Exciting things are happening right now within #Teamnamos, with the introduction of our new Business Transformation and Change team. This month, here to talk all things Business Transformation is our Practice Lead, Alysia Bartlett.
Tell me about your role within Namos.
My role is to lead the Business Transformation and Change team. When we go through our implementations and implement new technology, we typically focus on the technology that is being implemented. Quite often, the people element is forgotten, and we forget that it is a transformation. It’s about seeing the opportunity that this technology will bring for us and identifying what those opportunities are. It’s not just about swapping one technology for another. There’s an opportunity there to look at how we change processes, procedures and the organisational structure. Our role is to help businesses understand the transformation journey they’ll be going on, and the change they will undertake. It’s about identifying change and looking at how they will manage that change as well as the technology.
Can you talk me through your previous experience?
I spent 13 years in HR performing a variety of roles, from recruitment, senior HR business partnering through to leading large organisational restructures across multiple departments. Almost by accident, I moved into implementing Oracle Cloud because of my interest in the product and what it can do, so I understand how the technology is configured. I then moved back into the Business Transformation space, supporting HR and Finance teams with business change and how they transform their businesses through technology.
What led you to join Namos?
Namos felt like a home from home for me. The culture was a big draw for me. There was still the feel of a small organisation, but with a bigger organisation strength behind this. The expertise that comes from having a very focused business, a business who are focused on implementing Oracle solutions rather than a generalist approach. There was also a recognition of how important Business Transformation is, and how important people are within that implementation journey. I think this is ahead of a lot of other organisations out there who are implementing Oracle Cloud. There is a determination within Namos to provide a rounded solution to our clients, and work hand in hand with Business Change and Transformation. Quite often, for some organisations Technology or Business Transformation is the focus – you don’t typically see instances where the two are inter-twined. That’s what Namos are looking for, and that is the journey we are embarking on.
What do you love about working for Namos?
Definitely the people! Working with experts, genuinely nice people who want to work in a team, share ideas and support each other. They have the expertise to provide input to clients and colleagues. We also have a real interest in growing our own people to be experts including recruiting our own Graduates, Veterans and associates. Other organisations aren’t necessarily doing this – their graduate programs are very generalist, whereas ours is very focused on Oracle Cloud expertise.
Talk me through the typical roles you recruit for within your team.
Typical roles would be within the Business Change space – Business Readiness (where we support the client in understanding the readiness to transition into the different phases of the implementation), Business Change (understanding what changes we envisage will take place, looking at the as-is state and to-be state and the actions that need to be taken to get there), Communications (communicating a vision of the change through different methods like newsletters and surveys) and then Training (to support the business to understand how to use Oracle Cloud). Transformation projects uses our HR, Finance and technology expertise – working with clients to support reviews of policies and procedures, identifying and implementing organisational design, etc. It differs for each client, depending on the client’s appetite for transformation.
What qualities would make someone a good fit for your team?
Great interpersonal skills are important – the ability to engage with a client at all levels. Our team deals with very senior stakeholders, down to end users of the system. We interact heavily across the Project teams, with our own staff and people from the client side. We receive a lot of information that needs to be shared across the team, so we must find the best way of articulating that to others, without treading on anyone else’s toes!
It’s about being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes – understanding what activities are being done today, and what those activities will look like in the future for the client, being able to identify what the likely changes will be whilst using our expertise to advise and guide the client.
Presentation skills are key, as is the ability to create slide packs and present them to other people. Imagination is also key, being able to come up with different ways of sharing a message and articulating that clearly. Someone who has an interest in social media would be a good fit for the business change and communications parts of our roles. I’m always looking for HR and Finance professionals who have an interest in technology and want to learn about Oracle Cloud – they know the industry leading practice and can visualise how technology can support and transform their colleagues’ work.
Which aspects of your work are you most passionate about?
What I’m most passionate about is understanding people – understanding how what’s important to them, building relationships with different people and seeing the value that myself and my team bring to their people. I love seeing how we turn something that seemed really technical into a business conversation – providing a business solution that our clients understand.
What does the future look like for your team?
We’re looking to build a really specialised Business Change and Transformation team. There are lots of generalised teams out there, who don’t necessarily specialise in a particular area – even the opportunity to specialise in Business Change isn’t always there. What I’m aiming to do is have a team of specialists who love working with Oracle Cloud and understand the value that technology brings to their clients, and who love sharing their HR and Finance expertise to create transformation opportunities and outcomes for our clients. It’s about having a team of experts focusing on Oracle Cloud, who want to get the best out of the technology.
What advice would you give to candidates starting out in the Oracle world?
Do your research! Look at the systems – understand why you’re getting into it, what is it about Oracle Cloud that excites you? Coming to work is a large proportion of your life. We talk about work life balance, but the reality is that you’ve got to enjoy what you do. Therefore, if you’re going to work with Oracle Cloud, you need to understand the technology and enjoy working with it. In my team we don’t go into the detail of configuring the system, but we still need to understand the value that it brings, so we can talk about it and translate that value to clients.
Join us again next month, when we’ll be learning about Database Applications with our DBA Practice Lead, Simon Clarke!
About Namos Solutions
Namos Solutions are an award-winning Oracle OPN Modernised Partner specialising in the implementation and support of ERP, EPM and HCM business solutions, both in the Cloud and on-premise.
With global experience together with an impeccable track record, our business is built on our passion for delivering successful business transformation. Passion underpins everything we do at Namos – passionate about delivering beyond expectations, earning trust and building long-lasting relationships with our clients.
Although based in central London, we work wherever our clients need us to be. Many leading organisations located all over the world trust and rely on our expertise to deliver industry-leading business solutions. Namos customers can currently be found in the UK, Europe, Middle East, Asia Pacific, North America and Africa. For more information, please visit www.namossolutions.com or email info@namossolutions.com.
