When you may need me
For your change to be successful you need the willing cooperation of people outside your authority. You’ve organised meetings and workshops, spoken energetically at every opportunity and written until blue in the pen. But stuff isn’t happening.
You feel that, despite doing the right things, it’s hard to make change stick. The unexpected too often causes delay. Traditional, programmatic approaches seem too hard. Business cases look unrealistically ambitious and depend too much on hand-wavy assumptions about “culture change”. Things are just too unclear, too complex.
You may be using agile methods but progress is slow because your wider organisation isn’t very agile. Maybe there is too much emphasis on technology. You sense a lack of connection between those creating new capabilities and those who use or support them. Perhaps there is conflict.
What I do
I support organisational change programmes. I work on business change, technology reform and digital transformation; which I also write and speak about. Typical engagements range from a few days on something specific to longer periods providing more general support.
My skills are in...
Change strategy - I work with management teams and individuals to develop ideas, approaches and behaviours that bring about genuine change in complex, uncertain situations.
Communication - I write things, create presentations and make videos that explain complicated stuff simply and capture imaginations.
Facilitation - I run events, workshops and conferences in inventive ways that connect and inspire people. (Without yoga, eye-closing or hand-holding.)
What you get
What you get depends on the situation. I cook from fresh.
This case study is typical...
Here are some other examples in each of my areas of specialism...
Change Strategy
Four Ex Model
A government organisation I worked with was struggling to get innovations into operation effectively. I found that the problem was the model of delivery; so I developed a new one – which I called the Four Ex Model. They liked it. And it fixed things.
Communication
Gubbins of Government
There was confusion about the future architecture of government services. I made a video called the Gubbins of Government. It went viral. People were less confused. And many were delighted. I am often asked to speak about it.
Facilitation
Digital Women Unconference
Digital Leaders were seeking an alternative approach to a significant meeting - their Digital Women Unconference. I had persuaded the team that an unconference style would be appropriate and ran the event in a format known as "World Cafe". It turned in to a great big buzz of a meeting. See this I wrote afterwards: We should talk more with each other
What I get
What I get is the satisfaction of using my skills and everything else that I am to enable others to make progress in tough situations. I like helping people and the acknowledgement that comes from it. With luck, I get to make a living as well.
Ultimately...
Change is very much easier when the people involved understand and believe in what is happening. Get this right… and useful stuff just starts to happen.