P2P

86 P E E R T O P E E R : I L T A ' S Q U A R T E R L Y M A G A Z I N E | S P R I N G 2 0 2 0 and some people are more able to recognize the logic of the changes being implemented and adapt enough to lead them. These are your champions, and the goal is to have them take ownership of the project and socialize the practical aspects of the changes to the larger group. To illustrate this matrix of ownership and functionality, what excites a practice leader about the implementation of an enterprise search-enabled Firm Intranet - the ability to track and manage the business and personnel of the practice - may not be the same things that excite a firm administrator – business and financial trend analysis and forecasting - or even more starkly different, a mid-level associate for whom the intranet is conceived and constructed as an efficiency tool - low click search and retrieval of specific legal research and the ability to find precedent easily. It is crucial to the success of the program that the levels and types of owners be identified, involved and nurtured. Communicate the Message All too often, enthralled by the significant positive outcomes envisaged and sure to ensue upon implementation, leaders assume that others understand the issues as well as they do, recognize the need to change, and can see the new direction as clearly as they do. Reality is a bit different. Core messages should first be identified and formalized through team engagement and then reinforced by regular, periodic, inspirational and informative sessions with the project team. This communication should be terse, targeted and timely. All of the stakeholders should be getting the same message that will then be reinforced by the champions and core project team. Incentivize and reward These should be the easiest and most intuitive actions taken by leadership to tangibly incentivize, recognize and reward positive engagement by the team. Incentives can range from specific performance benchmarks and evaluatory measures, to increased leadership roles in the process. Rewards can include bonuses and time incentives, and greater recognition through celebratory lunches and feature stories in internal publications. Incentives and rewards are particularly important given the role of champions to ensure the success of the project. Continuing Education Often, when a training program for a new process and technolo implementation is conceived, the nuances of effective educating are generally overlooked in the race to implement. The unique needs of different practices and the limited scope some users will have should be considered, as should the generational ranges of the trainees and their individual learning styles. There are a variety of approaches to developing training schema. The most effective programs will incorporate these elements effectively within the constraints (budget, timeline, available resources) of the implementation. Ideally, given the time pressure on professional services practitioners, training should be as easy to access as possible, with periodic, contextual and enduring reinforcement, ongoing access to support, and individualized user guides for reference. Having this matrix of ongoing education has added benefits: it creates a platform for ongoing improvements and enhancements that invariably occur as the business landscape evolves; and it ensures a degree of intuitive engagement by the practitioners. Like the maligned (and out- of-season) Rudolph, Change Management tools are often overlooked or overshadowed by the flashier, more obvious manifestations of IG implementations – the bells and whistles of a new system! However, when the opportunity knocks to ensure that all of the kids get their toys in time, Change Management will answer that call and light the way to success. ILTA "Incentives and rewards are particularly important given the role of champions to ensure the success of the project." N E X T W A V E O F I N F O R M A T I O N G O V E R N A N C E

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