|
Creating
an entirely new department to make an organisation more effective
sounds like an interesting approach to streamlining an operation.
But that is just what Unipart International did – thanks to the
in-depth involvement of Atticus Ltd. Unipart International had
previously identified the need to plan its future business systems
requirements on a three- to five- year timescale. It called in
Atticus initially to help it understand and address the key
processes in its operation.
Chance
meetings are the beginning of many a relationship, and the business
environment is no exception. Early in 1996, Paul Thompson was given
the responsibility of assessing the business processes that Unipart
International would need to take the company into the new
millennium. Just two days later, he was fortuitously introduced to
Ross Harling of Atticus Ltd, who was already working with a sister
division at Unipart on a separate project.
Explains
Paul Thompson "Ross Harling introduced me to the concept of
Enterprise Mapping, and how Atticus had already used it to great
effect within the insurance environment. It struck me as a
remarkable coincidence that we should meet, because this kind of
process mapping was exactly the sort of insight I needed in order to
fulfil my assignment."
The
result of this timely meeting was a proposal from Atticus to conduct
an Enterprise-Mapping exercise. Unipart International responded very
positively, and over a six-week period a joint Atticus/Unipart team
compiled comprehensive data on how Unipart’s business worked.
"We learnt a huge amount in those few weeks," says Paul
Thompson. "We talked to people in every function, and collected
an awesome amount of information." He is convinced that the
Atticus approach of total involvement – working with the staff,
not separately at arm’s length – pays dividends in the short and
the long term.
To
ensure a broader base of awareness and understanding for such
important data, Atticus recommended that Unipart stage an exhibition
of the findings to give its staff a clear view of the breadth and
depth of the whole business. "It was meant to run for a
month," says Paul Thompson, "But after several months the
whole of Unipart’s senior management and many employees had seen
it. It was a comprehensive graphical representation of our entire
operation – its graphical nature suited many of our staff, a
significant number of whom are creative types."
He
continues: "Together we took the information gathered, and
identified around 150 issues that needed to be addressed. But,
crucially, Atticcus also made proposals as to what capabilities we
would need to develop if we were to facilitate and sustain the
changes we would need in the future. We discovered that it involved
a degree of change with which we were unfamiliar. They identified
whole rafts of management capability that were simply not in place
– Unipart hadn’t needed them before – but which would be
needed in order for us to reshape our strategy in a three- to five-
year timeframe."
As a
result, Atticus and Unipart decided to implement a comprehensive
change- management programme, including a two-day course designed to
introduce Unipart’s staff to the need for changes in order to get
their buy-in. "We had to help the culture here come to terms
with the need for change," says Paul
Change
management at Unipart
International
Thompson.
"Atticus facilitated this, and emphasised the need to balance
process with people and information. The act of getting the
organisation to buy into a future that wasn’t the past was always
going to be difficult," he adds. "We then took 250 people
through two-day workshops over a four or five months to help them
air their views - it was an exceptionally steep learning curve: more
like a rocket launch! Issues are rarely about process: they are
normally about how people feel. The skills of Atticus staff in
facilitating this process were invaluable; they brought a wealth of
experience to the table. This prepared the ground so that when the
real changes in Unipart International were tabled, all the doubts
and fears of employees had already been addressed. Without this,
deploying Unipart’s strategic plans would have been much more
difficult".
Another
thrust of the Atticus input at Unipart International was the
creation of a change management function. Building upon existing
initiatives within Unipart, this manifest as the Lean Process
Office. This was an entirely new department within the company,
which could perpetuate the skills that Atticus had transferred as a
result of their Enterpise-Mapping exercise, culture development,
strategic planning and programme management work.
Atticus
helped design the department, its role and metrics, and to determine
in which areas it would help the business. Given the extent of
Atticus’ strategic involvement at Unipart, how does Paul Thompson
view the overall experience? "Atticus gets into an organisation
to find out what makes things tick; it brought insights into the
business that I would not otherwise have had by a long chalk.
Atticus imparts knowledge – they’re an educative company, and
this is very powerful. They were successful with us because we were
able to learn about the underlying processes they undertake.
It’s
also important to us that Atticus pro-actively keeps in touch on an
ongoing basis; they want to share in how things are going, even
though their direct involvement in this phase was completed."
Paul Thompson firmly believes that Unipart has derived significant
benefits from the work that Atticus has conducted: "If Atticus
had not built the Lean Process Office with us, we would have been
well into seven-figure sums to pay for people who could deliver this
kind of capability. The benefits are definitely real, tangible and
exciting."
In the
final analysis, he has little doubt about the extensive capabilities
of the Atticus organisation: "Atticus has brought an insight
into things we wouldn’t naturally have, and back it up with the
competence to do something about it. They are the best people at
what they do that I have come across. The calibre of the people they
employ is extraordinary. Despite being individuals, they work as a
group, and there is also a tremendous amount of enthusiasm
there."
Atticus
Limited
Century House
74 Bounty Road
Basingstoke, Hants, RG21 3BZ
Telephone:
+44 (0) 1256 474074
Fax: +44 (0) 1256 471477
E-mail: atticus@atticus.net
|
