Culture shift underpins IT payback
“Our competitive advantage centres on the unique technology we have developed - it sets us totally apart. But to profit as much as we can from that advantage, we have to make sure our people adapt to the technology, and take on board the changes. This is the firm’s future.”
Information Systems & Technology Director, Mourant
The business challenge
Bold moves
When the new IST Director joined Jersey-based Mourant in 2003, he found a highly successful, entrepreneurial business. The firm had created a unique position by offering both legal and financial services, on and off-shore. Clients already included three quarters of the FTSE 100 and a quarter of the Fortune 100. Kate Kirk, Internal Communications Manager, picks up the story.
“The IST Director knew that Mourant had always looked to do things differently,” she explains. “But he had noticed that across the legal industry in particular, no one was doing much with technology, including Mourant. He thought there was a huge opportunity staring us in the face - if we could move technology out of the backroom and integrate it into the business, we could completely transform our service offerings.”
The aim was to develop a suite of systems which could be presented to clients as an integrated administrative solution. This highly advanced software, combined with the high level of legal and financial skill and knowledge in the business, would create a niche positioning to set Mourant apart. The Mourant Board decided to invest in a highly ambitious software development programme, with what Kate refers to as “ridiculously short time-frames for delivery”.
Attiva’s brief
Fast, far-reaching change
But Mourant quickly recognised that this was about more than delivering software on time. Delivering the benefits to clients would depend on their employees.
If people struggled to make the changes to their roles that a technology-led service now required, the investment would take far longer to be realised. The firm could not afford half-hearted results.
“Mourant had always moved fast,” explains Kate. “But this scale of culture change was something else. We were moving to highly complex legal and financial service systems - that meant moving people from one mindset to another very, very rapidly. The change was going to be very big - and we knew we needed help.”
Neither IT training alone, nor a ‘one size fits all’ approach were going to cut it. The business was complex with difference client service lines operating in niche markets. “We needed people to identify their own contribution to the business, what this meant for them, how they could make a difference with their own clients, in their own markets - and to put it into action. To make this work, we were going to have to push very hard and very quickly in all sorts of painful places. We liked Attiva’s style immediately - and they understood exactly the problem we were dealing with”.
The solution
High-impact programme, rapidly delivered
“Given the scale of the change, we were all on a steep learning curve and realised we needed help. Attiva took on the role of both mentors and hands-on doers, steering us through, anticipating, recommending and guiding.”
Mourant set up the Jewel Communications Board, represented by decision-makers from each area of the business, to help manage the cultural shift. Mourant & Attiva created a concentrated, high-impact programme, based on the principles of Directed Energy®.
“Attiva were brought in to help people get clear and focused,” explains Kate. “Together we created a powerful communications programme which explains the context for the changes we need to make in our business approach, and gives people the opportunity to make sense of that in relation to their customers, their role and their teams.”
An in-house team rolled-out the programme to all 730 employees over six months.
Impact so far
Cultural edge + Technology edge = Competitive edge
“Our competitive advantage centres on the unique technology we have developed - it sets us totally apart. But to profit as much as we can from that advantage, we had to make sure our people adapt to the technology, and take on board the changes. The good news is, it is starting to pay off,” explains the IST Director.
“Our biggest new client win is as a direct result of the people, service & technology combination,” he concludes. “We were pitched against all our major competitors - and won because our systems gave us significant competitive advantage. This was a critical win for us and clear evidence that our attempts to drive through a whole new way of working is succeeding.”