Driving Better Adoption and Usage

DSV Global Transport and Logistics offers transport services worldwide. The company employs around 76,000 employees in more than 80 countries. One DSV division with 10,000 employees around the world established a Business Change Management (BCM) unit. The vision of this unit was to ensure increasing competitive advantage for the entire division by continuously offering a centralized and strategic approach to project implementation and processes focusing on cost reduction and profit optimization.

The BCM unit spent three years without seeing much adoption and usage of solutions. The team actively chased KPIs, optimized business processes, traveled back and forth to the same locations, and initiated solutions without listening to business needs. BCM leaders recognized the need for structure, one common language, aligned business partnering procedures, and more importantly, one common ground.

They initiated a survey, which they sent to the entire DSV division, asking participants to provide feedback on the BCM deliverables and approach to change management. The results convinced them to find a methodology for driving change projects and for aligning their ways of working and their approach with the business needs of the rest of the division. Working with a Prosci partner, DSV invested in the Prosci Change Management Practitioner Program and integrated it with DSV’s unique culture.

Assessing change management maturity

After deciding on the Prosci Methodology, the BCM team completed their first Prosci Change Management Maturity Model Audit with a score of 2.4 of out 5.0. This assessment provided insights into where the team needed to improve in order to increase their maturity level in five key capability areas: leadership, application, competencies, standardization, and socialization. This baseline assessment helped DSV prioritize their initial efforts.

Applying change management on two pilot projects

The first priority for increasing maturity was to create visible wins. Therefore, the change team began their efforts by applying the Prosci Methodology to two pilot projects. The preparation and reinforcement of change management provided on these projects resulted in a positive return on investment, both in terms of project success and structuring change management work.

These projects were the first time the BCM team introduced the Prosci ADKAR^® Model to a project team. The ADKAR Model proved to be a simple and pragmatic approach for leading their employees safely through times of change. The BCM team received positive feedback from involved managers, directors and executives who have applied the model.

Integrating change management and project management

After the initial successes of change management on these pilot programs, the BCM team began the work of merging the division’s project management methodology with the Prosci change management methodology. A year later, a standard emerged: apply change management on all projects that required more than 20 person-days. This means that projects must have a project manager working closely with a change manager, ensuring that both the technical side and the people side of change are sufficiently addressed.

Merging these two methodologies gave change management a completely new position in the company, providing even more focus on front-line employees, as they are very often the people most impacted by the change.

Growing the BCM team

By providing internal change management practitioner courses, the BCM team enabled close to 50 change practitioners across the business. The BCM team also invited other DSV divisions to participate in the certification programs, bringing greater awareness and increasing change management competencies across the company.

Results

Increasing change management maturity score

Using the Prosci Methodology as a framework and the Prosci Change Management Maturity Model as a guide, the BCM team was able to create repeatable change management practices aligned with business needs. Over two years, the BCM team’s change management maturity level increased from 2.4 to 4.2 (the highest possible score is 5.0).

Bringing change management to the rest of the organization

The BCM team integrated change management with project management. They established local BCM teams in 22 countries within their division and introduced the ADKAR Model to more than 350 managers. They also trained 26 change practitioners who will offer change management services throughout their and other DSV divisions, bringing change management to more parts of the organization.

In addition, the BCM team added Prosci and the ADKAR Model as an optional part of the DSV Global leadership program. The Prosci Methodology is now recognized as a valid tool and appointed as the DSV corporate methodology for applying change management. All in all, the DSV BCM team has reached new heights in their change capability and is experiencing better results on their important change initiatives.