Leading people through change

0:00 Leading through change

Think about the last big change at work: a new system, a restructure, a new way of working, perhaps AI tools arriving in your team. How did people react? Some were enthusiastic. Some were anxious. Some said nothing and quietly carried on the old way. That's normal. Change isn't just a project plan; it's an emotional experience for the people living through it. In this lecture, you'll learn models that help you understand change, how to diagnose where people are stuck with ADKAR, how to communicate change, support people through transition, and measure adoption.

0:41 Why it matters

Why does this matter? Because many change initiatives fail to deliver what they promised, and the reason is rarely the technology or the plan. It's that people don't adopt the change, or adopt it half-heartedly. A new system nobody uses properly is just an expensive system. Leaders who manage the human side of change get faster adoption, less disruption and keep people's trust for the next change. And there's always a next change.

1:13 Models that help

Here's the concept. Three models help. John Kotter's eight steps focus on leading organisational change: urgency, a guiding coalition, a vision, communication, removing obstacles, quick wins, building on change and anchoring it in culture. William Bridges' transition model says that change is the external event, but transition is the internal, psychological process: an ending, a neutral zone of confusion, then a new beginning. And Prosci's ADKAR model describes what each individual needs: awareness, desire, knowledge, ability and reinforcement. Here's the key idea: organisations don't change; people do, one at a time.

1:53 Moving house

Here's an analogy. Think of moving house. The move itself happens on one day: that's the change. But the transition takes months. There's the ending: leaving a home full of memories, even if the new one is better. Then the neutral zone: boxes everywhere, you can't find the kettle, your commute is unfamiliar. Then the new beginning: the new place finally feels like home. A good leader in change is like a good friend when you move house. They acknowledge the loss, help you through the boxes, and celebrate when you're settled.

2:33 ADKAR diagnostic

Now ADKAR as a diagnostic. For each group affected, ask five questions in order. Awareness: do they understand why the change is happening? Desire: do they want to take part? Knowledge: do they know how to change? Ability: can they actually do it in their daily work? And reinforcement: is there anything making it stick? Score each from one to five. The first low score is where to focus, because the later stages don't work without the earlier ones. Training people who don't see why is wasted effort.

3:11 Communicating change

Communicating change well is most of the work. Explain why, honestly, including what happens if you don't change. Say what changes and, just as important, what stays the same. Be honest about what you don't know yet, and when you'll know. Use two messengers: a senior sponsor to explain why, and people's direct manager to explain what it means for them, because people usually trust their own manager most. Communicate more than feels necessary, in several channels, and create ways for people to ask questions, including anonymously.

3:49 Worked example 1: Helen's practice (illustrative)

A simple worked example. A small accounting practice in Leeds is moving from spreadsheets to cloud accounting software. The partner, Helen, notices that the two most experienced bookkeepers keep using the old spreadsheets. She runs an ADKAR check. Awareness is fine; they know why. Desire is low: they're worried about looking slow in front of younger colleagues. So Helen asks them to co-design the new workflow and gives them extra practice time before go-live. They become the internal experts.

4:23 Worked example 2: AI assistant rollout in Karachi (illustrative)

Now a realistic business scenario, illustrative. A retail bank in Karachi is introducing an AI assistant to help branch staff answer customer questions. Rumours spread that it will replace jobs. The regional head, Ayesha, runs an ADKAR survey. Awareness is patchy and desire is low. She holds branch meetings where she explains why, what the tool will and won't do, how answers are checked, and that no roles are being cut in this phase. She trains branch champions, collects questions weekly, and publishes an updated FAQ. Adoption rises steadily over three months, and complaint handling times fall.

5:05 Supporting transition

Supporting people through transition means recognising the neutral zone. Productivity often dips temporarily. People feel uncertain and may grieve what they're losing, even if the change is good. So acknowledge the losses openly. Give extra time and help during the learning period. Create quick wins and share them. Use champions, respected peers who adopt early and help others. And look after yourself too. Leaders go through their own transition, often earlier than their team, and your team will notice your stress. Watch for change fatigue when too many changes arrive at once.

5:45 Watch me: ADKAR + comms plan

Watch me do it. I'm planning an illustrative change: moving my team's project tracking to a new tool. I fill in the ADKAR table for two groups. Project managers: high awareness, high desire, knowledge is the gap, so I plan hands-on training. Senior stakeholders: low awareness, so I brief them on why. Then I fill in the communication plan. The why: fewer missed deadlines. What stays the same: our weekly review. What we don't know yet: the date old data will be archived. I'll confirm by the end of the month. I post an anonymous question form link.

6:28 Measuring adoption

How do you measure adoption? Track usage of the new process or tool, error rates, time to complete key tasks, and support tickets. Watch for workarounds, like people keeping the old spreadsheet on the side. Run a short pulse question, such as: I understand why this change is happening and what it means for me. And check reinforcement after three and six months. Many changes succeed at launch and then slowly slide back. Celebrate progress and fix what's making the old way easier.

7:04 Common mistakes

Common mistakes. Announcing change only once, by email. Explaining what without why. Over-promising and hiding what you don't know. Training people before they want to change. Ignoring the emotional side and the losses. Declaring victory at launch. Too many changes at once. And introducing AI tools without explaining what they'll do, what data they use, and what it means for people's roles. Silence fills with rumours.

7:33 Recap and try this now

Let's recap. Change is emotional. Use Kotter for the organisation, Bridges for transition, and ADKAR to diagnose each group. Fix the first gap. Communicate honestly and often, with sponsors and direct managers. Support people through the neutral zone, with champions and quick wins, and measure real adoption over months. Your try this now: take a change you're leading or experiencing, fill in the ADKAR table and the communication plan from the lesson, and share one honest update with your team this week. Next, we'll look at leadership in the AI era, starting with teams that use AI agents.