From IT Support Technician to BRM UK Ambassador

From IT Support Technician to BRM UK Ambassador

Networking

I feel like I have told this story in one form or another multiple times to different people at different places but never really committed it to paper. However, after a conversation with APMG at a BRM European networking event, I thought why not?. So, here’s a potted history of my career path, focusing on Business Relationship Management. Hopefully if you are a BRM or an aspiring one it will help you avoid my mistakes and improve on my successes!

Back to the beginning

So, let’s start back at the beginning. Growing up I had my two parents and my older brother, one parent worked as a Lecturer of Politics at Loughborough University and the other worked as a Computer Programmer at various organisations. Little did I know then as a child, how my parent's career choices would have such an impact on my own. What do you get if you cross a University Lecturer and a Computer Programmer?

Where did IT all STEM from?

At school I excelled at Information Technology, Maths and Science and scraped by at anything vaguely artistic (lucky for me I obtained an artistic wife to address this balance for our children). I was also interested in Business Studies and took A-levels in Computer Science, Physics and Business Studies, I then went on to University to study Business Information Systems. At the time I believed this to be the easy parts of Business Studies and the easy parts of Computer Science, looking for the path of least resistance to a University degree!

After graduating I found a job at the local council offices providing IT Support, running around with a screwdriver, packs of floppy disks (yes we still had them then), CD’s and fixing people's computers. Then an opportunity arose to move over to provide this at Loughborough University, my dad being a lecturer there said this would be very good for as I would have a job for life there. The University was and still is renowned for employing people for their entire lives offering them different roles and responsibilities and also a great work life balance. So off I went to Loughborough University working in IT Support and then progressing to Desktop Development, then Server Administration, but I started to notice one important skill I had which lots of other technical people within IT struggled with, I could communicate with people outside of IT!

Identifying the SOFT SKILLS and thinking out of the box

So yes, my technical skills were definitely not as good as my colleague’s, I struggled with Linux and my scripting was pretty basic, but I had better ‘softer’ skills. This was soon recognised by my line manager and she put me into more of an Account Manager role, going out talking to the business finding out what they wanted, making sure they were happy and re-charging for our services as well as doing the financials.

At this time, we were working towards best practices from ITIL and trying to streamline processes. One of the big, major steps I took was to remove internal recharging. Would we really get requests for 100’s of servers if we didn’t recharge? We just needed to ensure we had the right governance and control in place and then we could stop the needless process of handing money back and forth.

Understanding both the IT department and the Business

Then as I made a name for myself in the University as someone who understood the business and could translate the technical jargon into words that meant something to all stakeholders, I started getting more and more meeting invitations.  I was slowly becoming a BRM, even though, at this point, I still had no idea the role even existed.

As our IT department matured into ITIL service delivery we restructured again and again to adjust to best serve the new working practices. During one such restructure I was approached to be half Relationship Manager and half Server Administrator. I was already doing this unofficially so took the job title and role change with no problems at all, but with this new official role I thought I had better start to research best practices to make the most of it.

Best practices - Out with the old and in with the new

Initially I looked to ITIL, which was at that time the golden fountain of knowledge we should all go and drink from at every opportunity. I found a course I could attend, run by the British Computer Society and off I went on my BRM journey. This first foray into BRM training and development was OK but it was still focused on service delivery which at the time was my aim, little did I know what BRM potential was around the corner....

Finding the BRM Institute

Continuing my Google searching for best practices I stumbled across something new - the BRM Institute, this looked like a fantastic resource of information and there was also a community you could fire questions at, I signed up immediately. Reading through the content I kept asking questions, how would this work in my situation where I have this particular set up? The replies came quickly and they were valuable, they gave me real insight into different ways of working out how this BRM function could be so much more than just service delivery.

My conversations with the people at the BRM Institute grew and grew until they offered me a voluntary role working on their leadership team. I was apprehensive at first, after all I was the one asking all the questions.  Would I now be expected to be providing the answers? They said just keep involved, keep giving input and come over to America and help out at the first global BRM conference. Loughborough University were supportive and paid for my flight over, I met my fellow Leaders and we instantly hit it off, we were all finding our feet and decided to just do our best and see how it went. Well it went fantastically, we had BRM’s from around the globe telling their stories and we helped facilitate, we sat on discussion panels and helped our fellow BRMs solve problems we had solved ourselves back in our organisations. It was so rewarding and inspiring to be exposed to such a vibrant and dynamic group of BRMs, I flew back to the UK full of ideas and reenergised for the role.

Becoming a certified BRMP and CBRM

I was then approached by ITWINNERS to see if I would be interested in delivering BRM training. Wow what a fantastic opportunity! I said yes straight away. Having passed the Business Relationship Management Professional (BRMP®) followed by the higher level of Certified Business Relationship Manager (CBRM®) exams, I was then assessed by APMG who came out and watched me train, gave me a knowledge test and got me to the point of being a certified BRM trainer. Now I take a small number of annual leave days to deliver both private and public training classes, which I find wholly rewarding and as I deliver and get the discussions going, I continue to learn more and more. This then feeds back into my day job at Loughborough University helping me to become an even better BRM myself.

What do you get if you cross a University Politics Lecturer with a Computer Programmer?

So, going back to the beginning question what do you get if you cross a University Politics Lecturer with a Computer Programmer?

Answer a University IT Business Relationship Manager who trains!

Idea graveyard or parking lot?

As part of the Business Relationship Management role we collect ideas, help form them and push them forward to maximise value but what happens to the ones that don't go forward? Put them in the "Idea Parking Lot" is one suggestion but practically how does this work and how do you manage it?

At Loughborough University we use a software tool to log our key engagements with the business and the ideas that emerge from them. Ones which are not progressed are put in the bucket "Closed not approved" trouble is its more an idea graveyard than a parking lot.

So how do we resolve this so ideas are not lost for eternity? We have started to tag them with key words to make sure they pop up if related ideas are proposed at a later date, they are also linked to the business unit and partner who we worked with at the time the idea was formed. Hopefully these changes will help resurrect the ideas where the time wasn't right and some proposed value can be brought back into planning.

How do you manage your unapproved ideas you capture as a BRM?

BRMP Training Dates for 2019

Want to know how to become a Strategic Partner within your organisation? I have dates for the Business Relationship Management Professional training course next year.

Course: Business Relationship Management Professional

Format: 3 day classroom course with exam

Objectives: Holders of the BRM Institute Business Relationship Management Professional (BRMP®) credentials will be able to demonstrate their understanding of:

• The characteristics of the BRM role
• What it means to perform as a strategic partner, contributing to business strategy formulation and shaping business demand for the provider’s services
• The use of Portfolio Management disciplines and techniques to maximise realised business value
• Business Transition Management and the conditions for successful change programs to minimise value leakage
• The BRM role in Service Management and alignment of services and service levels with business needs
• The principles of effective and persuasive communication

Dates:

• 4th – 6th February 2019
• 3rd – 5th April 2019
• 3rd – 5th June 2019

Location: Loughborough University, LE11 3GR, England

Cost: £1,500 per person

Link: http://itwinners.com/business-relationship-management/business-relationship-management-professional/ 

Business Relationship Management Training

Are you a Business Partner, Engagement Manager or Business Relationship Manager?

Looking for some training?

Yes? great, but the first question is......Why?

Do you need guidance to develop your function and move to a more senior strategic position? 

Are you concerned you are not following best practice and could operate more inline with common practices?

Do you need tools to help you work in a more efficient manner?

I don't teach courses so people can collect certificates for a never ending collection, I run courses to help people develop and improve, as a BRM I am always looking to help people get the most value out of any situation! So please look at the Business Relationship Management Professional course running on the 21st - 23rd of November at Loughborough, UK.

You can sign up here: http://itwinners.com/business-relationship-management/business-relationship-management-professional/

Business Strategy replaced by Business Purpose

There is a new wave of thinking washing over Business Strategy and that is one of Business Purpose, but what is it and how does it affect the BRM function?

After years of trying to align IT Strategy to Business Strategy we realised that the true value was actually in convergence rather than alignment. Don’t have a Business Strategy and a IT Strategy have a single Business Strategy after all there is no such thing as Information Technology just Business Technology, remember its all about the business its goals and strategy to meet those goals, well it was until now....

Now there is a new thinking staying that Business Strategy is too confined and we should rather be thinking of Business Purpose, this white paper outlines it brilliantly well worth the time out to read through it:

https://www.managers.org.uk/~/media/Files/Reports/Guide-for-Leaders-White-Paper.pdf

These three points succinctly cover what is Business Purpose:

1) Purpose is a core and enduring motivation in the company

2) Purpose focuses on the ultimate means provided by the emotional capital to serve others and achieve long-term well being

3) Purpose is the fundamental motivation for the company which inspires the vision and guides the mission and resulting strategy

There are five points as to why you should become Business Purpose driven including increasing business performance. Most interestingly there is a section on how to implement Business Purpose including:

• Engaging Stakeholders to enrich your perspective
• Showing benefits through stories and proof points
• Enabling transparency
• Incentivise purposeful outcomes

Sound familiar? Yes the move to becoming a more Business Purpose driven organisation has many similar steps to becoming a successful Business Relationship Management function. So if you see this movement happening in your organisation or if you propose it, be sure to put BRM in the heart of it to work with the business converged into this new way of thinking.

First Annual UK BRM Community Event

Wow what a week, last week comprised of working through the first ever UK Strategic Partnering Approach Workshop, followed by hosting the first annual UK BRM Community Event. Both of which were hugely beneficial, let’s start with the Community Event.

UK BRM Community Event

Firstly I have a new found respect for Marleen Lundy who organises the global BRM events, it is hard work and stressful! We had fluctuating numbers in the run up to the event but it was looking like we had around 50 - 60 people and then at the last minute we had a few drop out and a few add ons., In the end we had a really nice sized group with a good mix of people. As always we had a mix of job titles from Business Partners to Business Relationship Managers from a variety of industries but we all had similar stories.

We started the day with a few presentations setting the scene of why we were all there and who the professional bodies were in attendance. Gary Hardy from ITWinners who helped pull it all together told everyone who ITWinners were and what they do as well as making it clear that they wanted to set this up but it isn't their event but a BRM event ran by BRMs for BRMs.  More on that later. He also told his story of 'finding' BRM and why he thinks it’s the most powerful needed shift in mindset in current times.

Marleen Lundy then presented about the BRM institute, the delegates in attendance were a mix of active members, members but not that active to not knowing about the Institute at all. The importance of the Institute, the best practices, guidance it provides and the accredited training were key points for the delegates especially the Knowledge Pathway, created by Marleen to help guide personal and BRM function development.

APMG were also in attendance supporting the event and informing the BRMs of how social sharing of accreditation can help promote both BRM as a whole as well as your own personal brand.

The last session of the morning was presented by Mariana Carroll who spoke about BRM and emerging technologies, Mariana has a wealth of experience in this area and was truly inspiring.

In the afternoon we opened the floor for our BRM guests to share their stories, I had my story ready to tell if we needed but my main role was to facilitate others telling theirs. The great thing about working with a room full of BRMs is they all want to communicate and share, my story wasn't needed as we had plenty of others. They ranged from theories on early BRM from the introduction of electricity to Leicester University and the creation of a strategic role over 100 years ago to manage this emerging technology disruption, linking back nicely to Mariana's earlier presentation. To stories of becoming strategic and staying strategic through successful positioning of the role in both hierarchy and boundaries of responsibilities. These story telling sessions really got the room buzzing with ideas and excitement as well as shared pain points. I think next time we meet we will have to facilitate some more of these earlier on and then capture and discuss the points in more detail because we were getting so many golden nuggets of information.

As we approached the end of the day, we asked if anyone was able to stay a bit later and discuss ways to help progress this event in the future. We had a good number stay behind and others running off but stating they still want to help out further. Now we are going to need to pull these people together and start to develop next year’s meet up, let it expand and grow and hopefully become even better each year. We are planning on starting this off via the Community Of Interest for the UK on the BRM Institute Online Campus. If you want to join in pop over and say hello, if you need help getting on just send me a message.

This was my first time trying to organise and pull together an event such as this and I was overjoyed with the outcome and feedback. I can't wait to help out on the next one! Though thankfully with so many enthused BRMs to help the second annual BRM community event should be much easier.

Strategic Partnering Approach Workshop

This is a new workshop and part of the BRM Institute knowledge pathway as outlined here: https://brm.institute/business-relationship-management-knowledge-path-success . It's a practical application of the theory which results in a strategic plan for your BRM function. As we had already completed the BRMP training we were familiar with the theory so managed to skip over some of the content and get stuck into the meat of the workshop.

We ran through various maturity assessment pieces which highlighted some areas for improvement, some of which were well within our control others were outside it at an organisational level. The ones outside of our immediate control were considered and some of which we are going to put forward as institutional change requests, but the politics and governance to implement them will be much harder than the changes closer to home.

We then prioritised our potential improvements and started work on a plan to progress our BRM function. Using a combination of these techniques and the excellent knowledge of Gary Hardy from ITWinners we were able to create a great strategic action plan. This is going to form the basis of a BRM re-launch for our function as we re-position, re-focus and clarify our value offering both now and for the future. It's bringing a new energy to the team and we can’t wait to get started on the next leg of our BRM journey!

About me

I am a full time BRM at Loughborough University for IT Services, I am also a qualified BRM trainer, currently offering the Business Relationship Management Professional training and other consultancy. If you would like to go through the BRMP training with a practising BRM drop me a mail, I use my knowledge to liven up the theory with lots of real life examples!

BRM Events Update!

Here’s a quick update on the upcoming Business Partner / Business Relationship Management events we are running at Loughborough (One of which is FREE! limited places though so book early) 11th – 12th June: Strategic Partnering Approach Workshop - £1,000 per person - This unique and practical workshop enables the theory of BRM to be translated into a strategy for adoption. It provides you with roadmap for improved BRM capability to achieve strategic partnering, leveraging the new BRM Playbook in a technologically advanced interactive workshop. More info and register here: https://bit.ly/2qny5Ov 13th June: Networking Event – FREE - ITWinners, in association with BRM Institute and Loughborough University will host this UK meetup. You’ll meet with peers, receive insights about global adoption of BRM and hear from some special guest speakers – including Marleen Lundy of BRM Institute, Nick Houlton COO APMG and Dr. Mariana Carroll. This is a free event, but we request that you book your space to ensure there is sufficient seating and catering. More info and register here: http://itwinners.com/newsevents/brmukannualcommunityevent2018/ 18th – 20th June: Business Relationship Management Professional Course - £1,500 per person - Understand the role, concepts, drivers and structure needed for a successful function. Includes (class, exam, 1 year membership to BRM Institute, 1 year access to ITWinners eLearning tool) More info and register here: https://t.co/cbOByDYDyo Also the same course is running on the 1st – 3rd October: (for those who need a bit more time to request funding) 

New BRMP Classes

Excited to be offering two Business Relationship Management Professional [BRMP®] courses at Loughborough this year.

18th – 20th June 2018

1st – 3rd October 2018

Find out more and register here: https://t.co/cbOByDYDyo 

I will be using an exciting blended learning approach, using a much more fun and interactive delivery method than the normal PowerPoint. Also I’m using my experience of working as a BRM in the public sector where it’s not all about the money and profit margins as well as the shared experiences from my friends and colleagues at the BRM Institute.

Also alongside the June session we will be running a further workshop and conference/networking event. Plans are still being formed but we are expecting these sessions to be offering something new and exciting for the UK. 

New Year, New Me?

Well after a relatively quiet year from a work perspective I have had a busy one in my personal life having my wife give birth to a baby boy. Looking back though all things BRM in my life have also moved on, all be it at a slightly slower rate while I focused on my new family extension.

So last year I attended conferences big and small, won an award for BRM innovation of the year from ITSMFUK and tried to keep up with all the goings on at the BRM Institute.

Now with a new year its a good time to re-group and re-focus and set your sights on some new challenges and opportunities. For me this means looking at a number of different areas:

1) Loughborough University Business Partnering for IT Services - This is my "day job" and is constantly progressing and maturing as a function. For the new year its time to review the longer term plans and make sure we are all still on track, check what needs adjusting and setting some medium term objectives to meet this year. This year the focus will be on expanding the strategic partnerships out to those at a lower maturity level and looking at adjusting the levels of engagement to maximise the resources we have available. Unfortunately in these times the pressure is on financially and that hits our resources so we have to "do more with less" or "work smarter not harder"

2) The BRM Institute - This is a big part of my work life, working as vice chair to the leadership team is a big responsibility and takes a lot of time and effort. As we are expanding as an institute we need to also plan and re-adjust, so I am just at the minute in the middle of working out how best I can help facilitate that and what plans I can help push forward. As always exciting times a we grow, mature and adjust to the changing landscape.

3) IT Winners - I have just signed up to work with IT Winners as an Associate and BRM trainer, I cannot wait to deliver my first BRMP training course and work with this group of talented people to further expand my BRM horizons! Watch this space for more info on this soon!

So as well as all the normal New Years resolutions, get fit, eat healthy, drink less alcohol, spend more time with family and friends, travel more and see the world....what work life changes are you making? how are you going to focus your efforts and progress this year?

6 Quick Tips for Beginner BRMs

Two of the most common questions asked in the world of BRM is “Where do I begin?” and “What should I do first?”

The first few months of being a beginner BRM or setting up a BRM function can be tricky, and it can seem a little overwhelming to orient yourself within the vast amount of knowledge available from BRM Institute.

The following tips and tricks can not only help you get off the ground with a flying start, but they can serve as a constant guide towards success in your career as a BRM.

1)           Document your notes. This may seem obvious, but when you begin you will no doubt be inundated with information from both the business and the business partner about what they do, how they do it, and what they have planned for the future. Work out a clear documentation process that works across your business function, so that everyone is on the same page.

2)           Don't try to do everything all at once. The label of “strategic partner” is earned, not handed over, meaning that the process of becoming a strategic partner takes time and effort. It pays to be patient and time your new process implementations to support your business function. Don’t rush in putting in the high-level strategic planning meetings without ensuring the groundwork has been done first.

3)           Ensure that you have a solid base of reliable service delivery. Again, the groundwork matters. Senior managers will not want to strategize with you if you represent a mess of service delivery. Once you’ve established this level of trust, you can then look to progress in maturity.

4)           Take the time to review and reflect. It’s often all too easy to plan ahead and push for more without taking the time to look back and assess accomplishments and challenges. When your business function takes the time to look back, it often paves the way to a more successful future.

5)           Balance, balance, balance. The life of a BRM is a constant balancing act between the partner and the business. It’s common to fall into the trap of focusing too much on the needs of one side or the other, so it’s critical to be mindful of this and alter your behavior in order to become a trusted strategic partner.

6)           Make time for outside organisational learning. While this is critical to success in any career, continued education is particularly valuable for BRMs who strive to develop themselves and their business function. Get started by reading books from BRM Institute’s Bookshelf and engaging with other BRMs on the Online Campus, which is probably the most essential resource for any new BRM. There you can get answers to challenges you may be facing from peers who have already gone through similar situations, and you could even share your own ideas on a global scale alongside industry experts.

The Game Plan: Strategic BRMs Focusing on Optimizing Value

As BRMs we often spend most of our time looking at our business units game plans, their long term strategies to achieving success, but we don't often look at our own. Now some might argue that if we make our business succeed then we ourselves have succeeded, and yes that is true, however if we can have our own game plan to optimize that success then the value could be maximized in that win for the organization for both the BRM and the business unit, a true win win!

So what should a BRM game plan look like? Well like all complex and interesting things, it depends, it depends on the maturity, the internal politics and a myriad of other factors. So how should it be approached? Well that is simple, like all things BRM it should be approached with value in the forefront of the mind, specifically measuring anticipated value and planning to maximize it without depreciating any value being gained elsewhere within the organization, actually not as simple as I might have first stated, lets break it down into four steps:

1) Finding potential value
2) Measuring expected value
3) Maximizing delivered value
4) Checking for value disruption

So step one was finding the potential value, this is key and like any hunter stalking their prey, to find it you have to understand it. I don't just mean reading up on a business units strategy or knowing what their top aims are for the coming years but really understanding them, get embedded in the business, know how they work and learn about the complex and interesting factors that build up the unwritten rules of how they plan, operate and improve. Once you really understand the business and the people operating within it you will learn the most effective ways the value can be realized. There is no point pushing for a strategic value chain to be focused on when you know the people needed to implement it don't believe in it and are planning on campaigning for a change in direction for it.

Step two is measuring the expected value, this involves looking at the value from multiple angles to see who is going to be gaining and where. It’s not all about the money, reputational gains, risk reduction, trust building or simply laying the foundations for longer term future strategy may all be elements of value to be gained. Build up some KPIs for the relevant stakeholders to agree on, then once agreed move onto step three.

Step three is about maximizing that value, so looking for potential value leakage and minimizing it, looking for the big value gains to push more resources towards. Can you now improve on the KPIs set in step two? Or ensure they are met with minimal risk?

Step four is one often forgot about but as a BRM you always need to look at the bigger picture, producing value for one business unit within a large organization can sometimes have a detrimental effect on another business unit. To mitigate this risk, ensure the correct levels of governance and control have been involved and are aware of any potential knock on effects. Keep them up to date with high level reports of progress as things change, a long term project may be fine one month but the next could have a big impact.

In conclusion, every organization is different and it’s impossible to define a game plan that will work for everyone but I hope to have made you think and given you an idea to help you deliver some value and improve your BRM game.

There is no such thing as an IT Strategy!

Business strategy is the only strategy, that's right there is no IT strategy, that IT strategy document you've been working on for months is worthless and here’s why.

The IT strategy is a supporting strategy to support the overarching business strategy, yes this is true but does it have any worth? Now we all know it’s hard to get anyone to read a long winded strategy, so often these supporting strategies come in two forms the long one and the one sider overview. I’m going to argue both are pointless, although I’m willing to be proven wrong as I have been a big fan of them in the past and could just be having an off day.

Lets take the one sider first, that's got to be useful hasn't it? Ok lets take it to the senior business leaders who are in charge of the organisational strategy first, they have their strategy saying they want to be doing X and Y to get to point Z in the next 5 years. Now we take the IT one side strategic overview saying we will help their strategy by doing A and B so we are at point C. Now if the business leaders have no faith in IT and IT have failed to deliver in the past they may take an interest in the details of this but ultimately they have told you to support X and Y and to come with them to point Z, so just get on with it the best way you can, that's what they pay you for. If anything is happening that results in going off track then tell us.

Ok so the top level isn’t interested what about the people working towards the strategy within IT? They need to align their services and projects with the IT strategy right? Wrong. They need to be thinking about the business strategy and not getting bogged down in this supporting strategy that will most likely be out of date by the time they read it, they need to understand from a high level where the organisation is going and adjust accordingly. Yes, I suppose the IT strategy could be seen as a tool to enable staff to better understand this by providing them a stepping stone they can relate to, but this runs the risk of them using this tool as a final strategy and not looking beyond to what is really needed.

So what about the long strategy the one no one reads, well that is often used for one purpose and that is to justify projects. We are doing this project because it works towards the strategic aim 3.78b in the IT strategy, no you are not, you are doing the project because you want to, you like the technology, you want to work with that team of people again, there is another true reason and you are using the strategy to justify it. This happens all too much in my experience and without an IT strategy this would not be possible, projects would have to relate to the true business strategy.

So all of that might sound like someone who has gotten out of bed the wrong side this morning and it is all a bit one sided but hopefully it will make you think and start a debate around what strategies are needed and why. 

Measure Your BRM to Change Your BRM

Now, no one really wants to blow their own trumpet, peacock feathers splayed, and go strutting up and down the workplace shouting about how great they are. However, sometimes this behaviour is necessary to measure your effectiveness and how well your function is performing—although you may want to keep the peacock feathers to a minimum!

The reasons for this can be easily categorised into the familiar Run, Grow, and Transform framework:

• Run – Firstly, it may be a requirement from your organisation to justify your existence, so to survive and run the BRM function you may need to measure your effectiveness and report back to your superiors proving your function is still a valuable asset.
• Grow – This is to bid for additional resources to be applied to your function; in the case of BRM this is almost always additional staff resources. Generally because of the great successes and huge benefits the function brings, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to prove it from time to time.
• Transform – Lastly, you may want to measure your effectiveness to help transform the function to focus on either new areas or shift some resources onto a particular area. This may be due to a change in strategy from the organisation, or because there is a particular piece of value that has been identified. Either way, this could highlight both the additional value in another direction, or a loss of value in an area you need to move away from.

So now that you have a good understanding of why you want to measure your effectiveness, how do you start?

There are a number of quantitative and qualitative measures that could be focused upon, and this number will vary hugely between organisations. Quantitative measures could be high-level figures, such as the number of projects delivered in a particular strategic area or the value delivered to a particular business unit over a period of time. You could also focus on the value beyond the internal business, such as a measure on customer experience feedback into the organisation. The qualitative areas are harder to measure in an objective and unbiased way; often, multiple viewpoints need to be gathered to investigate low scores and any differences.

Lastly, take particular care when selecting the criteria for measuring the effectiveness of your BRM function, as it not only has to hold true and be relevant now, it also needs to maintain that level of relevance for years to come. Otherwise, when you analyse your year-on-year trends, you may find that you no longer have the data you need to help you Run, Grow, or Transform your BRM function into the direction you desire—and this data is the critical first step to being able to measure effectiveness. After all, before you make a change, you need to know exactly where you’re coming from.

Internal Focus: Building Relationships with BRMs and Peers

As BRMs, we should be experts in building relationships, but since no two relationships are the same, no one technique for building and improving them will work across the board. That said, I am always open to advice and guidance on any new skills or approaches I could use that could help me, so in thinking of others who may feel similarly, I thought I should share some of the tips I have received recently.

The first tip that was brought to my attention recently is that while we often think of technology bringing us closer together, it turns out that it can actually be a relationship killer, whereas face-to-face engagement can be a much stronger way of building relationships. While I’m still not sure that I entirely agree, it did make me think critically about my patterns of communication and human interaction. As BRMs, we should try not to hide behind a screen pinging emails back and forth, and instead get out of our offices and meet face-to-face. The reason for this is that so much is told via body language, which makes interactions flow and work progress.

When a BRM meets face-to-face with a business partner, they normally have one thing at the forefront of their mind: value. As much as the focus should be on value delivery, however, there are often some more subtle things to think about. Examples of these things can be as simple as eye contact, smiling, having an upright posture, and displaying curiosity leading to a connection based on a common interest. Even a smooth, fluid handshake has been proven to offer a greater connection than a jerky, rigid one. Other research suggests that people are more likely to be open to agreeing and being influenced after they have eaten and are sitting on a comfortable surface, so those post-lunch meetings should theoretically be much more successful than the ones just before lunch. However, it’s important not to force these subtle engagement changes—obviously, it’s not the best idea to hug someone you've never met whilst smiling in their face and offering them a sandwich to eat and a beanbag to sit on!

Once you’ve considered these social interactions, you need to think about the content of your engagements, beginning with a clear agenda that benefits each member of the meeting. After all, if someone isn’t benefiting from the meeting, then why are they there? It’s important to be transparent and inclusive about the intention of the meeting, let the relevant people in the meeting have their say, and prompt those who haven’t spoken for their opinion.

Beyond conversational engagement, the single most important part of relationship building is attentive listening. A BRM is not there to sell to the provider, but to listen and see how they can shape the provider to their business partner’s needs. Therefore, it’s critical to find out what is important to the provider, what drives them forward, and what they are working towards in both the short and long term, in order to have a successful relationship. All of this ties back to maintaining a level of curiosity that leads to finding a common interest or issue that can be worked on.

By building up from a sound social interaction base, to a clear and inclusive engagement, up to value delivery, a successful relationship will form—and more importantly, persist long after that initial interaction.

Challenging Changes: Organisational Cultures and How to Handle Them

While change can be both tricky and expensive within organisations, it’s also necessary in order for the organisation to innovate and adapt to the world around it. Needless to say, however, the implementation of a new BRM capability can be challenging if the culture within the organisation is prohibitive.

The actual implementation of a BRM capability is essentially a business process change, which is achieved by business process re-engineering (BPR). BPR is about being innovative and thinking ‘outside of the box.’ As Archer and Bowker put it, BPR is “a vision-led structured methodology for the fundamental rebuilding of business process through the balanced interaction of work tasks, people, information, and technology.” To re-engineer a business process is to completely rethink the way it works from beginning to end, questioning everything from the perspectives of both the customer and internal efficiency.

BPR is likely to entail not just the reorganisation of roles and responsibilities, but also some fundamental changes in the organisational culture. When faced with this challenge, it is important to first identify your organisational culture, which is often heavily influenced by the managerial cultures and are commonly categorised into the sections below:

Autocratic power culture – Led by management, wherein an autocratic leader can be charismatic and well-respected.

Bureaucratic role culture – Formal and centralised, wherein everyone’s roles are clearly defined and relationships are also clearly set out. However, there are often informal relationships and roles that people exploit to get things done quicker and easier, rather than using the formal channels. This can be particularly important in areas of organisations that have a specific technological expertise.

Matrix task-based culture – Tasks are devolved to the lowest practical level in a project management style.

Anarchic individualistic culture – Informal and decentralised, in which everybody has a say in all decisions.

Whatever your organisational culture, it needs an appropriate approach to ensure success—and this may mean changing the culture completely. Davenport and Short^[2] summarise the culture on which successful business change must rest, expressing that organisational culture must move from:

• Hierarchies to teams
• Controlling to empowering
• Analysis to action
• Risk aversion to calculated risk taking
• Boundaries to networks

Commitment to change

Once you’ve determined your organizational culture, the next step is to build commitment to the change you are trying to implement—in this case, a new BRM capability. Yeates and Cadle^[3] state that in order to get all staff to commit to the organisation’s mission statement—and to make the pursuit of improvement a core feature of the organisation’s culture— organisations must be willing to spend the money to adopt a distinctive managerial style. The two key goals they identify are:

• The removal of hierarchical differentiators, with the same privileges for management and staff alike. This also fits into Robertson’s current style of thinking, Holacracy.^[4]
• The application of resources, such as quality improvement teams to identify and solve quality problems. A BRM team could fill this role!

Widespread organisational commitment is integral to the success of the new BRM capability, as it sets the stage for C-level buy-in. Hammer & Champy detail some further benefits, including the organization’s transformation into becoming processed and culture-focused, which helps to empower the right people in the right way, improve understanding, and focus on value delivery.

Common obstacles

Of course, it’s unlikely that such a tremendous business reorientation would be accepted without a fuss in most organisations. Some common obstacles to change I have encountered are people’s inherent fear of change, an inability to see the potential benefits of the change, pockets of resistance from some stakeholders, general confusion about the scope of the change, lack of commitment to the change, and unrealistic timelines for people to see the benefits of the change.

Without a patient and thoughtful CIO at the helm, all of these obstacles could very well be the downfall of the new BRM capability within the organisation. The support of C-level management is critical in these instances, as well as a strong organisational understanding of the BRM capability and its benefits.

Climbing the ladder of support

Jobber^[5] offers a useful typology termed the “ladder of support,” which identifies the different stages of acceptance displayed by those affected by the change:

• Opposition – When employees are openly against the change, and use direct and forceful methods to try and stop it
• Resistance - When employees show their displeasure about the change less openly, and more passive-aggressive in tactics to delay or stop it
• Compliance - Employees will act in accordance to the change, but still believe that it is not the best option, so they do so with minimal effort
• Acceptance - There is a high level of support, and employees realise the benefits of the change and will work towards the change
• Commitment - Employees are committed to the change, fully believe in it, and work towards it with conviction and enthusiasm

It is important to note that this is not a simple hierarchical chain—people can start anywhere on the ladder and move in either direction. Therefore, it’s important to find out where key stakeholders are on the ladder and help move them in the right direction.

Conclusion

When implementing a new BRM capability, it is absolutely critical to analyse your organisational culture before setting any other steps in motion. Ask yourself, What managerial styles are in place in my organisation? Do they differ throughout different business functions within the organisation, or do they shift as I move up and down the hierarchy? What is a tried-and-true method to approaching change with these groups? Which methods of resistance could I potentially run into?

In order to ensure that the BRM capability thrives within the organisation, you must be prepared with answers to all of these questions—and then some. Can you think of some other questions you’ll need to answer before beginning this journey?

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[1] Archer, Richard and Bowker, Pauk. (1995), “BPR consulting: an evaluation of the methods employed”, Business Process Re-engineering & Management Journal, Vol. 1 No. 2, pp. 28-46.

[2] Davenport, T H and Short, J E. (1990), “The new industrial engineering: information technology and business process redesign”, Sloan Management Review, Summer, pp. 11 - 27

[3] Yeats, D and Cadle, J. (1996),”Project Management for Information Systems”, Pitman publishing.

[4] Robertson, Brian J. (2015),” Holacracy: The Revolutionary Management System that Abolishes Hierarchy”, Portfolio Penguin

[5] Jobber, D. (2001), “Principles and Practice of Marketing”, McGraw Hill, 2^nd edition.