Tina M. Schuelke, CEOIn an interview with Manage HR, Tina Schuelke, CEO of CMCC, sheds light on how her company incorporates innovative change plans and practices to conquer modern organizational challenges.
A Four-dimensional Agile Change Manifesto
The pace of change is increasing exponentially. As technology evolves, high volumes of information are presented to business leaders and consumers, changing the way we operate. Tina noted, “Today’s conditions aren’t simply unstable, they’re chaotic. Outcomes are hard to foresee.” However, the real challenge lies in adapting to change.
“As an inventive change management partner, we collaborate with stakeholders to prioritize change and instill a resilient, agile mindset. The core principles we use to guide our decisions and approach to organizational change are derived from the Agile Change Manifesto:”
1. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
2. Successful change over comprehensive documentation
3. Stakeholder collaboration over contract negotiation
4. Responding to change over following a plan
Resilience in the “BANI” World
Anthropologist and futurist, Jamais Cascio, introduced the idea of “BANI” to reflect the current nature of the world.
● B: Brittle, indicates any market can fall into the trap of a total failure even if they appear reliable and unbreakable.
● A: Anxious, the fear of making decisions, which leads to apathy, depression, or not doing anything at all.
● N: Non-linear, in actions and responses. Disconnection between cause and effect or time proportion and perception in the current working scenario.
● I: Incomprehensible, causing extreme difficulty to understand and be empathetic amidst change. The more we try to understand an incomprehensible situation, the more we feel overwhelmed, which is counterproductive.
In the midst of stacking complex challenges, CMCC partners with leaders to explore possibilities, create structure and context for change to occur, and develop creative problem-solving solutions. “We are nimble. We incorporate design thinking and approach change from a co-creation perspective. Our approach unites stakeholders that are otherwise siloed to create an environment where everyone can participate and share their perspective.”
CMCC involves every level of an organization. “We rally everyone to create an environment where each individual is engaged and equipped to commit to a result. We offer training and executive coaching to provision stakeholders with the skills and mindset they need to practice new methods for leading themselves and other through change.”
Creating Tomorrow’s Change Makers
How does Tina describe her organization? “We are a stellar team of change advisors, executive coaches, communication experts, and social data scientists. We are adept at assessing what leads to successful change and learn through experimentation. Our practitioners are at the top of their game with the experience, knowledge and foresight to cut through the chaos of organizational change.
Our cornerstone is that we deliver collaborative experiences that create context for change real-time, either in-person or virtually. Additionally, we have mastered digital white boarding, virtual workspaces, and asynchronous work practices, to deliver best-in-class services to our clients.
In the new-age BANI environment, we work with what is valuable right now, not what was historically valuable. We shed heavy volumes of pre-work, bulky plans, and lengthy analysis. Our team moves with precision and passion in a condensed time span. We focus on our core principles and prioritize ‘who’ we need to be over the ‘how.’ That’s why we stand ahead of the organizational change management industry curve.”
Charting Customer Success Milestones
Tina shared some examples of successful organizational change engagements. “We partnered with a global Fortune 500 manufacturing company that was growing through acquisition. The client acquired five companies comprised of 34 production plants. The growth could optimize their supply and distribution–or kill it.
We do not want the spotlight, we want our clients to experience a success streak like they never imagined possible
Another example was an engagement with a national construction company. The client/owner wanted to exit and sell their business in five years. “Our change strategy empowered indomitable teams to transform the company in five core areas:
● Digital transformation
● Talent recruitment, development, and retention
● Stakeholder engagement and communications
● Marketing and business development
● Business process optimization
The client grew their team 15 percent and reduced turnover by 150 percent. The transition happened successfully in two and a half years instead of five. Additionally, the client emerged in three new markets and increased their business volume by 12 percent and profit by 80 percent. Their business value increased dramatically. They were delighted with how that project went.”
What makes CMCC different? “We are laser-focused consultants with precise skill sets, providing the exact expertise and track record to get things moving at warp speed. We are on the sidelines helping our clients execute with precision and passion. We don’t need or want the spotlight on us. We want our clients to be winning like they never thought they could, and that is what fuels us.”
