Step 1: Gather feedback across the firm
Leadership is a key driving force in a work smarter culture. But not just any type of leadership will work.
To begin to understand what can drive productivity, work/life balance and fulfilling tasks, your leadership must be prepared to listen to feedback and ideas from everyone at the firm.
Law firms with a work smarter culture adeptly strike a balance between strong leadership and inclusive management to drive positive change. So, your firm’s leadership should avoid solely relying on top-down directives and should instead consider perspectives from every front of legal service delivery. In particular, legal administrators play a crucial role as agents of change by listening to employees and clients to enhance relationships.
Law firms with a work smarter culture adeptly strike a balance between strong leadership and inclusive management to drive positive change.
Step 2: Identify and prioritize pain points
Once you have refined the process of listening across your firm, the next step should fall seamlessly into place: identifying pain points.
In team conversations, learn what employees are struggling with, including: time-consuming processes, difficulty working across teams, feeling connected to their tasks or even aligning with the firm and its goals.
Legal administrators must collaborate with leadership to stack rank these pain points, ascertaining which can be improved immediately and which will take more time and investment.
Step 3: Evaluate your technology
Over time, it’s possible that your firm has amassed a number of disconnected software platforms to solve your problems. And while this might have worked in the short term, disparate solutions often cause more, and bigger, problems in the long run.
Just like a work smarter culture is holistic, your technology should be as well. Conduct a thorough evaluation to map the different technologies your firm uses and identify their “why.” Establish a baseline for how well they are meeting their intended purpose and look back on the pain points your team shared — are any of these previous solutions causing or aggravating these pain points?
Work with your leadership team or enlist the support of a trusted consultant to help you decide the best tech stack that takes a holistic approach to your business needs and brings you closer to a work smarter culture.
Step 4: Implement a communication plan and change management strategy
Once you have arrived at your work smarter culture plan, it’s crucial that you communicate it to your entire team. Not only will this communication show that you are listening; bringing your team on board will also facilitate change within the firm, getting you to your goals faster.
Your communication plan and change management strategy should include:
Details of the changes you are making and an anticipated timeline to implement
Reasons behind making the change and how you’ll measure its effectiveness
A training schedule, especially if your changes involve new technology
How the firm will use the time and resources recovered to benefit the team
Step 5: Establish a feedback loop
A work smarter culture is not “set it and forget it;” instead, it will evolve as your firm grows, as its needs change and as new team members join. To maintain a work smarter culture, it is imperative that you implement a feedback mechanism that captures both qualitative and quantitative insights.
Use this feedback to continuously evaluate and improve the firm's operations, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.
Creating a work smarter culture involves strategic planning and ongoing efforts. When made a priority, it will produce numerous benefits, including increased productivity, revenue growth and employee and client satisfaction.
Join Circle Management for an ALA Solution Series webcast on June 17 to learn more about a work smarter culture and the best practices you can implement at your firm to achieve your targets.
