Benefits Management

I have just published the outcome of a survey I carried out for the Enterprise Management Association. A free download copy can be obtained by clicking here.

Disappointingly the survey suggest that we have made liitle progress in improving performance in this area over the last 10 years, this is despite the rise in the "professional" development of those involved in change, but consistent with the continuing perception that much change fails to deliver.

I won't repeat it all here, but the three conclusions were:-

• Respondents nearly unanimously (08%) consider that improving benefit management will significantly improve the real and perceived delivery of change.
•  Clear, corporate/executive accountability and the consistency in the application of benefit management are key enablers to improving performance.
• Corporate awareness of the value and relevance of benefit management needs to be raised amongst senior management.

Some of the quotes attached to submissions were illuminating:

"Org complexity has increased dramatically so clean ring fenced programs are rare hence specific benefits almost impossible to track."

"It is not rocket science….(or) some black art!"

"Overall desire to manage benefits top down disintegrates and fragments as programs proceed"

"Most managers just want the results and are not interested in the full picture of change …”