Change management is a critical component of an organization’s ability to adapt and thrive in an ever-evolving business landscape. Positioning change management strategically is essential for fostering a culture of continuous improvement, ensuring that change is embraced by all stakeholders, and driving the success of transformation efforts.
This executive brief summarizes the effective ways to create context around the reason for the need for change management. By integrating change into the organization’s core structure and leadership framework, businesses can navigate complex shifts with confidence, minimize resistance, and ensure alignment across all levels, eventually sustaining transformations to drive long-term success.
This roundtable was held on November 21, 2024.
Roundtable Participants
Led by Ani Shehigian, IDG - Chief Transformation Officer | EVP, Transformation Business Operations
- Akita Somani, U.S. Bank - Senior Vice President, BNPL/ POS Lending
- Amit Mittal, U.S. Bank - Senior Vice President | Head of Strategic Execution
- Andranik Ziyalyan, Sony Pictures Entertainment - Executive Director, Finance Transformation - Organizational Enablement
- Annemie Verrijken, UNFI - Senior Director Strategic Change Enablement
- Bill Munley, Customers Bank - SVP, People Experience Team (PXT), Shared Services
- Chandra Vadamodula, Rite Aid - Vice President - Enterprise Technology Solutions
- Ciprian Porutiu, Marsh McLennan - SVP, Strategic Initiatives
- CK Taneja, Northern Trust Corporation - Senior Vice President Enterprise Resiliency
- Eleazar Orellana, former Northwestern Mutual - Head of Field Planning, Strategy & Business Operations | Chief of Staff, Engineering
- Erica Howard, TIAA - Managing Director, Office of the CAO - Head of Strategy Deployment & Governance
- Eva Rich, Deluxe - Enterprise Transformation Officer
- James Hoch, Teradata - Senior Director of Strategy and Transformation
- Jeanette Cimino, The AES Corporation - VP of Global Change Management
- Jeremy Lane, TTI, Inc. - Corporate Vice President, Change Management & Strategic Transformation
- Laurie Ditch, iMerit - Sr. Director, Organizational Strategy and Operations
- Lindsey Drake, Infor - SVP, Corporate Operations
- Marjorie Etter, Meta - Global Training, Knowledge & Change Management Leader
- Matt Twitchell, Stryker - Sr Director, Manufacturing Operations & Business Excellence
- Maureen Terralheiro, Former A. Farber & Partners Inc. - VP, Client Management Centre
- Melissa Wood, New York Life Insurance Company - VP Change Management and Organizational Development
- Michelle Weetman, ADP - Senior Director, Strategic Planning
- Nan Li, Condé Nast - SVP, Head of Global Transformation
- Rahul Trivedi, Transunion - VP, Business Transformation
- Robin Patra, ARCO Construction Company - Head of Data: Platform, Product and Engineering
- Rosaline Hester, Former The Coca Cola Company - Global Change Leadership Director, Marketing Transformation Office
- Sara Jetta, Purolator Inc. - Vice President of Strategic Enablement
- Silvia Ritzmann, Valtech - SVP of Program, Product and Change Management, Americas
- Sundeep Thusoo, Philips - Director, Business Transformation
- Yann Galand, BNP Paribas - VP Change and Transformation
Positioning the ‘Why’ Behind Change & Transformations
When people are asked to change, their first response will be – why? If the question is left unaddressed, resistance eventually forms, potentially jeopardizing the entire transformation initiative.
“Approach the head and the heart. Successful change comes from striking the right balance of data (rational) and human connection (emotional), which helps build and retain trust among employees and leaders.”
Ani Shehigian - Chief Transformation Officer, EVP - Transformation Business Organizations | IDG
Creating Compelling Context for Transformations
Organizations need to be ready for change from the beginning. Change impacts processes and new processes impact organizational culture and workforce experience. Having the right positioning on change management early on is important in forming collective alignment on the need for transformation for an organization’s longevity.
“Change is no longer a singular function. It is a capability across the spectrum.”
Rosaline Hester - Global Change Leadership Director, Marketing Transformation Office | Former The Coca Cola Company
The definition of transformation success should also be set and agreed upon. Only from there, will you be able to create a compelling context and increase buy-in throughout the organization.
“Change management is starting to feel like chaos control. The speed at which change is occurring means we need to get more people to be change-ready. We don’t have enough time to spend on convincing people to get on board.”
Sundeep Thusoo - Director, Business Transformation | Philips
Is Your Organization Ready to Change?
✔ Is leadership invested? Are there executives sponsoring change?
✔ Is change tied directly to a strategic company objective?
✔ Is there a pull for change instead of a push for change?
Positioning Change Management in Your Organization Among Stakeholders:
Leadership
Gain collective alignment with leadership on the purpose, value, and approach of change management before addressing other aspects of the change process
Actionable items:
- Communicate the role of change management within the organization and establish an understanding of change management framework and processes to ensure consistency of application.
- Facilitate discussions with leadership to align on how change management functions as a strategic enabler to transformation rather than a reactive tool.
- Regularly engage with leadership through structured conversations and workshops to reinforce the importance of change management and its alignment with long-term organizational goals. Provide clarity rather than leaving them assuming and misunderstanding the core information.
- Share transparent metrics and success stories to illustrate how effective change management contributes to sustained business outcomes and resilience.
People & Culture
Nurture a culture that emphasizes the need for change to let the workforce understand the importance of transformations and change management.
Actionable items:
- Consider ‘how’ change management affects people, not just ‘what’ it affects.
- Frame the ‘why’ so it resonates with both operational and emotional aspects of change management.
- Highlight both practical improvements and the benefits to employee experience and recognize potential fear and insecurities.
- Use real-time data, insights, and case studies as a gateway for improvement to show what change management brings into the organization and focus on highlighting the potential for positive change while addressing any pain points. Make data tangible and actionable for employees at all levels.
- Incorporate elements in your communication plan to address and manage the emotional aspect of change management.
Connecting the Dots Between Change Strategy & Narrative Building
Leadership Importance in Driving the Narrative
Stakeholders need to understand the value of change management and their roles in it. They sometimes forget why you are doing what you are doing. Engage with them continuously by following three important steps:
Step 1: Mapping stakeholders to identify who is more open to supporting the concept of change management and who to engage directly as your allies.
Step 2: Share best practices and case studies to illustrate how change management has been successfully implemented in similar organizations by highlighting practical, hands-on benefits (insider perspective) as well as strategic long-term advantages (high-level perspective) to appeal to diverse leadership priorities.
Step 3: Present concrete examples of how change management has driven measurable success in terms of metrics like KPIs in past organizational initiatives.
“Some leaders tend to think of change management only within the sphere of communications and that is a massive gap that needs to be addressed. Without change management, it’s just going to be an uphill battle.”
Silvia Ritzmann - SVP of Program, Product, and Change Management | Valtech
Continue to share your strategy and show POCs incremental wins along the way to remind them again why change management is important and secure continuous buy-in. Remind leadership to empower people and show them what they need to get the outcomes they desire, rather than pushing for change and transformation unilaterally.
“Leaders need to be realistic about the WIIFM where it resonates with colleagues, especially when it doesn't.”
Ciprian Porutiu - SVP, Strategic Initiatives | Marsh McLennan
Creating a Strong, Contextually Relevant Narrative Around the Need for Change
A compelling narrative not only communicates the reasons behind change but also frames it in a way that resonates with stakeholders at all levels. Create the narrative around change management by considering the key elements below in your plan:
- Strategic Imperative - Tier the ‘why’ of change management to the organization’s broader goals and explain how it aligns with organizational vision, mission, and objectives.
- Understanding Audience - Different groups of people; leaders and frontline employees care about different aspects of the ‘why’.
- Data for Storytelling - Ground the ‘why’ in reality and co-create the context with cross-functional stakeholders.
- Cost of Inaction - Articulate what happens if change doesn’t occur. The more real, the better.
- Tie to Human Values - Highlight how change impacts people to help develop emotional connections ‘why’.
Actionable Methods & Council’s Insights
Create Clear Goals & Relay Your Vision
✔ Give people a strong vision of the end goal. For example, utilize a physical whiteboard for people to see and get more familiarized with it, eventually positively embracing the initiative.
✔ Encourage a two-way feedback loop to ensure alignment on change objectives.
“We need to tie change to human values and be realistic about it. Create two-way conversations and allow people to express concerns or frustrations as a part of the process of engaging them along the way.”
Ani Shehigian - Chief Transformation Officer, EVP - Transformation Business Organizations | IDG
“It’s important to unpack what people really want out of changes. Address the elephant in the room and ask – ‘I think this is what you want me to do, but, if I’m wrong, tell me.’”
Laurie Ditch - Sr. Director, Organizational Strategy and Operations | iMerit
Ownership & Accountability
✔ Incorporate change throughout the organization more. Make it a part of people’s jobs to foster a change-ready mindset.
✔ Change should be owned by everyone to drive workforce capabilities, not just HR or the transformation office.
“Get their eyes shining. Educate people in understanding that change is everyone’s responsibility. We cannot leave people behind in our transformation and must look out for each other.”
Jeanette Cimino - VP of Global Change Management | The AES Corporation
“Involve employees in change journeys to make them feel included. Change is hard when employees feel it’s being done to them, rather than by them.’”
Akita Somani - Senior Vice President, BNPL / POS Lending | U.S. Bank
“Make change management a transversal capability similar to digital skills which everyone should be prepared for to avoid becoming outdated.”
Rosaline Hester - Global Change Leadership Director, Marketing Transformation Office | Former The Coca Cola Company
Flex The Numbers
✔ Insights revealed that initiatives with strong change management strategies had more effective results.
✔ Use data to explain why the organization is changing and connect them to great storytelling.
“Highlight the significance using data evidence including real facts, figures, and case studies to communicate the urgency and importance of change.”
Silvia Ritzmann - SVP of Program, Product, and Change Management | Valtech
“There’s a data point around increasing saturation of employees regarding the transformation process, with support dropping from 64% to 38%. This would be useful to explain why providing change management support for transformation initiatives is crucial.”
Rosaline Hester - Global Change Leadership Director, Marketing Transformation Office | Former The Coca Cola Company
Maintain Robust Communication
✔ Create consistent and clear messaging to mitigate resistance.
✔ Develop communication structures that emphasize both written updates and engagement through conversations.
✔ Focus more on the benefits and WIIFM factors to increase buy-in and reduce anxiety. This improves engagement and realistically manages expectations about the timeline for seeing tangible results.
✔ Encourage people to understand the change curve to unlock genuine engagement.
“It’s important to tailor and personalize communication by audiences to drive transformation success.”
Michelle Weetman - Senior Director, Strategic Planning | ADP
“The key is making people understand the trade-offs and potential long-term value of change even if it seems to be negative or challenging initially”.
Laurie Ditch - Sr. Director, Organizational Strategy and Operations | iMerit
Find Your Allies
✔ Identify your champions, soldiers, rebels, and saboteurs.
✔ Change champions continue the storytelling, listen to feedback, and help keep the momentum going.
✔ Address concerns of saboteurs who may hinder progress
“Advocate for creating a pull for change rather than pushing it. Change happens from people who are closer to the work, rather than just from leadership only. This means making people want to change, not telling them they must.”
CK Taneja - Senior Vice President Enterprise Resiliency | Northern Trust Corporation
“Listening is an important part of change management. We often gain important insights from what is shared, and acting upon them makes people feel heard.”
Jeanette Cimino - VP of Global Change Management | The AES Corporation
“Although it can be uncomfortable to hear as leaders, giving employees the ability to air their grievances is cathartic to the employees. Let people do that. Make them feel heard.”
Maureen Terralheiro - VP, Client Management Centre | Former A. Farber & Partners Inc.
Celebrate Wins & Embrace Failures
✔ Celebrate small wins during the transformation to reward employees and remind them to keep going and gain continuous support over change.
✔ Do not wait until the end. By then, things can get lost, misconstrued, or even forgotten as to why change is needed.
“Acknowledge failures and celebrate the effort as it means that you are trying. This removes the stigma of ‘failure’ and advocates for growth in the organizations. After some time, you can revisit the failures and try again in a different manner.”
Sara Jetta - Vice President of Strategic Enablement | Purolator Inc.
“Sometimes teams get stuck in analysis paralysis because of fear of failure and things drag on. This approach provides psychological safety and stops that fear of failure.”
Maureen Terralheiro - VP, Client Management Centre | Former A. Farber & Partners Inc.
How to Turn External Factors Into Internal Drivers
External factors can work as the catalyst for transformation and foster a sense of urgency, relevance, and purpose among the workforce. This makes change feel more inevitable and necessary. This is achievable by observing factors such as:
Benchmarking against competitors: Leverage external success stories and case studies, especially from competitors. Highlight why it is important to stay adaptable and competitive to increase motivation.
Aligning external industry trends with business goals: Identify shifts in customer demands or market regulations and frame them as opportunities to realign and grow.
“Use external data to support your story. What are the competitors doing? What is going on in the market and trends? It can help fuel your narrative as to why it is crucial to change.” ** Sara Jetta** - Vice President of Strategic Enablement | Purolator Inc.
Conclusion
Positioning change management effectively within your organization requires aligning internal strategy and external factors to create a compelling narrative that engages the workforce. The ‘why’ of transformation needs to be strong and it is achievable via continued leadership support, iron-clad strategies, consistent communications, and proactive change champions. These elements are essential in strengthening the narratives and maintaining change momentum – ensuring that transformation is seen as an opportunity, not a disruption.
Executive Council for Leading Change
The Executive Council for Leading Change (ECLC) is a global organization that brings executives together to redefine organizational change and transformation landscape. The council aims to advance strategic leadership expertise in corporate change by connecting visionary leaders. It’s where leaders responsible for significant change initiatives can collaborate, plan, and create practical solutions for intricate challenges in leading large organizations through major shifts
Interested in joining ECLC? Learn the membership criteria and sign-up below.
