Unlocking Change Potential: Fostering Collaboration for Organizational Success

This event, tailored for practitioners seeking to excel in organizational change offers a blend of interactive discussion and expert presentations. Participants will gain invaluable insights and tools to drive successful change initiatives within their organizations. The event will provide first-hand updates on the latest research findings and best practices in change management derived from a two year British Academy funded research project by Dr Danielle Tucker in partnership with Inoapps Limited. From exploring innovative decision-making frameworks to fostering collaborative relationships, participants will learn about actionable strategies to navigate the complexities of organizational change effectively. Interactive panel sessions will offer opportunities for peer learning and knowledge exchange, allowing practitioners to gain practical insights and solutions to common challenges. Whether you're a seasoned change leader or just embarking on your journey, this event offers a transformative learning experience designed to unlock your organization's full change potential and drive tangible results.

1. Unlocking Change Potential: Fostering Collaboration for Organizational Success Unlocking Change Potential: Fostering Collaboration for Organizational Success Essex Business School, University of Essex 25 th June 2024

2. Unlocking Change Potential: Fostering Collaboration for Organizational Success Research Findings: Developing a change agent decision tool [email protected] Essex Business School, University of Essex Dr Danielle A Tucker

3. We studied the experiences of change agents – defined as any employees who are tasked with leading the implementation of organisational change. Many different types of change agents exist in organisations, many supporting change in conjunction with other full time roles. Change Agents Leading Change Examples of role titles: Change Advocates Change Champions Divisional Project Manager Programme Manager Project Officer Director of Integrated Solutions Project Analyst Change Co-Ordinator Subject Matter Expert Operational lead Project Manager

4. Lived Experience of Change Agents Experiences of Change Leaders High level of task complexity, with lots of unanticipated work Wide variety of (unrealistic) role expectations from within the organisation P oorly defined roles and/or lack of job description. Often a new role with no handover or precedent. Leadership without defined reporting structures or lines of accountability B urden of work intensification as change evolves or escalates during implementation A context where priorities and resources for change were ever-changing. O rganisational misconception and oversimplification of the use of change agents 4

5. Implications of poor change agent support Implications

6. 1 2 3 4 Online portal with algorithm to identify the optimum Change Agent profile for your organisation Recommendations: Selection Role Profile Responsibilities Support Structure Action Plan: Report to implement the recommendations Inoapps and client discussion to develop change management plan TOOLKIT RECAP CHANGE AGENT

7. For Consultants: deeper understanding of the importance of change agents Discussion of tool questions with the client representatives revealed more about the client organisation to the consultant a conduit for solidifying the importance of change agents in the negotiation with client representatives For Clients: better understanding of the resourcing needed to manage change revealed points of conflict and different views within the change team and senior leaders that they were previously unaware of. like being part of something new and innovative and backed by science Where is the value in the Change Agent Decision Tool (CADT)?

8. A Change Agency Approach A change agency approach places an emphasis on understanding the experience of change agents and identifying what training and other requirements are needed for the role to be effective

9. Individual outcomes Organisational outcomes Change manager wellbeing Less stress and burnout Organisational capability for future change Better understanding of change manager role (by senior leaders) Less change agent role ambiguity Change managers proactively engage with their role (job crafting) Better able to recruit the right people to be change managers Change manager feels they have more alignment between career goals and current role A Change Agency Approach to Change Provide more effective training for change managers that is more specific to their needs More effective group leadership of change managers – providing appropriate level of ongoing support Change manager develops unique skills, expertise that can support future change projects Current change project runs smoothly Change manager develops unique skills, expertise that can support their employability

10. Workshop: How much are you thinking about change agent experience?

11. Work in pairs or small groups on your table Discussion Questions What perspective do I want my change agents to bring to the role? What level do I want them to work at to create change? What role do I want my agent to play? What personal attributes, experience and knowledge do they need?

12. Activity

13. New book - 2024 By Danielle A Tucker (EBS) Stefano Cirella (EBS) Paul R Kelly (EBS)

14. How do you manage organizational change?

15. Key theme: Change Makers Change Makers, change from the middle How to do change What doing change does

16. Book Chapters Part I - The strategic context of change  Chapter 1: An Introduction: What Is Change & Why Do It?  Chapter 2: Traditional Theories of Change: An Overview  Chapter 3: Strategy and the External Environment Part II - An approach based on change makers  Chapter 4: Change Makers and Change Agents Chapter 5: Perspectives on Digital Transformation  Chapter 6: Change & Voice: Inclusivity, Equality & Diversity  Part III - Current issues on change  Chapter 7: Leadership and Organizational Change  Chapter 8: Power & Resistance in Organizational Change  Chapter 9: Change and Creativity: Collective Creativity  Chapter 10: Change & Innovation: Collaborative Models  Chapter 11: Evaluating Change: From Metrics to Networks  Chapter 12: Learning, Collaboration & Knowledge Sharing 

17. Some highlights …

18. Book Cover From Linear Change To Complex Change A “ Murmuration ” Giorgio Parisi | Nobel Prize | 2021 Flocks are “complex systems” “… the impression that one has is that birds are turning as a flock, but the reality is that some birds start to turn in advance and the others follow.”

19. Voice, Inclusion, Resistance What is Voice? Inclusion, spaces, support What is Resistance? Just bad guys fighting? Who is right? Leaders, Workers, CMs? What is Fair and Ethical business practice?

20. Collective Creativity People & Interactions as the basis for sustaining creativity Individual, Group, Organizational creativity Collective creativity - across many roles, many tasks, many activities

21. Collaboration, Innovation & Learning Innovation paradigms Range of change makers Open Innovation User Lead Innovation Design-driven  Meaning Organizational learning Internal & External collaborators Balancing what works & new ideas

22. Digital Transformation Digitization, Digitalization, Digital Transformation Technology Evolution - Perfect Change Plans, Utopia! Socio-technical change – People & Technologies Design, Implementation & After That Socio-digital Transformation

23. Power & Resistance Who or what has power? Is it evil & destructive? Or productive & empowering? Is power just the boss & budget, or in work norms & data? Is resistance a problem? Is it just “them”, “over there”? Or is it an opportunity? To listen & drive deeper change? “ The fundamental concept in social science is power , in the same sense in which energy is the fundamental concept in physics.” Bertrand Russell, 1938. 

24. Evaluation – Metrics & Networks How do we evaluate change? Innovations, Formative, Summative, Impacts? The Iron Triangle, KPIs, Metrics Stakeholders, p olitics, Power, Inclusion

25. Some questions you may have … How do we identify & train change agents? How can they work in teams, with technologies? How do we transform resistance into effective change? How do we hear people’s voices & respond during change? How do we innovate with creativity? How do we monitor and evaluate successes & failures? How do we collaborate and share knowledge? Are there cases, models, tips & dilemmas to learn from?

26. Thank you! Organizational Change Management, Danielle Tucker, Stefano Cirella, Paul R Kelly Sage Publications, 2024. Any Questions?

27. Contact Information: Dr Danielle A Tucker Reader in Management EBS Director of Impact and Enterprise Essex Business School (EBS) University of Essex Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, CO4 3SQ [email protected] https://www.essex.ac.uk/people/TUCKE64400/Danielle-Tucker