Creating Effective Global Change Through Finding Common Ground

Challenge

Thermo Fisher Scientific, a global biotechnology company, was formed from a large merger in 2006 and several acquisitions over subsequent years. With 135,000+ employees across 65 locations around the world, the organisation’s size had become a hinderance in terms of its ability to move and adapt quickly. Change initiatives often resulted in low adoption rates, which were both costly and time consuming. Further, with such a patchwork of different processes and cultures all integrated under one banner over time, there was a lack of alignment or common language from employees on how to approach large-scale projects.

To address fragmentation, low adoption rates, as well as other change-related issues, Thermo Fisher Scientific engaged Prosci to get to the root cause of their challenges.

Solution

Create a common language for teams to communicate across cultures
Adapt change management approaches to local cultural norms
Engage leadership for project success
Customize Prosci tools to fit company needs and culture
Centralize the PPMO for better oversight of all projects
Provide ongoing training to integrate change management into the company culture

Creating Understanding

Understanding the sheer scale of projects happening across an organisation like Thermo Fisher Scientific was a daunting prospect. Rather than tackling everything all at once, the organisation focused on smaller, local projects within specific teams and offices first before scaling up.

Getting to Why

Determining where resistance to change was coming from was a key component for determining how to move beyond it. Leveraging the Prosci ADKAR Model was pivotal in this understanding and in creating a thoughtful and proven framework to move forward.

Building Awareness

Once certain divisions had achieved success by leveraging a more concerted approach to change management, other parts of the business started to take notice. Other departments and offices began to request change management training and resources to replicate the success of peers.

“See ADKAR as a mindset, not a tool. The more you understand what it can offer, the more you can find ways to get more out of it, ways that might not even be listed in the books and materials. Make it a part of your day- to-day.”
—Christina Zoga, Internal Communications Specialist

Results

Cost Savings

A single initiative—converting field engineer paperwork into digital forms—resulted in a cost savings of $2 million/year. Similar initiatives were also reported throughout the company resulting in significant efficiencies.

Common Language

Despite being a global organisation, Thermo Fisher Scientific has found common language through using the Prosci Methodology. This has led to a more consistent approach to change across the organisation, regardless of geography.

Leadership Commitment

Ensuring leadership is informed and supportive of change initiatives has been crucial to success. By conducting Prosci Sponsor Briefings and keeping leadership informed, executives are able to become effective project sponsors and champions for numerous initiatives happening simultaneously.