Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 35 | Page 32

business ‘‘ TALKING //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// these individuals to become your champions of change. Invite these leaders or influencers to share what they believe are the company’s major challenges or weak points and ask them to be part of a core team that will facilitate and drive the integration process. These champions of change will become an integral part of the deployment team. Ideally, they will not only provide great insight into existing challenges but will also become crucial allies if they understand and support your integration vision. Trust the process For any integration to work, leaders have to let go of the way things once were. This is always a lot harder than it sounds. Yet new technology is often designed to automate many laborious and time-consuming processes, and in this way drive efficiencies and free up important human resources. There is often resistance to change (and to the introduction of unfamiliar systems and tools), but this resistance has to be 32 INTELLIGENTCIO overcome in order to realise the benefits of integration. So, if you are working with the right technology partner or consultant in a transparent and thoughtful way, your task is to trust the process and allow the transformation to take place. “ Every business is only as good as its people, which means that educating and empowering your employees during integration is a must. Often, this requires providing specialised training on the use of new apps, tools and platforms, as well as continuously garnering the feedback of employees during the rollout. If any staff issues or challenges are ignored or overlooked, it can severely hamper successful integration and nullify the benefits of the new technology and systems. EVERY BUSINESS IS ONLY AS GOOD AS ITS PEOPLE, WHICH MEANS THAT EDUCATING AND EMPOWERING YOUR EMPLOYEES DURING INTEGRATION IS A MUST. To come back full circle to our first point, this is where vision again becomes key – always communicate your vision to employees, and clearly demonstrate the value of integration and how it will enrich and enhance their work. n Empower your people www.intelligentcio.com