The Human Factor Episode 17: The Dynamics of Organisational Change with Helen Adams

Guests:  Helen Adams, Senior Director of Global HR Transformations at Walgreens Boots Alliance, and Ann Hawkins, Transformational Lead at Walgreens Boots Alliance Change is constant and all around us. Some change only affects us, and as such, is easier to stay in control of. But organisation change is more complex. The involvement of others adds a number of additional challenges, such as understanding who is impacted, who cares about it, gaining consensus of the need to change and so on. When you are leading this work in one of the worlds largest organisations, the challenges are magnified even further. The dynamics of organisational change can be complicated. It is multifaceted and for us is based on four key considerations. What is humanly desirable, the reason for the change, is it technologicallyfeasible and is it economically viable for the organisation. Working with our guests over a sustained period of time – we developed the fourth dimension together which is organisational readiness to even execute the change. Its okay knowing you need to change, but organisationally, are you actually ready and able to do it? We are now in an era where the pace of change is relentless and the pressure internally and externally to evolve can be intense, so how do we do this? How do we get an organisation to align around a change? What does that look and feel like?We are going to explore this complex topic with our guests Helen and Ann and we hope to get a glimpse into their successes, lessons learned, some of the scars, and I’m sure, some of their tips too! Key Topics• A perspective on organisational change – is it like climbing a mountain?• Building the case for change and argument• Seeking stakeholder alignment – the approach and logic• Assessing and establishing the readiness of the organisation to change• The personal investment – what is needed from a change agent?• Building and Keeping Momentum – Insights and Reflections• Tips, Hints and Wisdom!