Leading for Organisational Change

Harness the seven key elements of successful organisational change

Leading for Organisational Change is an intelligent and practical guide to the human side of merger integration and other organisational change. Building a clear sense of common purpose and then reinforcing it through storytelling can underpin the success of an integration or significant change programme. Pulling together the best thinking from neuroscience, psychology and business, and her rich personal experience in twenty years of leading change projects in professional services organisations and other people-centred businesses, author Jennifer Emery presents a framework for change rooted in seven key themes that help organisations establish their BECAUSE: belonging, evolution, confidence, agility, understanding, simplicity and energy. Exploring the role each theme plays in the context of change, this insightful and warm book shares real-world examples and provides advice on building purpose and culture and strengthening motivation through listening, empowering and collaborating.

Clear understanding of purpose, powerful communication techniques and carefully planned implementation strategies assist in navigating an often stressful and uncertain period of change, and can even enable organisations to thrive throughout this period. This book encourages you to apply important lessons to your own context, allowing you to:

• Focus on the human, cultural and practical elements of organisational change
• Apply central concepts of communication and motivation to a wide array of situations in your personal and business life
• Understand perspectives on change from a broad range of professional sectors
• Build and strengthen communication skills to promote a sense of shared purpose

Leading for Organisational Change offers a warm and intelligent perspective on the personal and inter-personal factors that contribute to successful integration. An invaluable resource for professional services and people-focused organisations, this book provides advice that can cross sectors and lend insight to any major change programme.

Introduction 1

Part One: Foundation 13

1 Once Upon a Time 15

2 The Angel in the Marble 21

3 Milk and Mushrooms 33

4 Telling Stories 39

5 Everything Must Change 45

Part Two: Story 59

6 Beginnings 61

7 Starting Out 77

8 Making It Happen 97

Part Three: Because 119

9 Belonging 121

10 Evolution 141

11 Confidence 159

12 Agility 179

13 Understanding 201

14 Simplicity 223

15 Energy 245

Part Four: Implications 265

16 The Bigger Picture 267

17 The Best Thing You Can Bring is Heart 279

Bibliography 289

Acknowledgements 297

About the Author 299

Index 301

‘Written by a lawyer, you’d expect this book to be impeccably researched, evidence-based, and brilliantly argued. What you might not expect is a story with so much heart. Emery’s examination of leading organisational change, both rigorous and romantic, will show you how to effect change and create the desire to make it happen.’
— Richard Hytner, Adjunct Professor of Marketing, London Business School and founder of beta baboon

‘In a world where culture and purpose continue to be under-factored, undervalued and plain misunderstood, this is a hugely important book. And an extremely well written one at that. The author wants this book to “add to the sum of knowledge”. She can absolutely rest assured that it does.’
— Nick Jefferson, Partner, Monticello

‘A shining light where business books are either drab or over-simplistic, Jennifer Emery speaks to the heart of what modern business should be – purposeful and human.’
– Sarah Lloyd-Hughes, Leadership Communications Coach, speaker & ­author, How to be Brilliant at Public Speaking

After earning a law degree from Oxford University, Jennifer Emery spent the first twenty years of her career in a variety of legal, strategic and coaching roles across the world’s largest law firms and other professional services firms, always ­focused on how to unleash the potential in individuals and in organisations, often in the context of game-changing merger and integration projects. Jennifer is now Global People Leader at Arup, the leading engineering and design consultancy, and a non-exec advisor to a number of start-ups and not-for-profits. She lives in London with her husband and four children.

In this perceptive and warm guide, author Jennifer Emery delivers a brilliant instrument for orchestrating change in any organisation by weaving the latest thinking in neuroscience, psychology and business into a powerful framework.

Leading for Organisational Change shows all types of organisations that maintaining and thriving during a major transition happens BECAUSE–Belonging, Evolution, Confidence, Agility, Understanding, Simplicity and Energy. In an inspiring narrative rich with first-hand illustrative examples, the author unpacks each one of the acronymic themes to reveal a one-of-a-kind approach to change centred on purpose and values and fuelled by strong storytelling.

Write the success story of your own change programme by listening, empowering and collaborating.