Business Finance Homework Help

Purpose Statement

The implementation phase of the consulting engagement is arguably the most challenging. All of the planning and buy-in comes down to this one phase. As part of the process, a consultant leads a team of stakeholders through a series of actions that leads to sustained change. In order for this to happen, the need to recognize a consulting project as a change event is critical to successfully implementing the proposed changes. The purpose of this assignment is to take a scenario, apply the methods reviewed in this module and describe how you would strategically deal with a change event.

Instructions

The objective of the assignment is to read the Mini Case Study: Shell and describe how you would ensure that the proposed change would sustain itself over the long term.

Mini Case Study: Shell

In 2004 Shell was facing an oil reserves crisis that hammered its share price. The situation was compounded by the abrupt departure of the oil group’s chairman, Sir Philip Watts. The new group chairman, Jeroen van der Veer, believed that in order to survive, the corporation had to transform its structure and processes.

A series of global, standardized processes were identified. These, if introduced, would impact more than 80 Shell operating units. While the changes were vital to survival, they proved unpopular in the short term as some countries stood to lose market share.

The message was a tough one, and many operating units balked.

However, for a change program of this scale to be successful, everyone had to adhere to the new systems and processes. The leadership of Shell Downstream-One, as the transformation was known, needed unflinching determination and to focus on gaining adoption from everyone involved.

Those leading the change had to ensure that the major players in all their markets knew what was required and why. They needed to be aligned with the change requirement. From the start, it was recognized that mandating the changes was the only way for them to drive the transformational growth they aimed for. This wasn’t an opt-in situation.

You’ve been asked to lead a team to ensure that the proposed mandatory changes we’re not only adhered to but become part of the company’s daily operations. 

Using your textbook and Module 5 Resource Book to support your responses, how would you:

1. Increase the engagement of employees in the new changes and how would you ensure that the employee engagement was going to happen over the long term?
2. Determine whether your strategies were a success?