Manage change before consolidating

Organisational change is never popular. It leads to uncertainty, water cooler gossip, rumours. It sparks character assassination, internal sabotage, and it can cost people their jobs.

So, if wanting to drive any kind of change in a company, it is best to embark on a prior programme of change management.

Printer consolidation represents the kind of change which can cause tension in any organisation. While on the surface it might seem a relatively small change, the reality is that it is fraught with risk and hazard.

This is because people become rather attached to their printers. They love having access to their own devices, and when you tell them they can`t have them any more ... well, one could become unpopular.

So, if wanting to make a success of printer consolidation, here are some pointers.

The champion of the process should be the CEO. Without the visible and passionate backing of the company`s number one executive, change will simply get nowhere.

The first and second tiers of managers are going to push back hard when told they have to forego their printers. Directors, GMs and other managers will give any number of reasons why they should have their own printers. The fact is, the more printers left on people`s desks, the longer it will take to drive return on investment.

There needs to be a really strong business case for exceptions to be made; and if someone, somewhere in the company decides he wants to attack and even destroy the career of the person driving the consolidation project, well, then he`s going to have to attack the CEO. And that just won`t work.

Change management works best when people buy in to the process. And they will do this when they see what`s in it for them. So run workshops to show people how the organisation will benefit; how they will get better quality printing, faster output, better control, and how the business overall will benefit through cost savings.

Evangelise and communicate non-stop, using every possible vehicle: posters, the corporate intranet, case studies, the corporate newsletter ... even noticeboards.

Printer consolidation is ultimately an enterprise project, but it should be tackled incrementally. In this light, it is best to start quite close to the centre - head office, ideally - and deploy fully. All nominated printers should be removed and the centralised printers installed. A weekend is an ideal time to do this.

As the department beds down the operation of the new printers, communicate the successes, both internally and externally.

Ashley Groenendaal, sales and marketing support manager at Bytes Document Solutions

Train all users in the operation of the new devices. For instance, all users will need password-driven or swipecard-driven access to the centralised printers. They will need to be trained in their use.

As the department beds down the operation of the new printers, communicate the successes, both internally and externally. Edcon, a group which recently completed the first phase of a printer consolidation exercise, is reporting savings of over R300 000 a month. It has reported this internally and to the media; at the same time, it has communicated the broader advantages of printer consolidation, such as enhanced workflow and ease of use.

Printer consolidation is not for the faint-hearted; nor should it be a job for the inexperienced, so it`s best to involve the experts from the beginning. .

Following this route will deliver the expected returns, and ensure you don`t suffer the fate of many who have tried wide-sweeping business change.