Managing Change

Few management and leadership programmes include pragmatic material about how to handle, manage and develop people through change and cultural transformation. Go MAD Thinking understands the psychology of change and can unlock its secrets. Using our unique thinking system and tools we enable organisations to differentiate between external change and internal transition. You too can communicate and implement effective transition management and change programmes and engage employees to make a difference in line with your company’s future direction.

Alliance Boots is the world’s largest pharmacy-led health and beauty retailer. Boots' The Chemist UK retail business is the most trusted brand on the high street. It is undergoing major growth that will see 2,300 stores by the end of 2008. Central to the store’s success is Boots Supply Chain. It is responsible for managing the end-to-end flow of stock from suppliers to stores. With plans to restructure the entire Supply Chain, Matt Burton Supply Chain Learning & Development Manager of Boots appointed Go MAD Thinking to spearhead a three-year change management programme.

The Challenge

• Boots is totally restructuring its Supply Chain, building a fully automated state-of-the-art Central Distribution Centre in Nottingham, UK. This means closure of the 18 UK Regional Distribution Centres by September 2009 with 3,000 people affected. It is imperative to a company of Boots’s stature and reputation that high service levels are maintained and that a smooth transition to the new system is achieved.

• Key critical success factors, for delivery by 2009, include:

• Motivation and morale being maintained at each site through to closure
• Operational improvements implemented through to closure
• Maintain great service through to stores
• Retain supervisors as key resource.

The Solution

• A change management programme for 210 Distribution Centre Managers and Supervisors designed to deliver results in four areas:

1. Personal effectiveness – developing solution focused thinking to equip people for life outside Boots
2. Managing others – helping people through psychological transition issues
3. At a team level – creating a common language and toolkit for all to use
4. At an organisational level – keeping the business running smoothly.

• This was implemented as an intensive programme of workshops and review days for the period January – August 2007. Individual 90-day challenges were introduced. Change Champions were appointed to facilitate further reviews and 90-day challenges. Participants were encouraged to take BTEC Level 3 Qualifications linked to the business differences being made. Quarterly activities were planned thereafter, lasting until the second quarter of 2009.

• The initial programme objectives have been met. Also many operational improvements have been implemented and great results have been achieved in line with the following KPIs:

• Improved engagement scores at each site
• Improved service delivery through to stores
• Improved retention figures of supervisors as key resource.

To find out how Go MAD Thinking can help you to manage the dynamics of organisational change:

• Read How to Save Time and Money by Managing Organisational Change Effectively based on over 10 years' research and consultation with over 100 organisations, this booklet gives practical advice and clear explanations for managers to help themselves and others make a difference by effectively handling people's reaction to organisational change.
  
• Listen to our five-star rated podcasts for easy to implement Go MAD Thinking tools and techniques.
  
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