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There are so many different theories on how to lead change. Tom Peters says we should not discuss change but organisational revolution (Peters,1991); Chris Argyris talks about change management as flawed advice (Argyris, 1985); Kotter puts forward a top down change transformation process (Kotter, 1995); Beer, Eisnestat and Spectors, discuss a bottom-up process (Eisnestat and Spectors, 1990) and that is just to name a few ways of looking at this aspect of leadership.

With all the talk about generative AI, the impact it will have on people, businesses and industries, I started to think what will be the impact on change management and particularly the role of a change professional? And I realised that change management, like potentially most professional roles, is actually split into two halves with one being science and the other being art. 

Last January, we talked about the three biggest disrupters of our time: technology, UN sustainability goals, and societal shifts. These three disrupters have put us at a cultural crossroads we have not experienced for 100 years. As a result, we need to think differently when it comes to decisions about leading change. The world will not look, feel or be the same in 10 years time – we will not interact and live the same as we do now.

There seems to be a constant debate as to when a change manager should join a project based on the perceptions of what a change manager does. Many change managers feel they are brought onto a change programme only once the programme/project team realise they need to start communicating to the business about the change. The fact of the matter is that...

According to the British Medical Association, the rates of mental illness have been steadily increasing in adults and at an even higher rate for children and young people over the past five years here in the UK. Resilience is often discussed as that aspect of mental health and coping, which is paramount to the ability to spring back during adverse circumstances.

Businesses typically focus on the tasks that are involved in change – creating a project plan, communications, training, etc. They are focused on the tasks of getting things done – ‘if they build it, the people will come’ mentality is typically used. That may have worked well during a time when we could reliably have a reasonable idea what the future might hold, however that is not generally the case anymore.

When we look at the context for change, we many times just look internally at what we think needs to change for whatever reason and then set about making that happen. Rarely do we think about what is going on for the people within the organisation ...

My eldest just left home for University and I have found this change quite difficult and challenging, emotionally, for me.  I wrote an article nearly 10 years ago now, about ceasing the end of having a ‘work identity’ and instead talked about how we need to use our personal identity at work – in other words, be who we are rather than feel we have to be this super human person that has no life outside of work.  And I feel this concept is not only even more important now, after the pandemic, but more accepted, welcomed and encouraged...

"Let me show you the new office!" A Friend Fizzed with pride when it came to giving a preview of the new post-pandemic office layout at her big-name technology company.  What stood out during a short virtual tour was how she was focused solely on the newly configured collaboration and social spaces...

There are two questions, regarding change, that seem to plague quite a lot of people:  “is there a good or bad time for change and is there a good or bad change?” Now it may seem the answers would be quite straight forward , but probably as no surprise the actual answer is “it all depends”...

Many times we talk about resistance – the resistance to change – how we manage it, the reluctance of having to deal with it, the disruption it causes either positively or negatively.  But rarely do we talk about why people are resisting. Taking a people centric approach means looking at resistance to change through a different lens ...

Many times we talk about resistance – the resistance to change – how we manage it, the reluctance of having to deal with it, the disruption it causes either positively or negatively.  But rarely do we talk about why people are resisting. Taking a people centric approach means looking at resistance to change through a different lens ...

If you think about a change that is happening to you, in some way, right now – how are you feeling?  Are you feeling scared, anxious, worried or happy, excited, looking forward to it? The same thing happens with a workplace change.  Some people like the old ways of working because they are use to them,  whereas others are looking forward to the new ways of working ...

Whenever I first meet a potential client or am brought onto a new change project, there are three questions I ask:  why, why now and why should anyone care about your change? ...

Is change your friend or your enemy?  If you are a young person leaving home for the first time and are excited about the prospects of striking out on your own – change is most likely your friend.  But if you are the parent, watching your child leave the nest, and your close protection, then change could very possibly be your enemy ...

What are the constraints, the “ropes”, of organisational change?  They are a mix of the internal and external, the hard and soft – covering everything from industry regulation through to layers of company policy and customary practice, but what’s being constrained? ...

For decades, it has been agreed that change is a constant.  So doesn’t it stand to reason that before a change or crisis happens, an organization should have the ability/resilience to transform? ...

To really invoke change and enable people to adopt to a new way of working, this paper highlights the role of communication, what is change management and gives a demonstration of the ABChange model which enables leaders to manager their people effectively through change ...

For the future workplace, I started to think that leaders and managers may not only need to look to define boundaries from a task perspective, but also in a behavioural and personality arena ...

For well over 100 years, the workplace and environment in which we work has constantly evolved along with the skills required by managers and leaders of organisations. I have argued in this article that we can confidently anticipate that employees will be motivated
by methods that involve the whole person, not just one aspect of them as people ...

The ABChange Model doesn't tell leaders how to lead change - it shows them how to lead change effectively.  When faced with company upheavals and external re-modelling, such clarity is invaluable ...