Fit for Growth

16The Human ElementGetting People Ready, Willing, and Able to Change

A Fit for Growth transformation asks a lot from all the employees in the company—from the CEO down to the most junior front-line employee. Once it's all said and done, many employees will have learned new processes and IT systems, and will be working with a new set of colleagues. Some will have stepped into altogether new roles, while others may have relocated to new offices. For almost all, there will be new expectations for performance, new measures, and new ways of working in a more cost-conscious organization.

But all the elegant plans to transform the organization will come to naught if the employees do not get on board with the transformation. Its ultimate success will hinge on how successfully employees adapt new ways of working. For that to happen, employees need to understand why such a big change is necessary in the first place, agree that this change is best for the company and for them personally, and be inspired by what the future promises.

“Change management” is an all too familiar concept for executives and managers. Indeed, large-scale initiatives such as Fit for Growth transformations do require thoughtful change management to help bring the employees along the transformation journey—to educate them on the what and the why of the change, train them on new processes and systems, and motivate them to sign up for the future. The basic change-management building blocks include leadership alignment, ...