“What is always remarkable is Milly’s abilities to understand the culture she is working in, and to remain resilient yet sympathetic when people resist the direction that the organisation is moving in, thus helping them through.”
Chris Goscombe: Head of People Management: Easyjet
A systemic approach to change
My considerable experience as a change facilitator has taught me that any “change process” will only be effective if all those involved – the people initiating the change, those implementing it and the employees affected by it – are engaged in the process.
Sessions are offered to three groups of participants:
- The executives and senior managers who are the agents and initiators of the proposed change (two-hour executive briefing)
- The middle managers and supervisors who will implement the proposed change to their teams (one-and-a-half day’s training; one day possible)
- The staff who will be directly affected by the change and who will put it into practice (one day’s training; half day possible)
What are the benefits?
Building the skills of “change leadership” in your organisation will have a tremendous impact on the results you achieve.
Ernst and Young conducted a study of 584 global companies and found that an integrated approach to change was fundamental to success. The results proved that a training programme closely aligned with a change initiative makes all the
difference to an organisation’s success.
A systemic process ensures that all those influencing and affected by the change are clear about what is occurring and their role within it.
Senior managers and change initiators will have:
- An understanding of how change affects the system as a whole
- Strategies to communicate to staff the internal and external forces behind a change and the consequences of
not changing - An understanding of “change resistance” and how to overcome it
- Strategies for guiding people at all levels of the organisation to help themselves and others through
the resulting challenges
Managers will have:
- An appreciation of how change affects the system as a whole
- An understanding of their role within the change process
- Knowledge of the internal and external forces behind a change
- A role in influencing the implementation of the change and strategies to involve others in implementing the change
- Strategies for dealing with resistance and skills to build employee commitment to new ideas and methods
- A support network through being part of an Action Learning set (click on Action Learning for more information)
General staff will have:
- A better understanding of the reasons behind a change and an ability to
embrace it in order to sustain organisational success - Decreased resistance to new ideas and approaches, and a higher degree of initial commitment
- A role in influencing the design of a change
- Strategies to strengthen their own resilience in the face of difficult changes
Organisations
The following organisations have employed my services as a change facilitator:
Oxford University Press
I am in the process of working with OUP through a time of systemic change as the organisation embraces global markets and becomes more digitised. To date, I have worked with around 450 employees at all levels of the organisation from general
staff to board members and managing directors.
Oxford City Homes
From electricians to directors, I have facilitated staff at all levels of this organisation as their venue changed and they looked for more “joined up” ways of working together.
Bodleian Library FacilitiesTeam
I worked with all levels of the Facilities Team as they made changes to their roles within the organisation, and helped facilitate other teams as they moved premises.
Bodleian Book and Paper Conservation Team
I worked alongside staff at all levels of this team as they moved from working in separate small team “silos” to collaborating in an open-plan office.
Kensington and Chelsea Parking
From parking wardens to directors, all levels of this large council department (250 employees) were helped by my company Creative Edge through a period of transition that involved changes in role, painful job cuts and a change of premises.
Feedback
“I felt I had an excellent action plan to take back to my team after the first day. I was so reassured that I had completed nearly all of it by the second day follow-up. My whole team are now more engaged in the whole process and the
Action Learning set I’m still part of is giving me continued peer support.”
Senior Manager, Bodleian Libraries
“I found the whole organisational approach to change, which gave us a shared understanding of a change process, really useful. I found thinking of ways to empower my team to become part of the change process really helpful.”
Manager, Oxford City Homes
“An excellent course provided in a relaxed and informative manner. Presenter was not only engaging and knowledgeable, but was also individually supportive.”
Senior Manager, Oxford University Press
“This was by far the best, most practical and immediately usable course I’ve been on during my 20 years working with the library!”
Manager, Oxford University Libraries
