Driving organisational and technological change in public transport

In my experience, it seems to be part of human nature to find problems in solutions and have solutions become problems.

The need for change in the transport industry has rarely been as obvious as it is now, with disruptors to traditional business models everywhere. Take Thomas Cook, for example, a company that didn’t really innovate or adapt to the changing market it was operating in; it ended up paying for it with the livelihoods of almost its entire workforce.

Generation Z and millennials have forced organisations to change because they’re more willing to explore their options and do things for themselves. Public transport organisations wonder why there aren’t more people using public transport; it isn’t just going to happen – the industry has to remove its blinkers and innovate wherever possible to encourage people.

There is no time to lose for public transport companies. There are too many instances of passive management making investments – in corporate away days or consultants, for example – just to be seen to be doing something by their superiors, rather than considering whether they’re actually necessary.

In some cases, it might already be too late; I’ve worked with companies whose management confess to being slow followers and adopters of technology rather than trendsetters or innovators. In these situations, where there’s no momentum for change from the top, you find that there are a lot of people that have an opinion on it but aren’t senior enough to affect change.

Across industries, but particularly in public transport where the pace of change has traditionally been slow, there’s a certain momentum needed to facilitate innovation throughout an organisation; it starts at the top with the CEO or the board and filters down, but that filtering process can also act as a brake on momentum. With all types of change, leaders have to use momentum to their advantage, not allow it to be slowed, and take their teams on the journey with them.

Communication is vital in this process; if employees have a top-down view of the plan from the beginning and have their concerns allayed throughout, it is much simpler to affect lasting, positive change. Management need to have ambassadors on side to help reinforce the message that technological change is good – without these aides, it is impossible to be innovative.
In transport, it’s routine to have people on the workforce that have been at an organisation for decades who have always done things a certain way. It is natural that these people resist change, and important for management to realise that; they’re not being stubborn or closed minded, their resistance is borne from anxiety. New blood and ambassadors for change can help break that resistance down.

Breaking down the resistance

There are a swathe of organisations across public transport that insist they want change, but when you meet with them, you realise they have built up an immune system against it.

In some cases, the easiest thing is to lead on their behalf and show them what they’re missing. Sometimes, we need to relinquish control before we realise that our actions are holding us back, and that’s the case in a lot of public transport companies.

It can be a painstaking process to get this message across, but the most straightforward approach is to be open and direct; talk about what you do and don’t like, what your organisation must have and must avoid.

In terms of the current mobility marketplace, public transport is the incumbent – but incumbent shouldn’t necessarily have a negative connotation. Other sectors see public transport as slow-moving and slow-changing – an industry to be survived rather than enjoyed. It’s clear to see that some PT organisations have bought into that mindset themselves, but they cannot afford to let it begin to affect their key performance indicators and, ultimately, their customers.

Learning from other sectors

Introducing change to public transport can be like trying to climb Everest in flip flops. When I take on interim management jobs outside of mobility, it’s as much about learning what not to do as it is learning what to do from sectors outside transport.

It’s not always possible, of course, but when there’s a director at the top level that has worked their way up within an organisation, there tends to be more of a sense urgency to make change happen.

Methods and approach

I’m Dutch, born and raised in Rotterdam and living in The Hague. Whenever I’m in another country, the perception of me as a Dutchman is that I’m direct – and that is the case; it’s one of the key traits that an interim manager – or any manager – needs to have.

In management, you need to not only be able to solve conflicts but actually raise them – and do so in the right way. It begins with identifying what is wrong, but identification is pointless if you cannot then talk about the problems. Talking about a problem is crucial, but just as crucial is enforcing the message that talking idoesn’t have to equate to immediately finding a solution – that can come later.

The most important question to ask is ‘what went wrong?’ – there’s no judgement in it, just an invitation for all parties to take part in the conversation. The best way to approach problems is to be yourself and encourage others to do the same. It is a cliché, but it’s a cliché for a reason and eliminates pretence and, to some degree, prejudice.

Enthusiasm is also hugely important – enthusiasm about a product, an assignment, whatever it might be. Bringing the right attitude to a conversation sets the tone in the right way – it can be infectious. A good manager should be able to inject life into a meeting and hold the attention of their staff, making them feel they’re part of the discussion.

Stick to your guns

Throughout any process of change, those attempting to drive progress need to stand by their principles. At times, it might seem easier to agree with the majority when you’re in the minority, but doing so will only prevent progress. For management, there needs to be a good balance between work life and private life, or they risk becoming worn down by the hurdles they’re facing professionally, potentially then acquiescing to ideas that don’t align with their beliefs.

Within this, of course, is the mandate from a CEO, but in order to carry it out in a successful way, a manager needs to have their back covered by that person. It’s a two-way relationship; a manager can report back to the CEO with their findings about how things are operating within their organisation on a very granular level, but to make progress and instigate change, they need to be backed up. 

Biography

Daan Breukhoven, 36, is among the youngest interim managers in mobility. A millennial hired to encourage change or solve crises, he is fairly impatient but also resilient and driven, with a creative and persistent approach to problem solving. He has an educational background in corporate psychology and is also registered as a court-certified mediator for B2B conflicts.