Does anyone else remember when status meetings used to be a working session of the transparent and honest exchange of progress, barriers, and risks in pursuit of a shared objective? When did they become a superficial exercise where we’re all expected to be “nice”? 

A colleague of mine was venting recently about a consultant who supports her that in her opinion spends too much time catching-up, chit-chatting, and talking about personal things at the beginning of their meetings. My colleague, although extremely nice and personable, is also a “Type A” and is keenly focused on successfully meeting their project objectives. I asked her if she had ever heard of the SOLAR Model…she had not…because I think she might have a short S!

As the practice of organizational change management (OCM) has continued to evolve, the recognition of the importance of executive sponsorship and end user advocacy have remained constant. Both OCM and project management best practices indicate a direct link between an active, visible sponsor and project success. Without end user adoption, the investment in a change will not be realized. As a result, organizational change management practitioners know how to engage stakeholders at the top and the bottom of the org chart really well. But what about the stakeholders in the middle, the managers and supervisors? Has the role of the manager and supervisor in the middle of the change process been overlooked?

This is a tale of two regions within one organization: both with the common goal of developing enterprise organizational change management (OCM) capability, but each with their own approach, and vastly different end results!

Innovation. Collaboration. Passion. Too often company’s values are defined by these rather “generic” North Stars that most companies would want included as part of their cultural and brand definitions. But values such as those are now table stakes. It’s a new day, and time for companies to deeply examine who they are, who they want to be, and the behaviors that will get them there. In the New Normal, will your brand shine or cling to the old way of doing things at the risk of getting left behind?

The remote work environment disrupts the old “butts in seat” management style. For many managers, the inability to see their employees every day will be a new and perhaps challenging experience. I recently had the opportunity to chat with Tori Tipton, an experienced organizational change management and HR consultant, about her workplace strategy experience, helping managers to transition their teams from traditional workspaces to agile work environments.