Leading for Organisational Change

Part ThreeBecause

This Part Three of the book is about practical application. We have explored some of the latest academic thinking around change, and some of the theory around purpose, values and the role of storytelling. I have then told you the story of the CMS merger: one story of one particular change journey, in one sector, at one time. In this part, we will draw on both of these to move towards specific, actionable ideas and approaches – in part by hearing a little from others in other sectors about their own experiences of change, and in part by interrogating more of the research and literature.

The central thesis of this section is that an approach to change which is centred on purpose and values, and relies on the creation and telling of stories can help organisations to rise to some of the biggest challenges and opportunities that periods of profound change present. In particular, it will help organisations with their BECAUSE – to build belonging, take an evolutionary approach to strategy setting, build confidence, develop agility and understanding, create simplicity and foster energy.

The following chapters take each of these concepts in turn:

• Belonging – creating a sense of belonging and buy-in; how to help people build relationships, feel at home in their new environment and develop new a multi-layered sense of identity;
• Evolution – taking a dynamic and emergent approach; how to deal with uncertainty and ambiguity, how to lay the road and ride it at the same ...