Artificial Intelligence (AI) - everyone is talking about it. I recently recorded an Episode in Next Level Success covering this very topic, providing ways in which you can leverage AI. But let's bridge the gap between talking about it conceptually and how it can be used in a practical sense.  And the first major insight is that the more you use it, the more you will work on asking quality questions. The better the questions you ask, the better the output. The second main consideration is that the combination of your input and the AI generated output will always mean you will end up with better information.

Also I will allay your fears which may have been created by watching War Games, Terminator or the Matrix (does that age me?), the machines will not replace us! We are simply challenged to advance ourselves in line with the technology available to us. Let's face it, if my parents can text, Facetime and use What's app, then anyone can at least have a play with ChatGPT. 

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It's quite the catch phrase and now more than ever talked about - psychological safety. But what is psychological safety all about and why is it needed to be able to facilitate change? Psychological safety, as defined by Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson, refers to "a shared belief held by members of a team that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking." Let's explore it further and the link between psychological safety and the ability to embrace change in an organisation, drawing insights from Amy Edmondson and other experts in the field.

Understanding Psychological Safety

Psychological safety forms the foundation for effective teamwork, collaboration, and innovation. It creates an environment where individuals feel comfortable taking risks, sharing ideas, and expressing their concerns without fear of negative consequences. Amy Edmondson's extensive research has highlighted the importance of psychological safety in fostering a culture of learning and...

There are so many elements to consider when recruiting your change team. We have written about the resourcing models and the things to consider when looking at resourcing your change team but what about the recruitment process. You can go through the motions, advertise, interview, appoint. And the more you do it maybe the better you will get at it. After all that has some sense of legitimacy in its approach, after all practice makes perfect doesn't it? Well I am here to tell you that practice in fact doesn't make perfect. In fact repetition alone will not guarantee success, and when you are recruiting for a major transformation you need a strategy to make it work.

So here are the key tips to consider

1. Be clear on the role your team plays in the organisation: There is a difference between recruiting for a team who is a 'Centre of Excellence' and focuses on coaching ways of working as opposed to a team who is supporting delivery. And then there is the hybrid approach which does...

As organisations face efficiency and profit challenges, there are more demands being placed on teams. Of course technology plays a big part in efficient delivery of products and services by teams, and this has seen the evolution of agile ways of working. However when looking to introduce change, efficiency takes a different meaning. It is more about the effectiveness of the individuals coming together to work on delivering it. How can they be more efficient and what can they do to become a high performing team? This is where the concept of 'teaming' comes into it. In agile frameworks the result of good teaming is improved velocity, in change it is achieving the outcomes you desired in a shorter period of time. But what does this concept of 'teaming' actually involve? And how does it contribute to creating high-performing teams?

What is Teaming?

Teaming is not just about grouping people together and hoping for the best. It's a dynamic process where individuals come together, often...

Complex change normally takes the form of large IT transformations or changes to the strategic direction and identity of an organisation. The complexity comes with multiple streams of work, all which bring change, are often all impacting the same group, at various degrees and at different times. Depending in the size and span of your organisation and impact on processes, the scale of change can result in a need to simplify the story of change so engagement from both leaders and frontline employees is high all the way through. 

The other aspect of a complexity measure is baed in the risk exposure for the organisation. In simple terms, it is a matter of answering the question 'how much can the organisation afford to have this program fail?' For transformations, the risk is higher than other changes due to level of investment and reputational risk - to possible shareholders and external stakeholders is high.

So what are some actions you should take when facing complex change?

1. ...

In the previous post we explored some of the aspects of popular change models, but today in Part 2 we are going to take you through the questions you should ask BEFORE you start looking at your change model options. It could save you time, money and effort!

Unfortunately in many organisations, people jump to solutions too fast, attracted by the 'shiny,shiny' aspect rather than following a thought process where options are considered.

1) Are you clear on what problem you are trying to solve? 

This is one of my favourite questions by far. And I ask this often, when I am invited to meetings where a decision has been made yet there seems to be confusion about what the purpose of the new product, process or policy is. Be clear on what problem or problems you are looking to solve with the introduction of a change model. It could be increasing staff engagement, improving strategic decision making by better understanding impacts of changes being introduced, or achieving...

It is NAIDOC week and the theme this week is 'For our Elders'. For those who know us and work with us, we acknowledge and respect the First Nations people of Australia, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who own this land that we walk on.

This year's theme is an important one, and a reminder about the wisdom of the Elders. The NAIDOC website has more information about this years theme.At myvirtualchangemanager we would like to celebrate NAIDOC week and acknowledge the Elders, past, present and emerging.

Check out some of the official events here.

The truth is that when it comes to change models, there is a lot to consider. The reason why a model or way of working through change is important, is because a consistent approach and common language will assist in being able to generate important strategic inputs into your organisation's strategy. Without consistent practices or a common approach across your organisation, however you will find it impossible to ever create an Enterprise view of change. But why does that matter? For medium to larger organisations this 'ask' comes to the fore often when there is a lot of transformational work underway and risks aren't being managed well across all of those areas. So better to set yourself up for success if you are in a medium to large enterprise.

Over the years, several change management models and methodologies have been developed to provide a structured approach to navigating organisational transitions. In this blog post, we will delve into four popular change management models,...