I sent this letter to our staff this week. It introduces a couple of consultants we’ve hired to drive change at Quartet.
All organizations struggle with change and consultants can be invaluable. They are objective, experienced and knowledgeable, but it’s their role as change catalysts that’s unique. They can drive change by being just slightly removed from the action and coaching the main participants. Quartet’s role with you is somewhat similar. We build and manage your IT infrastructure, but our role integrating IT capabilities is what drives value. We implement small organizational changes that are enabled by technology, build confidence and then do it again. The process is called “digital transformation” and it is the main role of our Integration Services group. Truly effective change comes from within and our role is to release this potential in your company.
“Folks,
Lots going on this year at Quartet – moving into new offices, a new logo, beefing up our Integration Services capabilities, adopting Agile methodologies in operations, refining our product/service suite, etc. All very exciting and maybe a little intimidating.
We’ve hired two firms to help with these transitions.
The first company is an MSP out of Atlanta (Liberty Technologies) that uses agile methodology for support. We are going to learn about and adopt many of their operations practices. Our management team has had a couple webinars with them and read a book. It is all pretty impressive so far. The next step is in a few weeks and most of you are going to be involved. Stay tuned.
The second company is Richard’s firm, Focus Management. True to their name, Focus helps companies focus on what is important and get it done. I’ve met them a couple times, some of my acquaintances have used them and we like their approach. Richard is going to speak with each of you, digest what he hears and then come back to us with a refined work plan.
Both organizations use a similar approach. They stay involved with us for about 10 months, helping us learn, select and implement the most important changes. We will use what we learn from these companies for our own development and for change initiatives with our clients.
The reference checks for both companies were excellent and the advice on how to get the most from them was similar – success is more dependent on our efforts than on theirs. These guys are here to guide, teach, tease, whip and cheer us on, but the work still must be done by us.
Have some fun with Richard. Ask lots of questions.
Regards,
Rob”
Digital transformation is a modern imperative. Manage the soft sides of change to ensure success. People, culture and communication are key.
Regards,
Robert Bracey