In HR, the word ‘transformation’ gets thrown about here, there, and everywhere. But what does contemporary, innovative and genuine transformation look like?
Buzzwords don’t help anybody, but real, meaningful change can help businesses survive and thrive, in tough markets, and in a world that seems to be spinning faster by the day.
We’re LACE, and we’re experts in making a true difference to businesses, helping them boost motivation, performance, productivity, adoption, and more.
Our founders have been at the cutting edge of HR for over 25 years, and have worked with the biggest and the best, including BT, Coca-Cola, Shell, AXA, Standard Bank, Barclays, HSBC and UBS.
We put a call out to the LACE network and gathered the team’s thoughts on what form serious HR transformation should take.
Here are three beliefs we live and die by:
1. There’s no one-size-fits all
Every organisation is unique, and transformation looks, feels, sounds, (and tastes and smells!?) different for every single one.
That’s why we dig deep to understand what making a difference means to the business at hand. What are their goals? What do they need to keep pace with? What strengths can be strengthened? What ticking time bombs need to be defused?
We zoom in on everything from strategy and structure to capabilities and systems to devise a bespoke and extremely practical plan for change.
Then, we deliver carefully tailored solutions that are right for the business, whether that’s an entire programme or a handful of sales initiatives. Simply selling in for the sake of it kills trust – the lifeblood of great consultancy – and it doesn’t benefit anyone in the long run.
Working with your HR directors and teams, we find the ideal balance of hands-on help and top-level consultancy. After all, every business has a different makeup and workflow, and different needs.
Our own company structure has clout too. Our flexible, agile way of working helps us keep things bespoke. It means we can find the ultimate consultant or practitioner to solve a precise problem – your perfect match. And it allows us to pull in best-in-class partners and providers, when it counts.
2. Results need to be fast AND slow
Speed matters. Let’s face it, everyone’s under pressure to perform in their role, and prove they’re making an impact right now. We’re guessing just reading that sentence quickened your pulse a little. Is that your boss you can feel breathing down your neck?
We’re on side with everyone we work with, helping them get results, fast. We fuse deep and wide HR knowledge with leading, innovative tech to bring businesses solutions that kick in quickly, and really work.
But our approaches aren’t just nimble – they’re robust too. Our eyes are always keenly trained on tomorrow, and we make sure our clients’ organisations are primed for it, ahead of the competition.
3. True success is measurable
Meaningful measurement starts with understanding where you’re coming from – your baseline. That goes for the hard numbers, of course. But it also applies to perceptions and beliefs. Sometimes, businesses don’t want to hear what their people think. It can be scary stuff. To create real, sustainable change, though, you need to dig deep, be open, listen, empathise, and understand. We help our clients do exactly that.
Once this baseline is established, we carefully determine what your measures of future success are, against the bespoke plan for your business. These become our shared guide and measuring stick, as together we begin making changes to your organisation.
We live by the phrase ‘What is measured gets done’. But again, this is never solely about stats and metrics. The LACE-way of measuring change values and targets behavioural change just as highly, because the two go hand in hand.
So, there we have it. LACE-approved transformation is bespoke. It’s fast, and it’s futureproof. And it’s measurable too.
That may all sound pretty simple, but simplicity is notoriously hard to achieve. In HR, too many people hide behind impenetrable jargon and needlessly complex methodologies.
It’s time to do things differently. Fundamentally differently. The LACE-way.
If you like what you hear and are ready to unlock seriously exciting possibilities for your business, please do get in touch. We’d love to hear from you, and we’re always happy to share ideas and insights.
To say hello, email info@lacepartners.co.uk
