There's no need to describe the deluge of emotions that go along with job change, job loss, and outsourcing. For this Fortune 200 entertainment company, Jennifer led the change management program for a global finance restructuring that centralized and outsourced corporate accounting services in more than 14 international territories.
The work included preparing customized territory change management plans and identifying activities to help leaders and employees through the change--taking into consideration those who would be leaving and those who would be staying ("survivor syndrome" as it's called). To help leaders, we prepared disposition scripts and coached them for delivering the difficult news. To help employees better deal with the situation, we designed workshops that gave them the opportunity to acknowledge their emotions and understand how it was part of a normal process, and then help them move forward giving them guidance for building resiliency to launch a new phase in life.
At the same time, we facilitated a workshop series for the leaders of the new enterprise financial services organization. We worked through activities that built their relationships as a new team, helped them align on the strategic direction for their new organization, and defined the skills and behaviors employees would need for success in the new working model.
After that, we expanded it to the workforce by holding departmental workshops. The leaders shared the new approach and helped their employees identify and internalize what they needed to do differently to contribute to the new strategy. Employees identified ways they could take a more customer-service approach for their internal clients, proactively develop process improvements, challenge outdated standards, and ensure effective communications with their outsourcing counterparts. These efforts helped establish the central group and prepared them for more growth and responsibility to come.
FIVE YEARS LATER, THEY ARE ABLE TO FOCUS ON THE STRATEGIC ASPECTS OF FINANCE WHILE ABSORBING MORE SCOPE AND OUTSOURCING MORE TACTICAL WORK.