Outsourcing Leadership - Article - How to Communicate Change in the Sourcing Environment

Unbiased leadership on outsourcing, benchmarking and shared services.

Knowledgebase : Articles | White Papers | eSeminars

Articles

How to Communicate Change in the Sourcing Environment
By Elizabeth Gordon-Pugh, Senior Manager, Alsbridge Plc

Q: Why communicate?

EGP:Communication is a vital component of any business change. Knowing how to communicate change effectively during a sourcing initiative can mean the difference between on the one hand a successful transition accompanied by positive internal and external perceptions of the organization, and on the other a raft of challenges including:

Retention and motivation issues
Sub-optimal knowledge transfer
Bad press
Damaged labor and community relations
Long term reputational harm to the organization and the key players involved.

The cost of recovery from these problems is measured in management time, work that has to be redone, difficult public relations and concessions to aggrieved stakeholders, including potential constraints on future strategic options.

Q: OK, so where do we start?

EGP: The first step is to identify all the stakeholders, who include all the individuals and groups who are impacted in some way by the proposed change. Examples are staff whose jobs will change or disappear, staff who work alongside those directly affected, business users of the services to be sourced, customers, regulators, the general public (potential customers and recruits), and shareholders. And one mustn't overlook the oft-forgotten group of stakeholders in the receiving location to include existing staff, new hires and the wider community.

1 2 3 4

Top

OL Association
Sign In
Subscribe
Contact OL
Privacy Policy
About Us
Why Hire a Sourcing Advisor