JGA @ IRM UK's Business Change & Transformation Conference 2022
Most of us can probably guess why developing personal resilience will support businesses to deliver change effectively, but did you know it can also get in the way of success?
This surprise fact (and the neuroscience behind it) was just one of the insights shared by JGA’s Corrine Thomas during her session at IRM UK’s Business Change & Transformation Conference Europe in London last week.
Corrine, who is our Coaching Lead, was at the event with our MD Jeremy Gadd to offer ideas and practical tips based on her own research into resilience involving professionals working in change.
She used her interactive session to explore resistance to change and how resilience can support change readiness.
Supporting resilience to prepare for change
Starting with an overview of personal resilience, she then covered resilience at work and how personal resilience can support, or hinder, the success of a change programme. She also shared practical tips to build resilience for individuals and teams, welcoming questions and feedback form the audience at the end.
‘I was asked if everyone resists change, even people who work in fast-changing entrepreneurial environments,’ Corrine reveals.
‘I explained that we all go through an emotional reaction to change and can adapt very quickly in some contexts, but the process can take longer in others. In many business environments there’s a lot of change, yet we do take time to adapt and be ready for making changes.’
Corrine was also asked about the value of connecting with others and talking about the challenges involved in change. ‘I replied that if, as a leader, you model the behaviour you’d like to see then this will set the norm,’ she says. ‘If it’s normal for people to reach out to colleagues when faced with challenges, then people are more likely to do this.’
Challenging the ‘norm’ to deliver successful change
As well as delivering her own session, Corrine enjoyed learning from other change experts at the conference. ‘There were many high quality presentations and I left with plenty of new ideas to put into practice,’ she says.
‘We all go through an emotional reaction to change and can adapt very quickly in some contexts, but the process can take longer in others’
Corrine Thomas, JGA Coaching Lead
Her top four conference sessions were:
Be More Pirate: Alex Barker, co-author of How to be More Pirate
‘This was about being prepared to do things differently. It can be hard, but that’s how change happens. Alex talked about being willing to go into the unknown and taking small but bold steps.’
Challenging the Narrative and Enabling Effective Change: Dr Debra Paul, MD, AssistKD
‘Debbie spoke of how ‘agile’ and ‘value’ have become buzz words with little attention to what they actually mean when delivering change. She proposed a model for getting to the essence of change and delivering it effectively.’
‘Change? Plunge into it, Move with it and Join the Dance’: Jim Bird, People & Change Partner, University of Leeds
‘My takeaway here was Jim’s advice to engage people in change early, focus on communication and engagement and assess its impact on people, processes, information, technology and the organisation.’
Connected Change: Mark Williamson, Head of People Consulting, KPMG
‘Mark spoke about the importance of taking a holistic view of transformation and embedding the people aspects of change across all of it.’
Putting your people at the heart of change
Corrine strongly agreed with the need to ‘put your people at the heart of any change, creating an environment where everyone can have their say’.
As she points out: ‘Employees want to be engaged, feel they belong and be connected to your company’s purpose. Understanding how to align their personal values and purpose with your business’s purpose and mission is especially important during times of change. It’s important to appreciate others’ perspectives.’
The IRM UK conference was a major gathering of change professionals. So did anything surprise Corrine this year?
‘There was still a lot of talk about agile methodologies and tools to enable change,’ she says.
‘These frameworks support change and it was refreshing to hear people talk about the tension between slowing down and taking time to listen to the voice of employees – versus the pressure to be more agile and implement a solution quickly. I’m a big believer in the value of taking small steps towards change.
At JGA, we support values-driven organisations to prepare for and successfully navigate their own way through change, with our range of Transition and People services. To find out more