3 Critical Steps for Driving a Smooth Transition of Company Roadmap
Company Roadmap – A crisis of the scale and magnitude of COVID-19 will inevitably take its toll on businesses in a way that we have never seen before. The way we work, the way we manage our people, the way we deliver our services – every facet of business has undergone significant change and will continue to do so to meet evolving challenges quickly and efficiently.
From this, leaders have learned a great deal. By measuring the right metrics and drawing insights from actionable data, there is an opportunity to come out of the crisis stronger than before. It is time to combat the change, disruption and uncertainty with a redefined vision for the future, starting with an updated roadmap to steer everyone in the same direction together.
In our ongoing series Leading through a crisis for a healthier future, we dive into the various aspects of the crisis management framework that we have built from years of working with senior executives. In this blog, we examine the steps leaders need to take to pivot their business; from developing a roadmap to getting the workforce on board.
Throughout this journey, it is essential that the human element remains a focal point. Especially with the upcoming return to the office and the inevitable complexities as employees transition out of working remotely. Leaders will need to communicate clearly and effectively about the new company roadmap, maintain high levels of employee engagement and reduce the stress of the coming changes.
Here are three critical steps for driving a smooth transition of company roadmap into the new world.
1) Define the roadmap, the goals and the timeline for getting there
A concise outline of the journey ahead is essential to effectively rally the organisation around the scale of transformation needed for the new normal. This includes defining the overall vision, the map to those goals and the road markers to hit on the way there, as well as how this trickles down into departmental and even individual journeys.
Leaders should involve their teams in mapping out this roadmap and drive the conversation with a common language that provides a balanced view of performance in quality, compliance, engagement, customer experience and productivity. This will allow strategic decisions to be defined by a single source of truth, while allowing employees to feel invested in the process.
2) Give people supported ownership over their contribution
While it’s important to engage people in the journey, it’s equally critical to avoid throwing them in the deep end without support. Especially considering the complex transition for the workforce ahead as we navigate the new normal across the business landscape.
Leaders must coach their people through implementing transformation as you find a balance between productivity and performance, while understanding how to tackle workloads in this new environment. However, this guidance does not mean checking up on employees. Rather, it’s about checking in with them and focusing on the outcomes to understand the work being completed.
3) Provide tools and training to enable the hybrid workforce
Based on the insights we’re seeing, the future workforce will be a hybrid model. Forward-thinking leaders are investing in the perfectly blended team, with a portion of employees working remotely, at least on a regular basis.
This requires investment from leaders into the right tools to support the hybrid workforce and training for people to embrace them. For example, a performance management tool focused on employee engagement can dramatically improve results given the right sponsorship.
It allows leaders to celebrate high performance, identify gaps for training and redeploy capacity effectively, ensuring a healthy and consistent operating rhythm.
A strong company roadmap is the starting point of successful business transformation and is significant in ensuring your organisation is ready to transition into working with a hybrid workforce.
By defining the journey, working to keep employees engaged and giving them the right support and tools to embrace the changes, leaders will come out of this crisis stronger than before. The way forward is clear. It’s time to step into the future of work or risk being left behind.
Explore how Enlighten’s performance management program can offer you a single source of truth on outcome-based deliverables. For a free consultation and virtual coffee catch up, contact Helen Mackay, Head of Sales and Marketing, at helen.mackay@enlighten-opex.com to get started.
