Unlocking successful transformation: 11 insights from Imperial College London change leaders

In a recent everywoman Tech hub webinar with Imperial College London, Karen Foster, Director of Strategic Programmes and Change, Emma Leeming, Programme Director, Michele Barritt and Cora O’Reilly, Process Outcomes Designers, discussed their work on the Great Service Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) project, replacing a legacy software system with a cloud-based solution. Here were eleven things we learned from the conversation about driving successful transformation projects… 

1. Communicate to ease cultural resistance… 

Karen: We’ve been working on this project at Imperial for a while, but for some people, the change is only just becoming real. It’s crucial to articulate the change vision to those who will be impacted, rather than assuming they ‘get it.’ Focus on tangible, user-level impacts, and don’t underestimate cultural resistance. When I join these projects, I always listen to people—I call them my barometers. I visualise how I’d like them to articulate things differently, which helps me map our progress and gauge how we’re doing. 

2. Manage people’s expectations of delivery upfront… 

Emma: At the start of a project or piece of work be clear about what you do and don’t know. For example, how the cloud-based system will work in our ERP project could be an unknown, we need to acknowledge that, as we go through the design process and learn more, it’s a cycle of evolution. You can have an understanding at the beginning, but as you go deeper, you start to recognise some of the tensions or compromises you may need to make. It’s helpful to try and learn upfront from as many others as possible, and we’ve been talking extensively with people who’ve implemented ERPs elsewhere. You can never stop asking questions, being curious, and learning from each other and other organisations. 

3. Don’t be afraid if you don’t know everything…  

Karen: If you’re leading, you need to be credible, and that starts with being authentically yourself. For me, it’s about openness and transparency and not being afraid to admit when you don’t know all the facts. But you still need to lead the organisation and to give some confidence behind that though saying, ‘Well, I know this now, and here’s why we need to do this,” and being clear about the benefits and some of the steps to get there. I also remind people, “Look, things may well change”, and clearly communicate changes when they occur. 

4. Identify optimum times to discuss change with leaders… 

Karen: Many of my roles in recent years have been newly created to deliver change, and typically, you’re entering an organisation where the leadership team has already acknowledged the need to do things differently. I start by understanding what has happened and what the leaders aim to achieve. My job is very much about building relationships—gaining insights from leaders on how change has been previously delivered and understanding how it will impact them and their teams. Effective change management and leadership also involve recognising the hotspots in a typical business cycle. At the university, for example, October—when students arrive—is one of the peak times for our academic operations. You need to identify the opportunities and the hotspots so you can determine the optimal times to drive change. 

5. Have conversations that use the most effective level of detail…. 

Cora: It’s vital to understand the complexity of situations and scenarios as they develop and to boil them down to their essence. It’s a real balance between avoiding unnecessary detail that may be irrelevant and communicating just enough detail to grasp the situation fully, along with the various perspectives involved. The devil is in the details, but it’s crucial to know which details to focus on amid all that complexity. Otherwise, there’s a tendency to delay decision-making when things become harder to understand. 

6. Draw multiple perspectives around a single focal point… 

Michele: When I first joined Imperial, different business areas were having separate conversations about the future of ERP. We have an excellent programme team with members from across Imperial who bring diverse expertise and experience, so it’s essential to recognise these different areas and understand their challenges and ambitions. We’ve done a lot of work to get to know one another and to apply Imperial’s collaborative values. This way, when we have debates, they’re healthy and we’re respecting people’s views, working together to come up with great ideas and move forward as one team.  

7. Mobilise and motivate people where they can influence… 

Emma: The way to mobilise people is by engaging them directly and getting them involved in a meaningful way. This needs to happen within a framework where they have real influence, so it’s important to be honest about what they can and cannot impact. People can feel frustrated if they think they have influence only to find out they don’t, even for valid reasons. You can also motivate people without raising expectations—highlighting the potential in what we’re doing. Often, what people are worried about or afraid of losing isn’t obvious, so you need to make sure you listen closely to them, recognise their concerns, and respond constructively in a way they can visualise. If you’re closing a door, be prepared to say, here’s the window of opportunity. 

8. Be honest as a leader to motivate teams… 

Cora: There is a tendency to assume that all change is good, and overall, it often is. However, there can often be a loss and a comfort in the ’way things are’. People may have concerns they are reluctant to share openly, and if they don’t express these worries, it’s hard for you to help address or understand them. You must find a balance between showing that the change is necessary, for whatever reason, and acknowledging that some loss may come with it. 

9. Create a safe space for diverse opinions and perspectives… 

Michele: You need to forge relationships and respect areas of expertise and what they bring to empower the members of your team as much as possible. In the IT landscape of agile product delivery, we conduct numerous retrospective reviews of our processes. Teams form and evolve as they work more closely, resulting in changing dynamics. It’s about creating a safe space, so that everyone feels able to voice their opinions. 

10. Connect if you see someone struggling to embrace change… 

Emma: If you see someone struggling, intervene quickly. At the end of the day, teams are made up of individuals and I do my best to get to know the people in mine and what the signs are if they need a little bit of help—whether that’s a direct, private conversation in-person, on a virtual chat, or over coffee, whatever they prefer. Sometimes, it also involves being vulnerable yourself; when people see you being honest about your own struggles, they are often more willing to open up as well. 

11. Be passionate about the change you want to effect… 

Karen: If you want to transition into change roles, seek out opportunities within your organisation to get involved. There is typically always something you can do beyond your job description. For example, we’re currently inviting people at Imperial to serve as subject matter experts and participate in user testing—this is a great way to gain experience and advance your career. Delivering change effectively requires so many different skills; you need to know data, be aware of benefits and about people. You also definitely need to be passionate about the change you’re trying to deliver. I’ve looked at a couple of jobs in my career, and I thought, “Hmm, no, I don’t think I can get that excited about that change. That’s not for me.”