change that lasts. Refreshingly free of jargon and theory, it's a pragmatic manual for all these labouring at the coalface of change.

The tools and techniques Jane teaches in the book are invaluable.

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External and Internal Resources need to work together to make change happen

2009-07-20T11:39:00.005+01:00

Sanderson's specialist contractors are often brought in as external consultants for business change initiatives. They are needed either to plug an internal skills gap, to rectify mistakes on previous change initiatives, or to facilitate the whole process. Used effectively, these external resources can bring a greater chance of project success.

But our external change consultants cannot work alone. For a business change to be successful they need to work with a learn from internal subject matter experts.

External consultants will never know the details of every business that engages their services. Their job is to handle the parts of the project within their range of expertise. This may include refining new evaluation methods, developing channels of communication or making sure the change project stays on track.

To do their job effectively, however, they cannot work in a vacuum. They need the help, knowledge and cooperation of internal 'subject matter experts'; people who are au fait with the detailed processes, heirarchies and operations of the business, often with a high level of technical expertise. An important part of the change consultant's role is to enable these internal experts to contribute to the project whenever this is required.

These internal subject matter experts are also crucial stakeholders in aany business change. Their technical ability and long-standing in the company often make them highly influential in their communities. External consultants need to keep them informed and manage their buy-in.

We believe that it's important to distinguish between external change management skills and internal subject matter expertise. Our external change consultants depend on internal people who have detailed knowledge of the business. These internal experts must never be excluded from the change process. External and internal resources need to work together, combining their different skills and knowledge to make change happen for the business.

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