When introducing change in your organisation, sometimes the impact of that change may not be so obvious. Without doubt it holds true that the more changes you work on and introduce the more you understanding the ripple effects of the change you are introducing. This why impacts are more broader than the behavioural change that is required. The broader the net the easier it is to enact the required change activities to support those who need it and to address the changes required. 

Connected thinking is necessary to develop and will develop over time if you learn from implementing change. A combination of various contracts in my career in various industries, introducing various changes built my ability to think differently about change impacts. There was a sense of similarity but also a respect for the connectedness in organisations which mean that the connection points were to be identified and included in change plans.

This is in sync with the concept of the butterfly effect....

Organisational agility is not just about changing, it is about changing FAST! But how do you develop organisational agility at speed?

To transform the ways of working and achieve true agility you need a Transformation program which is focused on delivering the change. Key elements of this program would include the following:

1) Land on an agreed definition. This is important more than ever, as everyone has different ideas about what AGILITY means or looks like. Agreeing on a shared vision will assist bring it to life. Define AGILITY in real terms. Even more importantly it is always good to have measurable outcomes lined up with AGILITY. Does this mean delivering on continuous improvement projects faster? Does it mean improving customer satisfaction rates in two areas that relate specifically to agility? And then what are the success measures across the organisation. You can define them and create an 'agility' rating or dashboard showing progress across the organisation. Remember...

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...

In this episode of Next Level Change Success,  we covered the dynamic duo of the Change Diamond of Program Effectiveness. Project Management and Change Management - the Yin and the Yang. There are a number of areas we explore on this topic.

What are the resource requirements and how do you get the right balance? What does Project Management cover vs. Change Management? And I talk about the importance of getting the right people for the right role, which is a shared challenge. However regardless of the resourcing mix, the functions and activities that Project Management covers, and what Change Management covers, mix to be a powerful combination to support your investment in projects and programs.

So when your organisation is investing money into projects and changes, the investment into the right capability mix to support the delivery and ultimately the adoption of the change is key to achieve outcomes.

Have a listen to the full Episode on Apple Podcasts here or on Spotify here....

We are nearing the festive break, and even I have some favourite posts from this year (and it isn't even over yet).

Here are some of the posts I think were the best this year:

The environment in organisations that contributes to effective change. We covered the change ecosystem in organisations.

A roadmap to building Change maturity in an organisation

Some of the critical things you need to set up your change leaders for success

This year we also kicked off our podcast - Next Level Change success.

You can check it out on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!

Happy reading and listening....

In this episode, we cover off a critical aspect of change - change leadership. From why is the change leadership training in high demand right now down to the importance of change leadership and the seven traits of an effective change leader. Whilst listening to this episode, think about those who are really great change leaders - do they share these traits?

Listen here on Apple podcasts.

1.30 Topic of today is about change leadership in organisations

2.30 Why is the demand so high now? We cover why the demand is high due to global factors and other things. We cover off the different factors which have conrtributed to the greater demand for change leadership skills. These are multi-faceted.

7.15 Treatment of people through the last couple of years for some organisations has deepened loyalty.

9.45 How change leadership is different to good leadership. It is the evolution of leadership to meet the requirement to continually lead your team through change.

10.27 The first trait...

In this Episode we discuss where a Change function should sit in any operating model and why.

We discuss change management maturity and answer one of the most frequently asked questions - where should the change function sit in an organisation?

Listen to the episode on either:

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Episode highlights
1.20  One of the most asked questions
2.22  The change roadmap which can at first be by accident or as a result of program failure
3.16  Next step to establish and commit to change as a function
3.56  There is change in the program context as well as in the organisational context
4:40  Learning and capability development around change management and change leadership
6.46  Where the function should sit and what other functions should also be in the area
8.22  Important that People and Culture teams embrace the capability and then work well with their change partners in the other areas
9.50  Change practice...

Organisations are at a crossroads, facing decisions regarding the future ways of working. One option is to try to go back to the way things were, another is to take the opportunity and reimagine the ways of working.

In many ways if considering ways to reimagine the ways of working, there are many opportunities which could result in innovation. From an organisational change perspective, there are new challenges to introducing change in times such as these.

Here are some highlights:

2:05    Shout out to all frontline workers and for carrying our communities during the pandemic

3:30     Therese discusses how different industries face different challenges

4:40     Therese discusses the Microsoft Annual Work Trend Index report for 2022.          

5:10     The Changing priority of health over work

6:05 Management challenges in engagement and organisations...

Change is becoming even more important to implement well and effectively in organisations. One of the challenges facing Change practitioners today however, is how to achieve cut through in a hybrid working world. Add to this the 'noise' that can exist from day to day.  

Managing Change in a virtual world or one where there is a hybrid of working types (in the office and at home) means spending more time in some areas that were potentially taken for granted before. For example coaching Change Sponsors on effective communication techniques, ensuring technology is available that supports communication in various ways, and achieving cut through via multi-channel interventions are just some of the ways organisational change managers will need to adapt.

In some organisations, investment has been made in various technology platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, GoTo Webinar. However that is just investment in the enabler.  It will take time and practice to develop...