Faqs

We had the privilege of sitting down with Louise Gibson, a seasoned project manager and change manager, to delve into her journey of transformation, and her experiences in navigating the [...]

At the heart of effective organisational change management and project delivery lies the often underestimated, yet crucial, element of stakeholder engagement. Stakeholder engagement encompasses a [...]

In the ever-evolving landscape of academia, change is a constant. Academic institutions, with their unique identities and cultures, often find themselves facing the challenge of transformation. [...]

Change is the only constant, and in today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, change management has emerged as a critical function for organisations seeking to stay competitive and adapt [...]

In our challenging VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous) world, individuals are not alone in seeking more purpose in life. Organisations too are discovering or re-evaluating their [...]

While the twentieth century dream of limitless growth, profit and maximising shareholder value gave many organisations their purpose, the resulting wealth inequality, financial crises, depletion [...]

The Institute of Internal Communications (IOIC) has launched its first ever survey, known as the Communication Index (IC Index 2023). Whilst the report offers a wealth of actionable insights for [...]

Change can often feel overwhelming, but with the right support and guidance, it can be a catalyst for positive transformation. Here is seven practical ideas to empower and guide individuals [...]

Leading a transformational initiative requires not only managing tasks and resources but also navigating the emotional and psychological dimensions of change. With the right mindset and [...]

In any organisation, change is not just a sporadic occurrence but a constant ongoing necessity. It manifests in various forms, be it the implementation of new processes, embracing new [...]

We’ve prepared three compelling reasons to actively build diversity into your change initiatives. If diversity in change management resonates with you or your organisation, get in touch. [...]

Change management is an essential aspect of any organisation, and to become a successful change manager, you need to possess a wide range of skills. However, some of these skills are transferable [...]

At Project Challenge this spring, Ranjit Sidhu, the driving force behind ChangeQuest, led an engaging and interactive session titled ‘Unlocking the potential of power skills: How effective [...]

The demand for skilled change management professionals is on the rise as organisations continue to adapt and transform in response to the rapidly evolving global landscape post pandemic. [...]

Change management plays a vital role in helping organisations implement new initiatives, improve processes, and drive growth. With the accelerated rate of change within businesses, there is an [...]

When a change programme hits the buffers – or at least stalls – it can be tempting to blame resistance from difficult people who seem determined to undermine it. But what if resistance was [...]

We need to understand shifting power dynamics amongst stakeholders and how these relate to resistance to change for success in organisational change

Scheduling time for preparatory tasks helps change stick. If you are facing change in your organisation, here is a checklist for what you can do to prepare.

ChangeQuest’s values and approach are always rooted in helping people to learn and grow, and nurturing a challenge mindset.

Decisions we expect to be made rationally sometimes get made by the heart or gut. Trust your gut instinct as these decisions can be valuable.

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, born July 8th 1926 in Zurich, Switzerland developed an interest in medicine at an early age. Indeed, she expressed an early desire to become a doctor but her father, who [...]

We live in a world where uncertainty is becoming the norm. Few would now assert with any confidence that they can predict what the future will bring, and we see increasing evidence that things [...]

When organisations convey a sense of purpose to activities, they can recruit people who align to that purpose, who genuinely promote it.

Being left out. Not feeling part of the gang. Standing on the outside staring in. Avoid these feelings with compassionate communication.

If experiencing resistance to change on projects, why not use Beckhard and Harris’ change equation to review which factors are in place and where you might need to focus more attention.

I ran a webinar for APMG International offering tips and ideas to build change resilience when working in an environment of uncertainty.

Reflection and learning are critical for organisations, teams and individuals, especially at a time of high uncertainty and rapid change.

With so much disruptive and emergent change going on, here are some ways to facilitate sensemaking for teams and organisations.

Face-to-face conversations build understanding and trust, and help people appreciate different perspectives during organisational change.

There are disadvantages to imposing strategic change and benefits to involving people early on, but external pressures can disrupt the best laid plans.

Recent research from professional search engine findcourses.co.uk indicates that learning and development (L&D) training is a key tool metamorphosing diversity in offices around the world. [...]

Whether you are a small or large organisation, there are likely to be periods of change, situations that are challenging and events that require careful handling. To come through the other side [...]

A major new project is well underway and likely to, no definitely will, disrupt the status quo – but it’s all for the greater good and you can clearly see the benefits and opportunities it will [...]

Every organisation that wants to develop and grow will need to change. Whether by undertaking projects to implement new technology, whether by changing business processes to increase [...]

Herbert Kelman is an American psychologist with a lifelong focus on conflict resolution and peace research. He set out 3 stages of attitude change, which are helpful when applied to the [...]

Familiar routines and processes are comforting. Following a well-trodden path is easier and less taxing on the brain. I was reminded of that recently when I went to meet a client for the first [...]

I have had many discussions recently about transformation – business, digital and IT transformation – but there is one common theme that underpins each of these conversations: Organisations [...]

  Yet another traffic jam. Crawling along in my car the other day, craning to see the reason for this 20mph procession, the news on the radio announced Clinton Cards were going into [...]

We live in fast moving times. Never before has there been such rapid transformation, and uncertainty, across all industries as in recent years. Technology is advancing at a phenomenal rate, and [...]

A few days ago, I watched some of Clare Balding’s TV game show –they showed clips of an experiment, with people buying fruit and vegetables at a busy market stall. The experiment highlighted how [...]

When Craig Kilford, from Course Conductor, contacted us back in 2016, he explained he wanted to “Transform the way companies invest in learning for their employees, by using independent analytics [...]

When your working week is already full on, with pressure to deliver tasks, support services and hit targets, you may feel it doesn’t leave a lot of time for supporting people and considering [...]

Who do you trust with your company’s future? The answer, at the most fundamental level, has got to be your people. I have been doing some really interesting work around building and [...]

What sank the Titanic? It wasn’t just an iceberg, it was people. Leaders whom no one dared challenge, employees unable to communicate, organisations lulled into a false of security. The lessons [...]

Who wishes they could attend more meetings?!!  We all know what it feels like to come out of a meeting knowing there was no point being there… or that it could have been so much more productive [...]

There’s every chance you haven’t yet heard of mBraining, but we’re convinced this exciting concept can do a lot to help organisations overcome resistance to change. mBraining is about aligning [...]

Are you on the World Cup bandwagon, loving the agonies and ecstasies of those last-minute goals and dramatic upsets? Or do you hate the uncertainty and would rather your team scored three in the [...]

I was very pleased to be invited to speak at the 7th Change Management Conference 2018 in Dubai, at which many  different cultures were represented from the Middle East, Africa, USA, Canada and [...]

How often have you praised someone for “bouncing back”? Getting back on our feet after a setback can show impressive resilience … but what if we could go further? In today’s fast-changing world [...]

Be prepared for the fast life Life keeps speeding up. Do you remember when the tape ribbon would come loose on your music cassettes and you’d use a pencil to wind it back in? Now your smartphone [...]

47% of employees complained that meetings were the #1 time-waster at the office. Most employees attend an average of 62 meetings a month. Unproductive meetings cost companies time and money. [...]

Do you ever need to run sessions with your teams to identify solutions to problems, or find a way to move forward? Why not learn a broad range of practical facilitation tips, tools and techniques [...]

Wellbeing and self-care are trends worth promoting not only because they feel good, but because they lead to better productivity and happier people.

What do comedians, vacuum cleaners and Formula 1 have in common … and what have they got to do with project management? I’ve been inspired by a Radio 4 programme about learning from past [...]

How do you react when you need to make urgent changes? It’s a question that the Prime Minister has had to address in the wake of recent allegations at Westminster. Her new code of conduct for [...]

King’s ‘Vision 2029’ strategy is to become a world top 20 institution. Currently ranked 36th, this Russell Group university has embarked on multiple, ambitious change programmes covering [...]

Hitachi Consulting (formally Information Management Group Limited) is a data insight and information management consultancy providing technical consultancy, advisory services and managed [...]

Aim In 2013, a strategic decision was made to extend the responsibility of the NHBC IT Project Management Office to include the governance of all strategic projects across the entire business. [...]

Aim The British High Commission in Nigeria wanted to invest in workforce training to improve change management capability and ensure that the Commission could introduce new initiatives and [...]

Just think about building the Titanic… It was a huge undertaking, both in terms of sheer scale, and because of the complexity caused by integrating so many new technologies in a way that had [...]

When you’re faced with change and having to do things in a new way, have you noticed that it takes longer to get things done? When you change your mobile phone or your television, this can [...]

It is now known that the brain organises things using a basic threat or reward principle, and that our first instinct is to assess threat levels. However, dealing with a ‘threat’ takes more brain [...]

It’s coming up to 30 years since I first managed a project officially and almost 18 years since I ran my first Agile project. It’s been interesting watching the gradual take-up of [...]

Last week I was in Barcelona, at the headquarters of Fusion for Energy, the EU body managing Europe’s contribution to the ITER project – the biggest international collaboration in the field of [...]

I caught the Olympic bug as a 9 year old, captivated watching Valeriy Borzov in 1972 winning the 100m and 200m. This turned into a full blown cold with Alberto Juantorena at the 1976 Montreal [...]

Most of us are aware that becoming angry, fearful or frustrated gets in the way of clear thinking, so it pays to stay calm. But when we’re under pressure and our emotions are rising, then it’s [...]

There’s a lot of change going on at ChangeQuest at the moment – an irony that’s not lost on me! Our business has been growing and growing since I started in October 2014 and with it the size of [...]

A Triumph for ‘Teamwork’ over ‘Individuals with Talent’ There was an outbreak of joy in the early weeks of May centred on the City of Leicester, but shared throughout the country for people who [...]

I buzzed the entry phone, introduced myself, and waited, feeling slightly uncomfortable gazing at the box on the wall. Then I heard a voice “Hello! Please come in!”. Instantly, I relaxed. He [...]

Everybody seems to be talking about Agile. There’s a huge wave of enthusiasm and focus on it, and it’s being heralded as the way forward for the effective management of projects in the modern [...]

The beauty of blogging is that topics usually relate back to what’s really happening in your life rather than random theory. Today I’m pondering the level of engagement achieved by the [...]

It seems such a passive thing, listening. And yet, it can be so much more powerful than speaking — particularly when supporting people through a period of change. If we’re not careful, it’s easy [...]

I think this is going to be a blog about contradictions and opposites. After all mindfulness is about noticing details in the ’here and now’, giving us an appreciation of the status quo – whereas [...]

The first lambs are appearing in the fields – bright and bouncy, and seemingly unfazed by the coldness of the wind. Whenever I’m admiring lambs, I find myself wondering why we are generally so [...]

For our last piece this week (but by no means least!) we spoke to Melissa Buerbaumer, CPA, PhD and Head of Accounting and Reporting at the International Atomic Energy Agency. Can you tell us a [...]

For today’s profile we managed to catch up with Michaela Lewis over at Domo. Can you tell us a bit about your current role? I am a Senior Manager in Customer Success at Domo and am currently [...]

Why I am Championing Cultural Change to Support Diversity and Inclusion. At school I was always interested in STEM subjects and my recreational time was spent in an odd combination of activities; [...]

It’s International Women’s Day tomorrow and the world will be celebrating the achievements of all kinds of women. With this in mind, we thought it would be a perfect time to catch up with some of [...]

It’s World Book Day today and we thought we’d share some of our most favourite industry books with you. It’s easy to buy the ’latest book’ out there, especially if you are new to the field, but [...]

So, I’m sitting here writing this blog. But actually, the truth is I’m supposed to be doing something else! I’ve left something (quite a few things?) unfinished, and those things are distracting [...]

Most Agile methods focus at the product development level. There’s a revolution from below aspect to them which is seductive. It encourages teams to change the world by doing it. Who [...]

McKinsey recently coined the term ’Neuromyths’ to describe old-fashioned ways of thinking that may have become entrenched, and damaging to the way organisations are thinking about their [...]

I’m talking about giving yourself some time and space to reflect on the past year and give yourself a big pat on the back – you made it! With New Year approaching there will soon be the [...]

You’ve arrived at the site of an important customer. You’re about to address a group of their senior executives and you’re feeling excited about it – you’ve done loads of work on this, and feel [...]

In today’s world, all change cannot be planned. Increasingly change is emergent – it happens as a result of an organisation’s need to be adaptive to stay competitive in fast moving times. It [...]

We’re in the final week of ’The Great British Bake Off’ and the last three contestants have survived 27 challenges, including cakes, pies, pastries, tarts, bread, biscuits and puddings from the [...]

The Harvard Business Review has recently published a report: Agile Practice: The Competitive Advantage for a Digital Age. Note, the title of the report is that Agile is ’the’ competitive [...]

The updated change management certification was launched 3 months ago. I recently wrote a blog for APMG International containing some reflections and observations from running this course with 6 [...]

Tomorrow, July 18th, is Mandela Day. 1990 was memorable to me for so many reasons, it was a year of great change both in my personal map of the world and in the greater world around me. I was [...]

There’s nothing quite as satisfying as learning a new skill. This is because it relates to what we are actually doing, rather than just what we know – or think we know. In some areas, the [...]

It was Adult Learners’ week and that got me thinking… What I had learned recently? I’m doing an online Social Media course at the moment so there was that; I’m a mum to a [...]

I’m a pilot, a private pilot, and have been for 15 years. I’m also a ChangeQuest trainer and educator and a project manager. Flying is similar to managing projects! Every flight is unique, has [...]

We all know that innovation and creativity are mostly likely to be achieved when people feel free to think differently and take chances. And yet, in many organisations the worry associated with [...]

Almost a month into the New Year, how are you progressing with your New Year goals? When working towards a goal, it’s helpful to understand a bit about the change process, so that you [...]

There’s a sense of newness in the air. It’s 2015 and the old calendars have been swept away, the new ones lie ready for exciting plans to be noted, and all is ready for a fresh start [...]

Gabriele Oettingen is a psychology professor at New York University who’s studied human motivation for the past 20 years. In her recent book, Rethinking Positive Thinking: Inside the New Science [...]

This week marks the end of summer and return to school for millions of students and parents around the world. Summer seems to go so quickly; time passes by and before you know it another summer [...]

Project management is now a skill set that is desired among all industries worldwide. What is it that project managers do that makes these skills so valuable? There are fundamentals in project [...]

The world is a lot smaller today than it used to be. Whether it be services provided, products manufactured, or simple information, the rest of the world can be a click away. As a working [...]

Four years seem to have passed by so quickly and it’s taken nearly that long for my ears to stop ringing from the blaring Vuvuzella assault from the last World Cup or maybe age makes the years go [...]

The profound power of storytelling is never greater than when people are experiencing times of the greatest change and adversity, such as during war or rapid industrial and social upheaval. With [...]

Last week Ranjit did one of her popular talks on the Titanic disaster. From what she told me, a visitor needs to hit the ground running, and be right up to speed on the dramatis personae of [...]

It was first said centuries ago that change is the only constant. But it is just as true today. Effective change management is key to the success of any organisation. And its contribution is [...]

So here we are – it’s the beginning of January and time to put new ideas and resolutions into action. Chances are you have a lot going on: new projects, major pieces of work, and all these are [...]

My guess is you think of Creativity as art and design, technical innovation, or perhaps the latest digital marketing ideas? But that’s not all. Today’s business world is very different to how it [...]

Our brains are constantly on the lookout for signs of threats or rewards – clearly the survival of early man depended on this. The decisions we make about what to pay attention to are based on [...]

Recently Honda released their latest gardening tool nicknamed ”The Mean Mower”. It can go from 0 to 100mph in 4 seconds accelerating faster than a Porsche 911. It has the same engine as a 996cc [...]

This picture is on a wall just outside my office. Every time I pass it I stop and admire it: a photographer would probably say it’s too blurred, or the light’s not right, but for me it’s [...]

Ruby Wax’s new book* is published next week. Not surprisingly, it promises to be a good read and an entertaining portal to some pretty big ideas – neuroplasticity, for instance. But [...]

Have you been following all the discussion around the benefits of the HS2 Rail Link in the news? It’s intriguing that this far down the line (pun acknowledged), the National Audit Office is still [...]

A recent article in New Scientist* offers some valuable insights — and they’re not necessarily the ones you may expect. Many management courses include some guidance on body language, the reading [...]

Last week I met a Mercedes-Benz driving coach – please note he was not a driving “instructor”. His business card says very clearly that he is a Driving Coach. Listening to him, I was [...]

Last week was marked as the 40th anniversary of the mobile phone. So I thought we’d take a light-hearted look at the changes and evolution of the phone, since the first “brick phone”, the [...]

From very early on individuals in competitive sports are hardwired to win, they’re driven by a need to be ”top dog”, sometimes at any cost as many scandals have revealed (Lance [...]

I had an interesting discussion with an old colleague and friend recently about some problems she is having managing a project to implement a new CRM system. Not untypically there is some [...]

When I first heard about APMG’s plans to launch a new Facilitation skills certification it piqued my curiosity, as it’s such an important skill-set both for people working on projects [...]

Is there a difference between a decision and a choice? And does it matter anyway? Why is it that a decision feels as if it should be based on a full situational analysis and yet a choice can be [...]

Recently, I went to an “Agile Edge” conference at Valtech to hear Greg Hutchings talk on “Introducing Agile”. Here is what I learned. You must know WHY you want to “do Agile” The normal reasons [...]

Guy Watson, the ethical entrepreneur and founder of Riverford, who created a global business with sales of £30 million and 400 staff from three acres and a wheel barrow, believes that greed is a [...]

A recent report from Deloitte has found that: “the quality of senior leadership — including core capabilities as well as personal qualities such as honesty and integrity — has a direct, and [...]

When you’re faced with change and having to do things in a new way, have you noticed that it takes longer to get things done? When you change your mobile phone or your television, this can [...]

Very soon we will all once again be happily jumping up and down cheering the world’s Super-Humans, the Paralympic athletes. After Team GB’s hugely successful performance in the 1st [...]

On any given project you can be fairly sure that things won’t go smoothly. Add to that being expected to do more with less, dealing with setbacks and disputes, things constantly chopping [...]

I hope by now many of you have managed to watch the wonderful spectacle that was the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony and you’ll no doubt have your favourite bits – perhaps it was the [...]

You’ve probably heard about statistics that say 55% of meaning comes from non-verbal communication, 38% from tone of voice and just 7% from the words we speak. This is based on Albert [...]

I was saddened with news of the death of the inspirational role model and teacher Stephen Covey. His book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People sold over 20 million copies and was listed as one of [...]

There are many techniques around to help with decision making, which typically involve understanding where you need to get to, exploring possible options, gathering information to weigh up the [...]

There was a time that phrases such as “you can bank on it” or “you can take that to the bank” signified an assurance of confidence. Today I don’t think these would elicit the same emotional [...]

Post by Mary O’Gorman I’m probably not alone in gathering a fair selection of fitness dvds and equipment, but I have to confess to being a bit of an equipment magpie over the years.  [...]

Last year I was running a large number of short change management workshops for an organisation, touching on theory around their change management framework, but mainly facilitating discussions [...]

This week with street parties occurring up and down the country, stalls and stores everywhere are awash with commemorative plates, printed tea towels, stamps, and flags – all marking the Diamond [...]

Two weeks ago the Williams F1 team were celebrating their win at the Spanish Grand Prix when a fire broke out in their garage. It caused devastating damage to most of their IT and communications [...]

We were upgrading our computer systems in the office last week and, as I was out training for the week, it was an ideal time for our “go to IT” man to rummage around my desk [...]

Have you ever felt “But, there’s nothing wrong with the way things are! – why change it?” A large retail store near me seems to have a different layout every time I go in there.  They [...]

The other day my husband was nostalgically watching one of the original Star Trek re-runs. Feigning interest I received a quick induction into the show’s formulaic format.  I learned [...]

What does it take for us to really learn from our experiences? Having finished our website project, we’re about to review ‘lessons learned’ with the team at ChangeQuest to make [...]

Titanic Lessons in Project Leadership The story of the Titanic has captivated people for the past 100 years. It stirs our curiosity and emotions and it is still amazing to think that what was [...]

 Animation showing how a deeper understanding of communication skills could improve the performance of your projects. ChangeQuest presents: The Project Manager’s Story (Communication [...]