Change Management Insights

Ever heard of the Lippitt-Knoster Model for Managing Complex Change? It's a classic in the change management world, laying out the essential pieces needed to navigate big transformations. Taking a cue from that, I've adapted it to fit the world of digital transformation. There are seven key elements you can't afford to miss: Vision, Strategy, Objectives, Capabilities, Architecture, Roadmap, and Projects & Programs. Skip any one of these, and you're asking for trouble. Here’s why each one matters: • 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: This is the 'what' of your transformation. A clear vision gives everyone a target to aim for, aligning all efforts and keeping the team focused. • 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲: Think of this as the 'why' and 'how.' A solid strategy explains the logic behind your vision, showing how you plan to get there and why it's the best route. It’s designed to guide everyone in the company on how to make decisions that support the vision, aligning all efforts and keeping the team focused. • 𝐎𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬: These are your milestones. Clear, specific objectives make it easy to measure success and ensure everyone knows what's important. Without them, you can easily veer off course and waste resources. • 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬: These are what your company will now be able to do that it wasn't able to before in order to achieve the objectives. These can be organizational capabilities (like improved decision-making), technical capabilities (such as real-time operational visibility), or other types like enhanced customer engagement or streamlined processes. • 𝐀𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞: A robust architecture ensures all your tech works together smoothly, preventing inefficiencies and costly headaches. This includes various types of architecture such as data architecture, IT infrastructure architecture, enterprise architecture, and functional architecture. Effective architecture is central to reducing technical debt and aligning software with broader business transformation goals. • 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐩: Your roadmap is the game plan. It lays out the sequence of actions, helping you avoid uncertainty and missteps. It's your guide to getting things done right. • 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 & 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬: These are where the rubber meets the road. Actionable projects and programs turn your strategy into reality, making sure your plans lead to real, tangible outcomes. From my experience, I think '𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬' and '𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐩' are the two most overlooked. What do you think? ******************************************* • Follow #JeffWinterInsights to stay current on Industry 4.0 and other cool tech trends • Ring the 🔔 for notifications!

Too often, I see organizations treat change management like a box to check. A big announcement, a training session, and then done. But real change doesn’t work that way. True transformation requires: – Ongoing assessment – Adaptation – Reinforcement Without continuous effort, old habits creep back in, resistance builds, and the change fades. Here’s what effective change management looks like: ✅ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 → People need clarity, not just at the start but throughout the process. ✅ 𝐎𝐧𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 → Training once isn’t enough. Reinforcement helps teams adapt and sustain new behaviors. ✅ 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐬 → Success isn’t set in stone. Organizations must listen, measure progress, and adjust as needed. ✅ 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 → Real change becomes part of how a company operates, not just a project with an end date. If you want change to last, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭. The best organizations don’t just manage change. They embrace it as a way of working.

My AI lesson of the week: The tech isn't the hard part…it's the people! During my prior work at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), we talked a lot about how any technology, whether a new drug or a new vaccine or a new information tool, would face challenges with how to integrate into the complex human systems that alway at play in healthcare. As I get deeper and deeper into AI, I am not surprised to see that those same challenges exist with this cadre of technology as well. It’s not the tech that limits us; the real complexity lies in driving adoption across diverse teams, workflows, and mindsets. And it’s not just implementation alone that will get to real ROI from AI—it’s the changes that will occur to our workflows that will generate the value. That’s why we are thinking differently about how to approach change management. We’re approaching the workflow integration with the same discipline and structure as any core system build. Our framework is designed to reduce friction, build momentum, and align people with outcomes from day one. Here’s the 5-point plan for how we're making that happen with health systems today: 🔹 AI Champion Program: We designate and train department-level champions who lead adoption efforts within their teams. These individuals become trusted internal experts, reducing dependency on central support and accelerating change. 🔹 An AI Academy: We produce concise, role-specific, training modules to deliver just-in-time knowledge to help all users get the most out of the gen AI tools that their systems are provisioning. 5-10 min modules ensures relevance and reduces training fatigue.  🔹 Staged Rollout: We don’t go live everywhere at once. Instead, we're beginning with an initial few locations/teams, refine based on feedback, and expand with proof points in hand. This staged approach minimizes risk and maximizes learning. 🔹 Feedback Loops: Change is not a one-way push. Host regular forums to capture insights from frontline users, close gaps, and refine processes continuously. Listening and modifying is part of the deployment strategy. 🔹 Visible Metrics: Transparent team or dept-based dashboards track progress and highlight wins. When staff can see measurable improvement—and their role in driving it—engagement improves dramatically. This isn’t workflow mapping. This is operational transformation—designed for scale, grounded in human behavior, and built to last. Technology will continue to evolve. But real leverage comes from aligning your people behind the change. We think that’s where competitive advantage is created—and sustained. #ExecutiveLeadership #ChangeManagement #DigitalTransformation #StrategyExecution #HealthTech #OperationalExcellence #ScalableChange

“The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence; it is to act with yesterday's logic." – Peter Drucker Transformation has been the buzzword of the decade, and I don't see that changing. But here's the biggest problem with how we do it - changing the system without changing the business logic. If you do that, it's like replacing all the cabinets in that small inefficient kitchen you want to remodel...in exactly the same configuration and location, but, y'know, maybe they're soft-close? Actual transformation doesn't happen until both the logic and the system evolve together. 1️⃣ Don't change? Status quo. Your risk is the risk of doing nothing. 2️⃣ Change the system without the logic? You've automated inefficiency and wasted money - if you were going to do nothing, you could have just done nothing without automating it. 3️⃣ Change the logic without the system? You're fighting modern battles with outdated tools, but it makes it easier to find the inefficiencies and scrub them from requirements when you do modernize. 4️⃣ Change both? This is when you create the conditions for innovation, efficiency, and transformation. Transformative change isn't about figuring out what system to buy, and it definitely isn't about making that system conform to our processes. It's about aligning technology and updated, purposeful processes. These things can't be done in silos, which means we need to do the work to bring how these things are modernized together. Transformation is a partnership between system and logic. If you don't want it to be just a buzzword, don't settle for anything less. #ChangeManagement #ChangeLeadership #Modernization #Happy2025

Why do so many change initiatives fail? Because we skip the basics, and get lost in methodologies, frameworks, and actions that check boxes but fail to drive behavioral change aligned with strategic, impactful outcomes. Paul Gibbons & Patricia K., in The Future of Change Management (link in comments), offer 4 critical questions we must answer to drive behavioral change: 1- Whose behavior needs to change? 2- What specifically do we expect them to do? 3- When should the change happen? 4- How will we measure success? If we can't answer these clearly, we're not ready to lead change. A few considerations: - Behavioral change is often missing right from the start, absent during discovery, vision-building, and business case development, when it should already be shaping the change strategy. - Change doesn’t happen by simply adjusting mindsets or environments. Cognitions, emotions, behaviors, and environments are deeply interconnected, treating them in isolation oversimplifies the real work of sustainable change. - Teams and enterprises develop collective cognitions and emotional states that crystallize into culture, establishing a form of homeostasis that naturally resists disruption and protects the status quo. - A key part of the work is helping change leaders and their teams: . Understand the gap between current and future states (gap analysis) . Define process goals and organizational habits to focus on . Build environments that support — not compete with — the behaviors we want . Enable teams to find their own pathways to embed new behaviors - Most initiatives miss the mark because: . They focus excessively on traditional change management, communications, and training, assuming that training alone creates ability, but it doesn’t . They build "abilities" that don't align with strategic needs . They spread efforts too thin with competing priorities instead of focus Sustainable change requires an integrated focus on behavior design, habit formation, and systemic alignment, far beyond traditional training and communications efforts. Where do you see behavioral gaps being missed most often in change initiatives? ♻️ Repost to spread value. 🔔 or follow to read similar content. #ChangeManagement #FutureOfWork #Transformation #Leadership

The 6 most dangerous words in business (and how to overcome them): "That's how we've always done it." It's an attitude that's shockingly common, But that CAN be defeated. This mindset often comes from an innocent place: ↳Comfort - With how things are ↳Stability - "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" ↳Pragmatism - Change takes substantial work ↳Fear - How will this impact me? ↳Efficiency - We've refined a ton to get here: don't muck it up But the reality is: ↳Customers and their preferences are always changing ↳Competitors are always changing ↳Macro forces are always changing So organizations need to always be changing - or they'll lose. The good news: even if your organization is stuck on "that's how we've always done it" - You can overcome it. Here's how: Seek Frontline Feedback ↳Offer multiple channels for employees to give ideas and feedback ↳Explicitly ask for them often - and thank people publicly when they contribute Empower New People ↳Remember that new employees have the freshest perspective and least inertia ↳Tell them this, while asking and empowering them to speak up with ideas or concerns Reward Successful Ideas ↳When someone gives an idea that's implemented, tangibly reward them (bonus, time off, etc.) ↳Celebrate them publicly so others are encouraged to do the same Make Change Cultural ↳Make continuous improvement and growth mindset part of your mission, and emphasize them frequently ↳Put adaptability and risk-taking on your performance evaluations Promote Learning ↳Give employees time to attend conferences, workshops, and trainings that will generate new ideas ↳Invite them to share key takeaways afterward Block Time To Brainstorm ↳Ensure leaders dedicate protected time to evaluate existing processes and plan improvements ↳If this can't happen day-to-day, block time for offsite retreats Highlight Change Successes ↳Tell stories of changes the organization (and other orgs) has gone through before ↳Ensure all employees see the line from changes made to improvements in their job Celebrate Risk Taking ↳Highlight big risks that paid off, emphasizing that the success wouldn't have otherwise happened ↳Ensure risks that fail are treated as learning opportunities, not punished Conduct After Action Reviews ↳After big projects, gather everyone involved for an after action review ↳Talk about what to improve upon - even when things went well Start With Small Wins ↳Seeing is believing, so start small with trials and pilots to get results ↳Let those who participated become your frontline advocates Listen ↳Ask questions to understand what's behind any resistance to change ↳Tailor change efforts and communication based on what you learn Ensure Changes Succeed ↳Resistance to change builds when changes fail, so work overtime to ensure they do not ↳Use strong change management practices: planning, creating buy-in, communicating, reviewing --- ♻ Repost to help your network overcome this mindset. And follow me George Stern for more.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had several conversations with talent and learning leaders to better understand their priorities and perspective on the future. A recurring theme has been the work of those leading enterprise-wide transformation. These aren’t small, isolated projects, but bold efforts to fundamentally reshape how their organizations operate. Whether it’s rethinking company culture, driving skills-based initiatives, expanding career mobility, adopting AI, managing large-scale transformation, or implementing new leadership frameworks. These leaders are operating at the intersection of business strategy, people development, and organizational change. A question I often hear is: “What separates the most successful efforts from the rest?” After these conversations and dozens of guests on The Edge of Work, a few powerful patterns have emerged. Here are four that consistently show up: 🔶 Systems Thinking: They don’t approach these initiatives as standalone projects. Instead, they embed them into the full talent system, connecting culture, skills, mobility, leadership, and strategy into one cohesive ecosystem. Silos are broken. Work aligns to enterprise goals. 🔶 Coalition Building: While they’re accountable for outcomes, they don’t go it alone. These leaders act less like the “sage on the stage” and more like the “guide on the side,” bringing others along, building ownership across functions, and fostering collective success. 🔶 Change as a Practice: Change isn’t a task list; it’s a muscle. These leaders treat change management as an ongoing practice, embedding it into daily work, meeting people where they are (not just what the spreadsheet says) and continually reinforcing new behaviors to sustain momentum. 🔶 Business First Orientation: They lead as business strategists first. While deeply skilled in talent, they speak first in the native language of their business stakeholders, (then their own) connect initiatives to enterprise outcomes, and position people strategies as drivers of organizational performance. These are just a few of the themes I’ve observed. If you're leading enterprise-wide talent, skills, career, or AI initiatives, what resonates? What would you add? I’d love to hear your perspective. #talent #futureofwork #leadership

Executives and employees continue to tussle over return-to-office and AI adoption. Mandates aren't working, but neither does individual chaos. There's a better path forward. I've been working with senior leaders navigating both workplace flexibility and AI adoption, and here's what's striking: the organizations succeeding at one tend to excel at both. Those struggling? They're making identical mistakes. We're repeating the same management failures: Only 25% of managers are trained to lead distributed teams. Only 22% of firms have clear AI adoption plans. After working with dozens of companies, talking with hundreds of leaders and listening to employee and experts, I've identified four pillars that drive success: 🎯 Talent Strategy: Know your "why" and your "who" before mandating anything: am I after top talent, does deep engagement matter, and if so are we willing to invest in human-centered leadership? 📊 Outcomes-Based Management: Measure results, not badge swipes or tool usage. Clear goals and transparent communication unlock alignment, build momentum, and enable trust. 👥 Team-Centered Approach: Teams are where real transformation actually happens; managers and employees building norms and redesigning how they work together. 📚 Learning Culture: Building learning mindset organizations requires investments in experimentation, iteration and support -- and a mindset that knows you're never "done" getting better at how you work. The companies thriving five years from now won't be those with the "right" hybrid policy or "best" AI tools. They'll be the ones that built cultures capable of evolving with whatever changes come next. But I need your input: Which of these four pillars is your biggest challenge right now? Are you struggling with unclear strategy, activity-focused metrics, top-down mandates, or one-time policy thinking? Full framework and diagnostic tool: https://lnkd.in/gyc9ucNA What am I missing? Where do you see organizations getting this right? #FutureOfWork #Leadership #ChangeManagement

🎯 Just had an incredible conversation with Pamela Gupta of TrustedAI about the #1 reason AI initiatives fail — and it's not what you think. 💡 It's not the technology. It's the people. In our recent LinkedIn Live discussion, we explored why change management is the missing piece in most AI transformations. While organizations rush to deploy cutting-edge solutions, they often overlook the human side of the equation. 🔑 Key insights we covered: • Why resistance isn't about fear of technology — it's about unclear expectations • How building trust becomes your competitive advantage in AI adoption • The leadership mindset shift required to move from AI hype to AI impact As someone who's guided global transformations at companies like McKesson and Allianz, I've seen firsthand how the most sophisticated AI tools fail without proper change management. The difference between success and failure? Leaders who treat AI transformation as a leadership challenge, not just a tech upgrade. 📺 Watch our full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/g92nbeFB To my fellow executives: Your role in AI success goes far beyond budget approval. You're the architects of organizational readiness, the builders of trust, and the champions of sustainable transformation. Change management isn't a "soft skill" — it's your strategic edge. 🚀 What's been your biggest challenge in driving AI adoption? I'd love to hear your experiences in the comments. #AI #ChangeManagement #ExecutiveLeadership #AITransformation #BusinessStrategy #TrustworthyAI #AIGovernance #DigitalTransformation #LeadershipDevelopment #ExecutiveCoaching #AIAdoption #Innovation

Uncertainty and change at work is hard. That feeling of ‘not knowing’ can really stress people out and the energy and brainspace needed to maintain commitment and productivity can feel scarce. But it doesn’t have to feel so gloomy. If we can lean into that uncertainty and find connection with peers, ones team and isolate that ‘why’ for why we work where we work, or do what we do, it makes a huge difference. Plus, doing so is what separates high performing leaders and organizations from the rest. I’ve been focused on this lately and here are my observations: 📌 Start with understanding what people want. For many it’s an environment where people are heard, understood, and valued. A place where they can learn, grow and make a meaningful contribution and impact. Ask them, and listen. 📌 Now reflect on your style and your ability to adapt your style to changing situations. You must be adaptable. Versatility and your ability to tailor your role to immediate needs is really important. 📌 Adjust your perspective. Put yourself in your team’s shoes and look at problems from different points of view. Be open and prepared to adjust your approach in order to make points of connection. 📌 Focus on your team values, they’re core to the foundation of trust you’ve built with your team. They’re the glue that binds. 📌 Act with compassion and check in with your team. Uncertainty and disruption means your team is dealing with a lot that they’re not unaccustomed to. New obstacles and challenges must be taken into account. 📌 Create paths for communication the way your team likes to engage, meet them where they are at. Create simple pathways to ask questions and encourage feedback that will allow you all to navigate change positively. 📌 Lead with resilience which demands a growth mindset and positive thinking on your part. Things are moving fast, it’s important that you are self aware with your thoughts and emotions as you encounter stress so you can best show up for your team. No matter what uncertainty and disruption brings let’s always remember that teams are made of people with strengths, weaknesses, fears, goals and dreams. Treat your people as you’d like to be treated and you’ll find yourselves coming together and navigating the world of work together. I took this picture at LinkedIn NYC Headquarters a few weeks ago inspired by the many ways they bring their culture to life throughout their offices. A favorite quote comes to mind ⤵️ “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” ~ Maya Angelou How do you deal with the unknown or too much change? Please share in comments so we can all learn together. #Career #leadership #FutureOfWork #mindset