Case Studies
Case Study 2: Change Management on an International Scale
Herb was assuming the position of Executive Vice President for Information Systems and Technology at a large and well known financial institution. His predecessor was regarded as the grandfather of the IT systems, since he had been the EVP for over twenty years and was very highly respected. This gentleman had recently been retiring; but there had been a four month overlap between him and Herb, following the succession plan. Coming in, Herb faced some very large and critical challenges, and it was crucial that he and his team meet or exceed the related expectations within the allotted time.
The overarching challenge was to manage the installation of the next generation computer and M.I.S.. The company was operating globally and the present systems were only about seventy percent integrated. Some personnel had been working on very outmoded systems and equipment for a number of years. This new system would add numerous features and capabilities, and accordingly, all employees would have to be retrained. While the upgrade was essential, the scale was huge. Assisting Herb and his team was a group of installation consultants from the vendor. Managing them was a challenge as well.
Herb had requested that in addition, a select team of coaches join his group to assist his key team leaders manage this change-over effectively. Randy was assigned to work as a coach for Herb's key deputy, Marlene. Such a coaching project was considerably complex, since twelve coaches were involved over a span of six countries. A US and an international project leader were selected for the coaching oversight and coordination.
Randy and Marlene worked together in developing a coaching plan that would use Marlene’s areas of technical and management strength while also assisting her in avoiding the downsides of areas not well developed for this role. That job had numerous elements, but focused primarily on managing the daily progress of the conversion and keeping Herb informed.
The coaching plan included many actions and activities that would help Marlene accelerate her learning curves and build solid relationships with in-company partners outside of the US. She also had to learn much more about cross cultural management in the countries where the company was operating. Additionally, a travel plan became an essential element of the coaching, along with increased levels of delegation, and strengthening problem solving skills, cross culturally.
Marlene and Randy worked together for a eighteen months, including the travel. Then followed a check-in procedure for six additional months, concluding with a half-day debrief that included Herb. This final meeting covered the key successes of the coaching, identification of the most important learnings, what might have been done differently with the benefit of hindsight, and how the entire experience strengthened Marlene. She had become more effective in her current role and better prepared for future responsibilities, primarily because of cross cultural learning and global perspectives.
