People First, Last, and Always

One can't pick up an industry or trade publication without headlines extolling digital transformation, data-driven cultures, and artificial intelligence. Most of the focus is on new software, hardware, and gadgets that will magically "transform" its capabilities. We, too, are excited about the potential. Unfortunately, though, most transformation efforts fail. From our perspective, the most important reason is a too-narrow focus on technology, coupled with a failure to embrace people. Indeed, it appears that many transformation efforts view people as part of the problem.  

At its core, transformation is about people–without them, no transformation can succeed. Even better, people are amazing: acknowledge their hopes and fears, provide some direction, training, and support, turn them loose, and great things happen.

Once written, these observations seem almost trite. But they are too often forgotten or implemented poorly. This article aims to remedy that. It interweaves our experiences at Kuwait City-based Gulf Bank, where data-driven transformation is mid-flight and a few timeless principles of change management. 

Our goals are to help HR leaders see and seize the opportunity to make critical contributions to these efforts and to encourage data leaders to reach out to HR to engage expertise they do not have. 

Transforming Gulf Banks' Human Resources Department

It is easy to mark the beginning of Gulf Bank's data transformation with the hiring, in February 2021, of its first Chief Data Officer, Mai AlOwaish. But the story actually starts much earlier. One of us (Al Hajjaj) joined GB in Feb of 2013, four years after the 2008 crisis in which the bank had to be bailed out by the Central Bank of Kuwait. During the interim, GB made one of the most successful turnarounds in Middle Eastern Banking history.

In doing so, the bank delayed work on technological advancement and digitization, leaving it with a lot of catching up to do. Al Hajjaj's mandate was to prepare the workforce for post "solidification of the balance sheet" transformation. The next era required new mindsets–specifically accepting that transformation was not a luxury but a necessity and embracing it.

Having spent most of her career in HR, Al Hajjaj knew that her biggest challenge lay in getting business leaders to believe that while their deals make the money, the true driver behind performance is people. No matter the deal or project, without the right people-focused culture, success was tenuous. She was also acutely aware that HR departments are stereotypically not very popular. Indeed, few view HR as "partners in change." Note the paradox: If transformation efforts view people as part of the problem, then why do they exclude the "people experts" in HR?  

Al Hajjaj realized that to build credibility, she had to start first with HR. The slogan became "Be the Change." She went so far as to include it in her email signature block and making it her mobile profile pic. She upskilled her team, introducing new HR competencies and the TEA values; trust, empathy and agility.

They would start meetings with "Let's have some TEA this morning" to reinforce the message. Meanwhile, Al Hajjaj spent substantial time aligning the leadership team and establishing credibility that HR could rally the troops and help change the culture. 

A great example of the new way of thinking involved tackling the challenge the consumer banking team faced in recruiting for direct sales jobs. While the job paid well and offered great incentives, locals, the target talent market, viewed it as a door-to-door salesperson, not the prestigious job they wanted. The HR team worked to rename the job and give people greater flexibility in meeting their targets. Then it created a media campaign that repositioned it as a hip, challenging career. The number of applications for direct sales jobs more than tripled.

Beginning in 2019, Al Hajjaj invested in both people and a platform (Tableau) to build data analytics, dashboards, and graphics into HR's everyday work. These capabilities bore fruit in many ways. For example, analytics helped understand nuances of why and where gender imbalances occur on the corporate management ladder, helping it create action plans to drive gender equality. 

Over time, as HR gained credibility with the business leaders, Al Hajjaj and the team were increasingly sought out to support the newly revised bank strategy. Leaders finally understood that people were at the heart of transformation, and if you sought to transform, you needed the expertise of HR to help you do it. By 2020, the bank was making huge strides in regaining market share and began the effort to revamp its systems. 

Data-Driven Transformation

Companies all over the world, and banks especially, are hiring Chief Data Officers. At Gulf Bank, the motivation was several-fold: The need to replace legacy systems, digitize, import and adopt advanced analytics across the bank, and continue to grow. It also knew it couldn't do these things without a greater focus on data and data quality. HR recruitment was tasked with the search for candidates, and Gulf Bank hired Al Owaish in February 2021.

Many data programs are launched with great fanfare, but, with important exceptions, most fail. In recognition of the high failure rate, Raghu Menon, Deputy CEO, charged AlOwaish with first "getting the basics right." Soon thereafter, AlOwaish hired the other of us (Tom, Redman) as an advisor. 

Redman pointed out that although few realize it, most people spend significant parts of their days dealing with mundane data issues: finding and correcting errors, seeking confirmation, rationalizing disparate reports and the like. It is time-consuming, frustrating work.

Fortunately, there is a better way: When people recognize themselves as data customers (e.g., sort out their requirements and make some basic measurements), they can reach out to data creators and work together to identify and eliminate the root causes of such errors. These are the basics Menon demanded. Even better, employees find these roles both transformational and way more fun!  

But how could AlOwaish, and her team of six train and support 1,800? Acting on Redman's advice, AlOwaish proposed a part-time role she called Data Ambassadors, who would reside within departments and teams and lead data efforts at that level. Getting ambassadors signed up, trained, and on task would be her first milestone.  She knew she couldn't do it without help.

AlOwaish had been pleasantly surprised by the active role HR played at the bank. While still new, she conferred with Al Hajjaj regularly to get insights into the culture and advice on how to embark on the transformation. When she presented the notion of ambassadors to HR, all immediately recognized the potential.

As Diyae Sakou, acting head of training at the time, observed,

"Once the AlOwaish showed the responsibilities matrix and I saw ambassadors as embedded champions across departments, I recognized that this is a culture change program and we need to join forces with the data office to achieve success."

HR then worked with Al Owaish to create the desired profile of 'to be' ambassadors to make sure the candidates could become true change agents. Al Owaish presented the approach to the CEO's management committee meeting as the first step in gaining leadership buy-in. She asked General Managers to both sponsor the effort AND name ambassadors. HR and AlOwaish created a buzz through a series of internal communications, such that people wanted to be chosen for this elite assignment. 

AlOwaish had promised ambassadors that they would receive world-class training. She, her team, and Redman worked to develop a powerful three-part program that explained how to become a good data customer, how to become a good data creator, how to measure data quality, and how to improve a process.

Sessions featured real Gulf Bank examples, plenty of discussions, and "on-the-job assignments." Eschewing computer-based training, the sessions were delivered to small groups, largely by AlOwaish and Redman. HR arranged for a symbolic graduation ceremony for ambassadors, attended by the CEO and their managers. This not only served to raise the profile of the ambassadors but to build momentum throughout the bank and celebrate success.

Next, AlOwaish, again with HR's support, launched a data literacy initiative to get every single employee, from front liners to back-office operations, to managers and officers, on board. The HR communication strategy featured branch and area managers talking about their experience with data and the value of the training. Media coverage included teams across all locations to bring the notion of data close to home and make it personal. Most critically, HR added "Data 101" to the new employees' onboarding process. From day one, all new staff become aware of their roles in data quality.

Most Important Takeaways

Two years is far too short a time to claim success in a transformation effort. Plenty can still go wrong. Still, we believe we've put timeless principles of change management into practice, and we think that improves our chances:

• First, and most importantly, getting everyone involved. The training provides "actionable first steps" in the form of on-the-job assignments, which aim to help people improve their work, and the data team helps people do this work as needed. AlOwaish, in particular, is unparalleled at encouraging people, making the work fun, and celebrating small victories.  

• Senior leadership. We've spent considerable effort sharpening the message and helping senior leaders understand and succeed in the vital roles they play. 

• Constant communication: Redman sometimes advises his clients, "To estimate how much time you need to spend on communication, take your first estimate and multiply by ten. Then repeat." Our communications, via both internal and external, are unrelenting.  

• “The Right Team” (senior leaders, data leaders, ambassadors) is in place, and we are building depth. 

• Celebrate success: unlike machines, people need a well-deserved pat on the back every once in a while. Recognizing change agents, especially those early adopters, goes a long way in keeping the momentum going and attracting others to jump on the bandwagon. We work very hard at this.

Final Remarks

Slowly and with great expense and uncertainty, data and technologies that put it to work are invading every company and function therein, transforming them as they do. Perhaps slow pace and uncertainty are no surprise. Too often, data and technology transformers have ignored people, and HR has stayed on the sidelines. It's time they teamed up, put people first, and built a new culture TOGETHER.

HR, in particular, should seek out data leaders, help them understand what transformation requires, play critical roles in aligning data leaders, business owners and the organization at large, and help address the fears that transformation may engender. The opportunity is enormous. As AlOwaish noted, "Asking teams to take responsibility for their own data quality and insights was a major shift of the data culture and practices; partnering with HR was the key to break into the know-how of changing people across the organization"

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Salma Al Hajjaj, GM Human Resources of Kuwait based Gulf Bank specializes in helping organizations execute their strategy through aligning the leadership team and creating a corporate culture  that maximizes the value of their people assets. Salma was named MENA regions’ "HR Executive of the year" in 2014 and is featured in the 2018 Kuwait edition of “Those Who Inspire”.

Dr. Thomas C. Redman, “the Data Doc,” President of Data Quality Solutions, helps start-ups and multinationals; senior executives, Chief Data Officers, and leaders buried deep in their organizations, chart their courses to data-driven futures, with special emphasis on quality and analytics.  Tom’s next book, People and Data: Uniting to Transform Your Business, is available for preorder now. 

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