Supporting university-wide transformation through engaged change.
The brief
UK universities are facing an increasing set of institutional challenges – reductions in public funding, increased competition for students, ensuring the wellbeing of staff and students, attracting talented staff – and many are undertaking major change programmes.
Background
A major London university had begun a programme of strategic change initiatives to address a number of pressing challenges and support institutional change. The financial landscape meant that several initiatives were moving at pace.
We were asked to provide support through strategic communications, stakeholder engagement and change management expertise. In particular, the programme board wanted to meaningfully engage internal and external stakeholders and bring people on their change journey.
Our approach
Our approach was rooted in understanding the needs, concerns, and motivations of stakeholders to support successful change. We developed a detailed stakeholder engagement plan, including mapping, tracking opportunities, and establishing feedback loops. A regular pattern of updates was established through existing channels, maintaining FAQs, and developing a messaging framework to ensure consistency and clarity. Additionally, a safe and productive environment was created for open dialogue and participation.
Results
The change work resulted in several key outcomes. The establishment of a roadmap for navigating change initiatives; the development of a robust messaging framework, and regular updates ensured consistent and clear communication with stakeholders. The delivery of engagement activities fostered a sense of investment and commitment among stakeholders. Opportunities for further improvement were identified, including distinguishing between business-as-usual and change management activities, enhancing document control procedures, and fostering greater interaction and collaboration among teams. Ultimately, our work laid a strong foundation for a new strategy.
We also worked with the board, programme office and workstream leads to increase their confidence and capability in engaging and working with staff whose roles and responsibilities may be changing.