The new current reality is that ALL organizations are actively experiencing change, whether it is on a large scale organizational basis or on a project by project basis.
- Organizations need to be proactive in their change initiatives or risk the consequences
- Success in change initiatives is crucial
- Failed change initiatives are costly and sometimes lethal to organizations
PGR Management Consulting Group can help in the areas of Change Management, Organizational Development, Performance measurement, Governance and Strategic Planning just to mention a few areas in which our expertise lies.
How we work:
We utilize our proprietary 3 Stage Principle based Catalytic Framework for Continuous Improvement across all of our engagements to insure full client satisfaction. Our focus, which underpins all our engagements, is on knowledge transfer which is a vital component to ensuring sustainability.
Catalytic Framework for Continuous Improvement©:
Insight: In this first stage the focus is on gaining as much needed information as possible, working closely with the client partner collecting data and conducting research to formulate thoughts and gain a better understanding of the task at hand. Some of the tools that may be used throughout this stage of the process include, but may not be limited to researching organizational data, one-on-one interviews, focus groups, surveys, and questionnaires, facilitated workshops and past Performance data. Only once insight is achieved may we move to the next stage of the process.
Action: At this stage, the action plan is developed and implemented with all of its constituent components. This includes confirming stakeholders’ ongoing commitment and participation in the development of the plan moving forward and ensuring no vital success factors are overlooked. This is also the time when performance measures are developed and implemented. These will not only verify that the project is achieving its intended purpose but also act as a critical component in ongoing continuous improvement efforts.
Performance: At this point, the project has been implemented and results are being monitored. This is the stage when other methods are employed to assure ongoing sustainability and high-performance standards continue on an ongoing basis. Some of the tools we use at this stage include but are not limited to project post-mortems (debriefs, either individual or group) where participants have the opportunity to share valuable thoughts about any aspect of the work completed. This can add valuable Insight and bolster future efforts by identifying challenge areas and opportunities for future improvement.
Change Management:
As a change management expert we can bring experience, proven methodologies and appropriate tools and techniques to ensure your change initiative stays on track and on budget.
We do this by assessing change management needs and working collaboratively with organizational partners to implement an appropriate framework to ensure successful, and more importantly sustainable, implementation of the desired change to attain your desired results. We do this by collaboratively establishing at the outset what results will be expected and how they will be measured.
High-level methodology overview:
- Change preparation ( Insight) – Assessment phase involving stakeholders and key participants to assess or confirm an actual need for change and the culture and environment in which this will happen.
- Change Management (Action) – The Next phase is the implementation stage in which the most appropriate model and related tools apply with the respect the specific organizational culture /climate.
- Change Reinforcement Stage (Performance) – This last Phase involves the change measurements, corrective action plans if needed and recognition procedures
Key success factors which are always kept at top of mind and an integral part of any change strategy regardless of the methodology used. (See Recipe for Success article)
- Executive Support
- Clear Vision
- Planning
- Change Management Leadership
- Communication
- Employee Engagement and Participation
- Accountability
We draw on numerous Tools and Methodologies to create the best fit solution for our clients need.
By investing in an experienced Change Management resource you can save Time and Money by ensuring success in your change initiative.
Organizational Development:
PGR will work with the senior executive team to improve the organization’s ability to effectively respond to changes in its external environment as well as its internal systems. OD intervention is about increasing internal capabilities by ensuring the organizational structures, human resources systems, job designs, communication systems, and leadership/managerial processes fully harness human motivation and help people function to their full potential. There is a distinct commonality between Change management and Organizational Development. The best way to think about it is to consider Change management as a more operational level and OD at the highest level of organizational restructuring.
OD is the practice of planned, systemic change in the beliefs, attitudes, and values of employees for individual and company growth. The benefits of an OD intervention include a Continuous Improvement culture with increased communication and a greater focus on employee development along with enhanced product and service enhancements all leading to greater efficiencies and increased productivity.
Performance Measurement:
It has often been said that you cannot manage what you cannot measure. At PGR Consulting we believe this to be true. Performance measurement is the cornerstones of organizational effectiveness.
Unfortunately, Performance measurement is one of the most misunderstood and threatening functions for most managers and employees. It gets confused with performance appraisal and many other concepts such as program evaluation which it is definitely not. In the cycle of continuous improvement, measurement plays an important role in identifying opportunities for improvement as well as comparing performance against internal as well as external standards. Traditionally, performance measures and indicators have been derived from cost-accounting information. These, unfortunately, provide little motivation for continuous improvement efforts and in some cases may actually inhibit them.
Various problems inherent in many Performance Measurement systems:
- Produce irrelevant or misleading information.
- Track performance in single isolated dimensions.
- Generate financial measures too late, e.g. quarterly, for mid-course corrections or remedial action.
- Do not take into account the client perspective, both internal and external.
- Distort management’s understanding of how effective the organization has been in implementing its strategy.
- Provide behaviour that undermines the achievement of the strategic objectives.
Alternatively, a well thought-out and implemented performance measurement system can:
- Provide managers with multidimensional sources of information to make decisions on improving, modifying or continuing programs, products or services;
- Facilitate the proactive identification of issues that need to be considered in order to provide effective service to clients;
- Provide information for future program, product and service enhancements arising from changing client, employee or technological needs;
- Facilitate the development of business cases that support the creation, continued existence or enhancement of specific programs, products or services;
- Enable improved communication and collaboration between the client and the organization by addressing issues related to client satisfaction and changing technological innovations, etc.
- Recognize the problems of employees in the performance of their daily functions, such as lack of knowledge, motivation, training or environmental concerns, and then enable their rectification;
- Afford the means of translating the mission and vision of the organization into concrete strategies and plans that can be monitored and adjusted continually in response to ongoing changes to client, employee, technology, and fiscal requirements and constraints
- Provide a frame of reference in which management and staff can work together, using a common language, to adjust their operations (through ongoing and balanced feedback) to sustain and enhance excellence in program, product and/or service delivery to the client.
PGR works closely with other Leaders in the area of Performance Measurement to be able to provide a full Performance Measurement diagnostic and implementation system (developed by BPC Consulting) that includes a full suite of customizable diagnostic tools to suit virtually any environment to effectively obtain feedback from staff, clients, and managers alike. All the proprietary assessment tools are regularly supplemented with targeted interviews and focus group sessions ensuring that all of the information gathered is complete, accurate and impartial.
The diagnostic tools help provide a complete view of performance measurement and associated aspects of organizational functioning. They can also be targeted for a particular aspect, e.g., Performance Measurement Strategy.
The use of these tools and the resulting analysis is relatively inexpensive and efficient, especially when automation is employed.
If you are dissatisfied with:
- The way decisions are made and/or implemented,
- The manner in which your organization reacts to decisions,
- The manner and results of the planning process,
- The degree of confidence with performance measurement, and
- How governance issues are addressed.
Please contact us in confidence so we may answer any questions and discuss your possible next steps.
Strategic Planning:
Envisioning a desired future and translating that vision into broadly defined goals or objectives and a sequence of steps to achieve them is what Strategic Planning as all about. This is not to be confused with long-term planning which begins with the current status and lays down a path to meet estimated future needs. On the contrary, strategic planning begins with the desired-end and works backward to the current status.
Think of it this way; At every stage of long-range planning the planner asks, “What must be done here to reach the next (higher) stage?” Whilst at every stage of strategic-planning the planner asks, “What must be done at the previous (lower) stage to reach here?”
Also, in contrast to tactical planning (which focuses on achieving narrowly defined interim objectives with predetermined means), strategic planning looks at the wider picture and is flexible in choice of its means.
Envision the future you want and build a strategic plan to achieve it!
At PGR Consulting we work collaboratively with you either to update current strategic plans or develop new ones, while strengthening the culture of strategic thinking in your organization. We will help you align your management team behind a single vision and allocate the resources you need to achieve your measurable goals. We will also ensure that you have the knowledge, which we are committed to transferring, to sustain momentum and keep your plans aligned in order to achieve your vision.
How we utilize our Catlytic Framework for Continuous Improvement to strengthen your Strategic plan.
INSIGHT
At this stage, we will meet with you to understand your organization and objectives. We also discuss your expectations and agree on a project timeline and confirm your management team’s commitment. To gain Insight we will utilize a variety of tools and methodologies including individual management interviews, surveys and/or focus groups as needed. We will then share this feedback and present an assessment of your current state to you and your team including any misalignment issues identified.
ACTION
We will develop a custom-tailored one-day strategic planning workshop with your team during which we work together to define your company’s future state including your vision, mission, and values, and to develop a 12-month action plan, including performance measures, to make the changes happen and stick. This added performance measurement session will fine tune the plan to ensure that appropriate performance measures are incorporated into the plan to keep you on track, focused and accountable.
At the completion of this phase, we provide you with a final report that summarizes your current state, desired future state, and includes a detailed action plan of the strategies to achieve it.
PERFORMANCE
At this stage, the progress is monitored to ensure that the strategic plan is on track and the measurement system is working as designed. This not only allows for timely feedback but also as valuable information for future insight, should additional aligned initiatives be added.
We will also follow up with you to see how your plan is progressing and to offer advice.
Governance:
Governance happens whenever people work together to achieve an organizational outcome whether it be in the public/private sector, in a not-for-profit, corporate organization, or in a project environment. Essentially, governance is about decision making – who participates, how decisions are made, whether the decisions are effective and how they are communicated and acted upon. For organizational governance to be effective there must be a structure in place that allows maximum participation while ensuring sound decision-making practices.
Many Organizations have challenges in the areas of effective and timely decision making, strategic planning, performance measurement, employee engagement, lack of transparency, duplication of effort and a whole host of other underlying issues. These can all lead to a number of consequences not limited to poor financial management, lower productivity, substandard service offerings, and unsatisfied stakeholders. With knowledge and effort, these issues can all be eliminated.
At PGR Consulting we use tried and tested proprietary diagnostic tools and methodologies to assist clients with their organizational improvement and decision making efforts. These tools first help provide a complete view of governance and associated aspects of organizational functioning or can be targeted for a particular aspect, e.g., evaluation criteria as per client needs. With the information in hand, plans can be created and implemented to re-align and improve Governance performance.
Contact us so that we can more fully discuss how we can assist you in your efforts. We look forward to speaking with you.