What kind of culture can help RPA implementation and what a culture is expected after it?
The starting point for having a supporting culture for a RPA implementation can be summarised in some points we have included in our ACIC © Adaptation, Change and innovative culture Assessment.
The element of efficiency through productivity increase is one of the goals of introducing processes automation. But this does not happen fortnight.
The starting points are in the other culture elements like values and behaviour for innovation and adaptation, allowing new solutions/ideas in this case also modification/improvement of existing processes creating the condition to pilot the new solutions for employees in a learning capacity.
And creating specific success criteria which consider low hanging fruits and achievements of improved efficiency and productivity for employees during and after the implementation both for the adaptation to future changes and at the same time for the normalisation of these activities activating processes which are able to detect or foreseen trends in the market, changed customer’s preferences.
Innovation, efficiency, and continuous improvement are the pillars of a supporting culture for RPA.
Continuous improvement is expressed by the capability of repeating the process of pivoting, experiment, and learning. Another learning process that can support the implementation of RPA is to understand and verify the potential first and effective then benefits and limitation of the RPA and share them with all the stakeholder, possibly before a scale-up phase.
The model for culture assesses these various elements considering the recognition of the relevance of investing in the resources and training needed to implement and maintain RPA systems.
Summarising below the critical elements for a supporting and sustaining culture for RPA:
1. Continuous improvement: In addition of not being a one-time fix, RPA requires ongoing maintenance. Having a culture that values continuous improvement and is open to experimenting with modern processes and technologies is crucial. 2. Collaborative culture: RPA projects involve multiple departments and teams, so having a culture that values collaboration is important. 3. Adaptability: RPA can bring about significant changes to the way work is done. Therefore, it is important for the organization to have a culture that is open to change and adaptability. 4. Employee development: RPA can only be fully realized when employees possess the necessary skills and knowledge to work with technology. It is more likely that a company that values employee development and training as part of its culture, will be able to successfully implement and sustain RPA initiatives. 5. Company’s climate: engagement level, enthusiasm, challenges acceptable which can help the behaviour of employees to adapt and change and support
Our Module ASIC © (Adaptation, Change and Innovation Culture) highlights these factors across the elements above described to:
· Be aware of your situation- no bias, no assumptions · Understand where there is misalignment in the factors that create a culture fit with the external business environment and give priority to the actions required to start from · Put evidence to any possible risk related to culture before thinking to an RPA implementation.
Answering to the question what the culture is supporting RPA before and after the implementation, we can say that there is no difference. Only maintaining it especially with experimentation, training and double loop learning can guarantee that no steps back happen.
