transform management consultancy
Tel: +44 (0)845 862 5247
Fax: +44 (0)870 051 2234
Brookside
Adforton
Leintwardine
Herefordshire
SY7 0NF
UK
Planning
Simply put, there are two types of planning: planning for the future business of the organisation and planning to develop the organisation’s capacity to deliver its business goals, i.e. culture change. We help support organisations do both. We also help organisations foster healthy partnerships with others.
1. Strategic & Business Planning
“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will do.”[1] Fine, but you might not end up somewhere you like! So, organisations plan. But planning is tough. People inside an organisation can sometimes find it hard to be dispassionate about the few big themes (strengths as well as challenges) that should form the basis of their future plans.
Clients approach us to:
- Review the planning system
- Facilitate key planning meetings
- Design a process to deliver a new strategy
- Review organisational values, vision & mission
- Develop senior managers’ planning skills
- Consider the options in relation to a major new opportunity
- Carry out major surveys of their members and other stakeholders
You said:
"We want to get better at planning ahead and making sure our plans are achievable"
In brief, we:
- Reviewed the existing planning architecture
- Worked closely with senior managers supporting them in an internal & external strategic review with
- Led a series of workshops with staff and the board, leading to agreement on key issues
- Performed the role of being an external challenge to the draft plans
- Facilitated a senior team workshop to draw out learning for next planning round
2. Culture Change
Senior staff can be so busy getting the business strategy right - and delivering it - they may fail to give sufficient emphasis to planning for the organisation's development. But you can't really manage culture; it manages us. However, you can influence its future development in an organisation through a combination of practical action and style change. By practical action, we mean such visible things as job roles, team and reporting structures, and strategic direction. By style, we mean less tangible things, like articulating a set of values and really using them, not least by senior staff acting as role models.
Clients approach us to:
- Review and change senior manager roles and structures
- Create a new vision for how the organisation should look and feel
- Change the way their organisation works to respond to the changing world and to become more efficient
- Modernise HR practices
- Review and reengineer internal systems and processes
You said:
"We think our management structure and operational processes need revision, but how do we work with staff on this to examine the problems and jointly develop solutions?"
In brief, we:
- Developed processes with managers and a cross-section of staff
- Carried out a survey of all staff
- Discussed results widely developing ideas for change
- Agreed a plan of action with CEO and board to radically change roles, cultures and working methods.
You said:
"We want to change the way our organisation works to respond to the changing world and to become more efficient"
In brief, we:
- A managers' conference
- 1:1 mentoring for senior staff
- Facilitating working groups to identify major change requirements
- Follow through with regional staff to ensure local implementation
3. Partnerships & Alliances
Partnerships or alliances between organisations are increasingly the norm. Organisations often get the contractual details right, but often don't spend enough planning time on the people side. And, when they don't do this the partnership can get stuck. We have a tried and tested method to help.
[1] Lewis CarollWhat Our Clients Say
"What transform brought to us was a sense of rigour alongside a relaxed approach. This enabled us to think creatively, feeling secure that with their help, we’d end up with a coherent, challenging yet realistic new strategic plan. And we’d enjoy ourselves on the way!
Gavin Cansfield, Director: Strategy and Improvement, Hanover