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UK big business failing to cope with change     New research has found that many UK companies are failing to achieve benefits from their change programmes, despite investing millions in the hope of finding more efficient ways of working.       The survey, commissioned by programme and project management advisory specialists Moorhouse and the Financial Times, found that less than 20% of respondents believed their organisations     consistently delivered the efficiencies they sought, and that fundamental barriers existed – such as lack of organisational buy-in, unclear goals, and insufficient skills – preventing them from getting optimal value from their change initiatives.       Bob Hendicott of Moorhouse said: “There is a long list of things companies get wrong when it comes to managing their organisational change. There appears to     only 16% felt their approaches were effective.”       The research, which gathered the thoughts of 150 leaders from the UK private and public sectors, also revealed that while 37% of board members believe their organisations regularly deliver the planned benefits, only 5% of middle management agreed with them.       Hendicott concluded: “Interestingly, the public sector was ahead     of the private sector when it came to establishing a benefits realisation management (BRM) framework and language, but had a poorer view of its capability to deliver. At Moorhouse, we see benefits neglected or lost all too often in clients’ change programmes, and companies are unnecessarily losing the value that change can bring.”     be a significant disconnect between what leaders want to achieve and the capability and investment needed to deliver it, and too many organisations determine end goals working from the ‘bottom up’ rather than aligning change with their strategic goals. Half of the survey respondents had no formal framework in place to manage the benefits of change and

Environment Agency partners with Capgemini for a green IT contract     The Environment Agency of England and Wales has chosen Capgemini to provide the partial outsourcing of IT services under a new seven-year IT service contract which aims to be the greenest in government. It should see the Environment Agency reduce IT carbon emissions by around 50% within the next few years.       Environmental considerations have been at the core of the design of the service – from the production and transportation of hardware, to energy savings for each end-user. Further green measures will include reduction, reuse and recycling of hardware, while all disposals will     be done under strict Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations. It is the first time that such a comprehensive set of green measures has been formally set within a UK IT contract. It is widely accepted that IT usage globally contributes to 2% of the total carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to that usually attributed to aviation. For these reasons, the Environment Agency has contracted with Capgemini to ensure that this service can be reused by Government and other public-sector organisations.       In designing a framework with environmental measures, such as equipment purchase, its delivery     performance which we hope that other public-sector organisations and businesses would wish to reflect.”       He added: “The real message of success is that a green IT contract can be frugal, cost-effective and environmentally beneficial. The Environment Agency is not only reducing its carbon emissions, it’s also saving money in the long term. We will effectively do more for less.”       Vice president and member of the Capgemini Group Executive Committee Christine Hodgson said: “We are proud to have won this important contract on     the strength of the value of our proposition to the Environment Agency and our commitment to sustainable IT. We believe this contract should become a benchmark that will shape and influence how other organisations in the public and private sectors adopt sustainable IT as a business benefit, and that where the Environment Agency has led, others will inevitably follow.”       With much of the Environment Agency’s existing IT provision reaching the end of its useful lifecycle, this contract means that the organiSation will be more efficient and flexible in meeting its     and use on the desk, through to its ultimate disposal, built in from the outset, the total cost of IT purchase and operation should be reduced. The result is that public-sector organisations and businesses can not only improve their environmental performance, but also can make long-term cost savings.       Graham Ledward, director of resources at the Environment Agency, said: “This contract not only aims to exceed the Government’s sustainable IT targets, it also sets a high standard for environmental

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