SUMS Change Management Community of Practice Group

This community of practice group was created as a safe space for people involved in sponsoring, leading and managing change initiatives within and outside a project/programme environment.

Our group facilitator: Fola Ikpehai

A former Head of Digital Change and Transformation, Fola specialises in process improvement, organisational and business change, training development and delivery, programme and project management, and leadership.

She combines her expertise as a coach and mentor with strong analytical skills and a practical understanding of the challenges of implementing benefits-led change in complex organisations.

With a theme: Change Management – the intersections [focus on effective collaborations], our next in-person Community of Practice session seeks to explore a range of scenarios where collaboration is key - with a strong focus on relocation programmes, and gaining an Academic perspective; and sprinkled with a touch of ‘Change and IT’.

• Relocating a multi-faceted team to a new location involves logistical, operational, and cultural considerations. By its very nature such Change Programmes involve multiple stakeholder groups and require effective change management to ensure a smooth transition - addressing potential challenges and maximising employee engagement throughout the process. We are taking advantage of key strategic programmes associated with relocation which are planned, or taking place at the University of Durham to explore lessons learnt and discuss key challenges. Sessions will feature a focus on planning, expectations management, fostering acceptance and minimising resistance, building relationships and embracing opportunities arising. We will also consider lessons learnt from other universities – including case studies and best practice approaches.

• Reflecting on the academic perspective – the session will feature a guest presentation by Professor Julie Hodges. A Professor of Management in the Business School at Durham, Julie is a leading expert on change in organisations, particularly the role and impact of people during transformations. She joined the University of Durham, Business School in 2006 following a 20-year career as a business consultant in several profit and non-profit organisations.

Julie has published in a number of international journals on change in organisations. She is also the author of several books including ‘Consultancy, Organizational Development and Change’, ‘ Managing and Leading People through Change’ (Kogan Page); Sustaining Change in Organizations(Sage); ‘Employee Engagement for Organizational Change’ (Routledge) and ‘Organization Development: how organizations change and develop effectively’ (Palgrave McMillan). Her latest book is ‘Reshaping the HR: the role of HR in organizational change’.

Who should attend:

Unlike most communities of practice, the Change Network is not a homogeneous group.

Attendees come from a range of roles and different levels within institutions -Directors of Programmes, Projects and Planning; Heads of Change, Transformation, Portfolio or Programme Management Offices; Change Coordinators etc.

The only common denominator is the attendees are involved in leading or managing change initiatives within their institutions - from very large programmes of change to much smaller initiatives.

Why should you attend:

Participants attend the group to share knowledge and best practice, network and seek solutions to change management issues.

Action learning is a key element of our approach; colleagues may present the network with a range of scenarios (in confidence) that the group can debate and come up with options/solutions.

At each session, participants are encouraged to take away practices that they can experiment with at their institutions and feedback to the group to define what worked and what did not work.