Background- the journey to date

1
Background- the journey to date

• Initiated by Jean Irvine as an ex-FT Client four
  years ago
• Set up to meet the need of experienced business
  leaders driving major IT-enabled change
  programmes
• Developed to members priorities, now migrating
  towards a Learning Network
• Good feedback on the 25 events held to date
• peer to peer shared experience/case studies most
  popular
• opportunity to discuss /networking
• Some key issues emerging strongly
• shared rather than solved...
• FT Change Leadership Framework very well received

2
Style

• Exploration and mutual learning
• Members as individuals not organisations- no
  substitutes
• Member-driven agenda
• Building mutual support
• Giving back bringing the best of experience and
  practice into the public domain
• Open, honest and confidential environment
• Capability to focus in small groups

3
Background (2)

• Bi-monthly/quarterly meetings
• 130 members registered
• 25 active (normal for Networks)
• Dominance of public sector/utilities
• Diverse roles
• MDs
• Finance Directors
• CIOs
• Programme Sponsors
• HR Directors
• Six monthly Board dining club Board Room
  Conversations Around Change

4
Sample Topics

• The role of the CEO and the Board in oversight of
  major change
• Managing transformational change in crisis
  situations
• Programme sponsorship roles and behaviour
• Delivery through outsourcing/partnerships
• Delivering change across organisations
• Managing IT infrastructure/the information asset
  base
• Creating a Vision and engaging the front-line

5
Avenues for Network development

• Moving from problem sharing to solution
  development
• Extending networking/information share
• Extending best practice development
• health checks/diagnostics
• commissioning research on critical areas
• case studies
• identifying successful responses and approaches
• Joint initiative with the Chartered Management
  Institute and the British Computer Society on
  change capability/skills development
• Engaging with the Research community

6
Engagement of a Business Network with Academic
Research- some observations

• Relevance/ time frames- advice now v. research
  results 12 months hence (or anticipated 12 months
  ago)
• Acceptable evidence base- research rigour v.
  decades of pragmatic experience
• World view/language differences
• Cultural differences action v. reflection
• Developing a mutual model between business and
  academic researchers
• Seeing organisational and personal change
  experience as a journey
• Businesses not just zoo animals but equal
  participants
• A potentially rich seam to mine but few well
  understood models?