Scott Mallin and Simon Merchant, directors at Interdigitate, know that change management and transformation is personal, but what do they mean when they say this?
Simon explains “When your business isn’t where you know it needs to be, knowing where to start can be overwhelming. We help to structure those thoughts, creating a way forward that feels right for you and your team.”
“In our world of change management we know that most businesses don’t have the time or resources for huge project teams and fancy theory, but that they do have access to brilliant people with expertise that they just need to unlock – those people on the frontline, who talk to customers all day long or the problem solvers that have untapped ideas, rising stars, managers of the future and people who understand the intricacies of what works.”
“At Interdigitate, we liken this to a sense of environmental hopelessness. Many of us feel powerless when it comes to making a positive impact on the environment but imagine if everyone in the world stopped buying single use plastic bottles, everyone took the bus once a week and everyone ate less meat… then lots of small steps would combine, then change would happen! That’s transformation!”
Based in Cramlington, serving clients across the UK, Interdigitate are proud to have the NHS, manufacturers, charities and education providers amongst their customers.
“We love the variation of what we do” explains Scott “to be supporting a GP Practice one day – to know that you are making a patient’s experience just a little bit better – then improving the way a business manages their invoicing the next – taking away an employee’s pain-point… it’s very rewarding.”
Placing the customer at the heart of change is integral to their approach, giving transformation a purpose so that when Interdigitate engages a team, that team understands why questions are asked, see the logic, and the value.
Interdigitate aim to keep things simple – because transformation must stick and be sustained if an organisation is to evolve to a better place. “Nobody buys into complexity” continues Scott. “People need tangible steps that make life easier, more logical… they need a solid platform from which to launch the next phase of growth… they need a safe space to succeed in.”
It comes as no surprise then that Interdigitate see coaching as one of its biggest allies of implementation. “You can’t just plot it on a page and walk away” Simon adds “These things must live, and that means your people have to come with you on the journey – better still lead the journey and be motivated to make it happen. Is there a better way to listen and co-create than through a coaching conversation?”
Every project starts with a coffee and a chat, taking the time to talk about symptoms such as increasing customer complaints; low performance or sales; staff attrition or errors under pressure. It’s a conversation that leads to all sorts of support. A project can be as small as a training intervention or personality profiling, as big as an extended transformation programme or embedding cultural change – and everything in between.
Simon concludes “if you are worried that your business isn’t where it needs to be, I’d really encourage you to make the time to talk about it – taking that first step, can in itself be transformational.”