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Working in an organization implementing Benefits Realisation Management?

The most powerful and utilitarian aspect of Benefits Management is that it enables and brings them together in an integrated package; each element reinforcing the worth of the others. Each of the factors detailed below stand up in the in their own right as being advantageous to organisational change:

  • everybody has a sense of purpose
  • no one can ‘just’ make changes
  • people know who is responsible for what change related function
  • there is a common approach to the management of change
  • change only gets easier as lessons learned are captured and communicated across the organisation
  • opportunities that might otherwise be overlooked or perceived as adding little value can be explored and evaluated for their real worth to the organisation; these can and often do      come from within the workforce
  • changes where the evidence show little or no gain to the organisation can be stopped relieving the pressure on those personnel labouring on difficult or unpopular change projects
  • the confidence in the organisation to deliver beneficial change is high
  • issues and problems associated with change are ‘surfaced’ and dealt with swiftly
  • change is something that the organisation can embrace rather than be anxious about
  • individual and functional goals are easier to manage
  • people have a platform for  greater collaboration
  • the greater expectation placed on individuals supports the organisation’s leadership aspirations
  • a portfolio of change projects can be established where each is selected based upon its evidential contribution to the organisation’s goals 

There are further organisational gains that could be added as  direct result of using Benefits Management but they are more related to business performance rather than the experiences of individuals which is the focus of this post.

It must be stressed that Benefits Management enables and supports these desirable outcomes but in order to achieve them significant cultural change must be examined and made. The Benefits Management rigour does though enable the context and agenda for such change to be made.

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A focus on the people side of Benefits Realisation Management

The mainstream Benefits Management discipline goes some way to establishing the need for effective people engagement. Having said that, it is from a Change Management perspective that the full potential that positioning of people engagement within Benefits Management can be fully appreciated. It is only when this Change Management understanding is leveraged that its true worth can be realized. The key organizational Change Management enablers include:

  • the provision of pre-defined processes – overt knowledge of the process provides for a confident change arena
  • the fact that Change is now an organizational constant is much more palatable when relatable to a credible organizational change capability 
  • pre-defined Change Management related roles and responsibilities – this open culture enables frank and realistic communications
  • overt discussion around organizational strategy enable the disclosure of concerns that may otherwise not be sought but that could impact downstream change performance
  • benefits identification – the insight provided from the people that ‘really know’
  • benefits ownership – having agreed what benefits are to be achieved this key step enables the ongoing focus on benefits rather than change delivery
  • control of organizational change dynamic – effective decision making is enabled through the accessibility of accurate and validated change information. Both for the people making management decisions but those that are impacted by any subsequent changes.
  • enabling ability to ‘stop’ this change projects which are unable to evidence linkage to the organizations strategic objectives
  • participation of stakeholders within the change process – simply having a change process and understanding where the current changes are in that process helps build a trusting environment
  • implication of stakeholders in the definition, measurement and realization activities
  • although the need for effective communication is much vaunted it is often nebulous and weak on meaningful content. Benefits Management provides for accurate and timely information as all stages of the initiative including strategy, projects, programmes and overall portfolio performance
  • the fact that Benefits are generally realized at the back-end of change initiatives ensures that business performance is kept on the agenda.
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