Managing change: our journey so far

In 2017, the University ran a major staff survey that focused on gaining insight into how colleagues felt about the institution as a place of work - the best and worst things about working life, management, community and overall satisfaction. All colleagues were invited to take part across all areas of the University.

A key area identified for improvement was the management of change, with many colleagues expressing a belief that too much change had happened at once, with no institutional overview or consistent approach to implementing change projects.

To address this, the Change Management Working Group (CMWG) was established in 2018 to identify how things could be improved across the University. Their goals included:

• improving governance processes to better manage the pace and scale of change across the University.
• introducing standardised procedures for all new projects.
• creation of new change management resources and training

The CMWG drew from the lessons learned from our past handling of change and wider practice across the Higher Education.

Where we are now

Key outcomes from the work to date include:

• the creation of the Planning & Change Board (replacing the original Planning Group) to provide institutional-level oversight of current change projects and change governance practices through the Change Sub Group.
• the creation of a dedicated Change and Continuous Improvement team to support colleagues to design effective changes with the help of new standardised processes.
• tailored People Development resources designed to assist colleagues leading change or experiencing change within their roles (see below).

Throughout their work, members of the Change Sub Group have engaged directly with schools, functions and communities of practice. Many of the new approaches have been road-tested by various areas across the university who have in turn become "change champions" and early adopters within their own areas.

Available resources

Various new courses are available within our online learning platform UoRLearn and can be completed at any time, including:

• Resources to support change: guidance on approaching change constructively, including learning resources, policies and more.
• Managing change: for colleagues advocating change, including how to address concerns.

Additional resources will be added in the future, so please check back for updates.

The Change and Continuous Improvement team have also contributed to resources on our Wellbeing pages, which address change in relation to wellbeing and personal growth.

Next steps

The Change Sub Group have learned many valuable lessons so far and are actively working to put this learning into practice. Much of their work will help support the new University Strategy, as well as wider aims such as improving oversight of all change projects within the University. Although we are heading in the right direction, feedback and insight from colleagues across the University will be greatly welcomed along the way. 

The Change Sub Group are keen to identify and train "change champions", who will help ensure the smooth rollout of any new processes.

If you would be interested in this, or would like to share your ideas on improving change management and processes, please contact Robyn Cook and Sian Minns (Change and Continuous Improvement team).