Client Issue
One of the world’s leading pharmaceutical organizations was preparing to outsource its human resources function serving close to 40,000 employees. The HR organization, long known for providing premier, leading practice services, also had historically been decentralized and organized around operating divisions and countries. In addition, they had a shared service transaction processing group, a call center serving the U.S. and corporate subject matter experts in compensation, benefits, and organization development.
The outsourcing effort aimed to build transactional and call centers serving the U.S. and Europe as well as mange the administration of HRIS and other applications such as performance management and compensation and benefits administration. To achieve cost and service efficiencies, the effort would require the standardization of data, process and tools across divisions with long established, tailored solutions.
As a result, the company wanted help creating a change management plan based upon an understanding of the complexity of the stakeholder issues and integrated with the multi-work stream technical implementation. They needed a change management services provider who not only understood change, but who also understood outsourcing, technology, and human resources.
Solution
Erik and his team developed a comprehensive project plan that identified the strategy, managed all deliverables, captured all dependencies and linked change activities to the technical plans. In addition, when the client realized they did not have the resources and skill set to complete the implementation team, Erik provided project managers and staff resources , embedded with client team, to develop an oversee all communication, training, stakeholder management and role design activities.
In addition, Erik facilitated a series of workshops to engage stakeholders, discover root causes of project challenges and build the relationship between the client and the outsourcing vendor.
Results
The change management of this complex initiative was instrumental in easing the transition to the new HR solutions. Project deliverables were available on-time, easily accessible and relevant to individual business groups. The project sponsor stated, without Erik and his team “we would not have been prepared for project challenges. They helped us see around corners and anticipate point of resistance. They made us much more effective.”
In addition, a lead project manager for the outsourcing vendor stated, “I often struggle in my effort to include change management in my projects because change managers often focus too much on methodology. Erik gave us just what we needed. He understands how to make change understood and used in this type of environment.”
Erik Van Slyke 