The pace of change in organizations

20 de September, 2018

In the business context and in the world in general, the expression “change” seems to be almost always associated with the technological context. In fact, the introduction of new technologies has set the pace in practically every aspect of our personal and professional daily lives. There is no denying the role that, for example, the Internet, social networks, smartphones and Big Data play in organizations today. There are even generations for whom these and other technologies have become native, since they are a constant presence in their lives and access to them has been democratized in the meantime.

Technology is, however, only one of the bars responsible for executing change in organizations. Like a musical composition, changes, particularly those related to the operational model of organizations, gain rhythm, pulse and tempo with other measures. One of these is precisely the generational and cultural differences between employees.

Collaboration between multigenerational and multicultural teams in the same organization is increasingly a reality as a result of factors such as globalization, the increase in the retirement age limit, the concentration of the population in coastal areas or digitalization.

The impact of change on organizations’ operating models

The idiosyncrasies of an organization’s human capital are therefore a challenge for Human Resources (HR) departments, since they impose changes in terms of inter- and intra-departmental/area relationships. At first glance, these changes don’t seem to have any impact on an organization’s operating model or its success, from the point of view of business indicators, since they are related to its internal environment.

However, just as in music, the rhythms of change in organizations can not only be countless, but also have varying degrees of simplicity or complexity, contributing to a greater or lesser capacity to generate value. Because of the impact it also has on their external environment, multiculturalism and the simultaneous existence of several generations in organizations must be understood as a complex compass in the context of changes to their operating model.

However, this complexity should not be interpreted negatively, especially by HR managers. When faced with multigenerational and multicultural teams, they should feel challenged to transform this initial complexity into a final simplicity, leading organizations to generate value for both their internal and external levels. How does this transformation take place?

The importance of internal communication in HR Policy

Working to complement the differences between employees from the inside out. One of the most important actions that HR managers and the management of an organization should take in this regard is internal communication. There are several people responsible at these two levels – Human Resources, Marketing and Management.

Although it may be innate in some cases, communicating well, assertively and engagingly is something that can be learned. Learning to communicate not only guarantees greater ease in interacting, but also a better ability to choose the channels through which to do so. As a partner of companies’ Human Resources professionals, Edenred seeks to foster its own internal communication, either through the natural predisposition of its professionals to do so, or by including communication training for those who have to ensure it, on a daily basis.

This commitment to better internal communication is, in Edenred’s case, a pressing need due to its multinational nature – the presence of professionals from different cultures and nationalities – and its young and dynamic spirit combined with its already solid market experience.

By working to ensure better, more assertive and engaging internal communication, Edenred not only seeks to achieve a greater capacity for understanding and working between its different people, but also to increase their motivation, retention and productivity, as well as the success of the projects, products and services that underpin its strategy and which, at the end of each year, confirm whether it has been possible to generate value for and with its business. Achieving these and other objectives through internal communication is complex. But not impossible.

The key to this challenge lies, as already mentioned, in finding simplicity. Internal communication initiatives such as: a) the “Talents Week“, for which 20 to 30 talents are selected and spend a week at its headquarter in Paris with the Group’s top management team; b) the Edenstep, a degree program(c) or the “Edenred World Tour”, aimed at young talents up to the age of 30 who visit the various Edenred offices around the world over the course of 24 months in order to gain a 360º view of our business Ideal Day, a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative through which employees from each of the Group’s business units jointly dedicate a day to supporting a social action with an impact on the local community; they help to ensure this simplicity.

These initiatives are an example of the fact that the ability to choose which channels to use for internal communication is fundamental. All of these initiatives, before, during and after their implementation, were communicated via e-mail, internal newsletter, Intranet and other channels to the different employees who are part of Edenred.

The frequency with which they were communicated, but above all the messages that were disseminated in the different channels chosen, promote the minimization of hierarchical barriers, differences between qualifications, ages, cultures, genders and lifestyles. At the same time, they promote alignment with the company’s values, beliefs, organizational culture and strategy, bringing to the forefront of each employee’s professional identity the fact that they are part of a common project.

When this alignment is achieved, the initial complexity is transformed into the sought-after simplicity. This alignment is, however, ephemeral, meaning that it can be achieved at one moment and still be unachieved at the next. Its transience means that we have to work every day to challenge not only the changes related to multigenerational and multicultural teams, but also all the changes that can have an impact on an organization’s operating model.

The more conscious this work is, the greater and richer the pace of organizations will be and, consequently, their ability to generate value.

Over the last year, Edenred has sought to make a difference and an impact in terms of internal communication, in order to transform its own employees into the best brand ambassadors, capable of transmitting this transformation to its customers, users and partners through the adoption, use and acceptance of its products and services.

If organizations communicate with one voice from the inside out, there will be no slowdown in their ability to adapt and make the most of changes with a positive impact on their operating model.