Global Biotechnology Company Partners to Implement a Successful Change Initiative

When organizations undergo significant business transformations involving substantial changes to processes, systems, structures, or strategies, the “people side of change” often emerges as the most pivotal and challenging aspect. Resistance to change is a natural response, making it essential to proactively address the human elements that arise during periods of significant transformation. That’s why a global biotechnology company turned to Sequoia’s team of change management experts to spearhead a vital organizational change initiative involving the development and implementation of a new program aimed at optimizing their planning and scheduling processes.

Often in these types of initiatives, business leaders face the challenge of simultaneously changing processes amid other significant organizational changes. Rather than immediately delving into tactical planning, Sequoia chose a more thoughtful and comprehensive approach, leveraging their unique strength to assess and diagnose the overall context for change. Working closely with their client, they identified and diagnosed areas of strategic misalignment, competing initiatives, and capability gaps. By focusing on the macro environment, their client was able to adopt a strategic perspective on the change, ensuring that the project added value not only to affected users but also to the overall business.

Once the team was aligned on the change strategy, the Sequoia team collaborated with key stakeholders to create a comprehensive project plan and established global project governance. Identifying stakeholders from eight diverse functions across two countries, such as supply chain, information technology, operations, and third-party vendors, was crucial in addressing the needs of those impacted by the change. To foster collaboration and resolve conflicts effectively, the Sequoia team also established a steering committee, to facilitate successful execution of the project.

Sequoia continued to support this change initiative through the implementation of lab scheduling and planning software that was deployed across six quality control laboratories, encompassing more than seventy pieces of laboratory equipment and fifty personnel.

As a result, the company observed a 50% reduction in scheduling time and increased demand visibility window from one week to twelve weeks. Recognizing the importance of effective training to facilitate the adoption of new technology, the Sequoia team collaborated with the software vendor to arrange comprehensive training sessions. Additionally, they created supplementary training resources, including a dedicated SharePoint site hosting playbooks and video tutorials that provided clear guidance on the optimal usage of the system.

Furthermore, Sequoia’s expertise in developing robust

KPI strategies played a critical role in aligning the change with the organization’s goals and values. The implementation of local and high-level reporting capabilities proved instrumental in enabling data-driven business decisions and ensuring that the right metrics were presented to the relevant audience.