Organisations in every sector are changing faster than their habits can follow. New systems, mergers, restructuring, digital working and shifting funding conditions all demand that people behave differently, and behaviour is shaped by culture as much as by instruction. Studies of change programmes repeatedly point to the same causes of disappointment: weak sponsorship, poor engagement and neglect of the informal organisation.

This programme sets out the best practices that experienced change and OD practitioners rely on. Participants start by clarifying the case for change and diagnosing the current culture, then move into stakeholder analysis, impact assessment and readiness checks. The middle of the week covers planning and leading change: sponsor roles, communication strategy, change agent networks, training and managing resistance. The final sessions turn to organisational development in the wider sense, looking at structure, team and leadership development, and how performance management and rewards either support or undermine new behaviours.

Participants apply every concept to a change they are facing or have recently lived through. They finish with a practical change plan and a way of tracking adoption that senior colleagues can understand.

On completion, participants will be able to:

• Compare leading change models and select an approach that fits the situation.
• Diagnose organisational culture using surveys, interviews and observation.
• Carry out stakeholder analysis and change impact assessments.
• Prepare sponsorship, communication and engagement plans for a change programme.
• Respond constructively to resistance and change fatigue.
• Align structure, roles, performance management and rewards with desired behaviours.
• Define and track measures of adoption and sustained change.

The programme is for people who plan, lead or support organisational change, including:

• HR business partners and heads of HR
• Organisational development and learning practitioners
• Change managers and transformation office staff
• Heads of department leading restructuring or system adoption
• Project managers who deliver changes affecting staff
• Internal and external consultants
• Senior officers in public service reform units
• NGO and foundation managers going through growth or merger

Participants take away:

• A change impact assessment for a real initiative from their workplace.
• A stakeholder map with engagement actions for each group.
• A culture diagnostic outline they can run with their own teams.
• A communication plan with messages, channels and timing.
• A set of adoption measures to report to sponsors.
• Guidance on handling resistance conversations with confidence.

The programme is interactive and anchored in participants' own organisations. Learning methods include:

• Concise explanations of models, followed immediately by application
• A personal change case that each participant develops throughout the week
• Role plays of difficult stakeholder and resistance conversations
• Group critiques of change communications from real organisations
• Peer feedback sessions and facilitator coaching on draft plans

Participants who take part fully and complete their change plan exercises are issued with a Certificate of Completion by Vision Reach Global Consultancy, accredited for continuing professional development.