CASE STUDIES - BUILDING INSTITUTIONS |
Using technology for organizational change Using technology for organizational changeOne of the world’s largest development agencies was looking to strengthen its internal management systems and processes. With a global workforce of over 10,000 people spread over more than 160 locations, the organization faced a formidable challenge in coordinating and monitoring its wide range of activities. Senior management at the organization wanted to initiate a process of transformation that would result in a more flexible and efficient global presence for their organization. Dalberg was engaged to support a process that combined the implementation of a state of the art Enterprise Resource Planning system (ERP) with a complete overhaul of the organizations business processes. A key element of this was supporting the client in establishing an internal task force staffed by the best practitioners in various functional areas to guide the overall change process. We then helped the client restructure strategically important management functions, redefine staff roles and conduct extensive training and capacity building during the implementation. Dalberg also generated business cases and cost benefit assessments for a wide range of proposed initiatives under the overall process.. The client was able to successfully roll out a new integrated ERP system across locations that included some of the most remote parts of the globe. Senior managers at the corporate level are now able to increasingly monitor performance and set priorities based on real-time information coming from the field. The organization can also more readily redeploy capacity in response to urgent needs thanks to the increased standardization of functions and practices. This the combination of focused technology investments coupled with a continuing overhaul of internal processes has allowed the client to become a more flexible and responsive player in the field of international development. Resource Management StrategyAn international development agency with a presence in over 100 county representations was looking to more flexibly allocate its resources. Senior management were concerned that current practices were limiting the ability of managers and practitioners in the field to respond to new development opportunities quickly. Managers were also keen to implement the principles of Results Based Budgeting (RBM) to drive improved performance in the organization. Dalberg was brought in to support an overhaul of the budget process, translate that into structural and staffing changes and support the team in actually formulating a budget. Key steps included. Developing a framework that pushed greater discretion over spending to the regional and national levels of the organization. Linking resource allocation to desired outcomes rather than to specific projects or activities. Decentralizing some of the budget responsibilities and staff and placing these closer to the field. Working with a reconfigured budget team to develop and implement a prioritization framework for assessing competing resource needs. Thanks to these measures the organization has been able to provide managers and practitioners with much greater freedom to innovate while still holding them accountable for results. At the headquarters level, managers are increasingly able to focus the corporate budget on setting broad strategic aspirations rather than micromanaging detailed allocations to various projects. |