Change management in action: Heller case study
Let’s explore an example of change management processes for a real educational institution that partnered with Heller.
Challenge
After years of rapid growth, new campus construction, and program expansion, our client’s existing scheduling and registration systems were inadequate to accommodate the college’s growing needs.
Rather than only turning to new technical solutions, the administration recognized that the challenges were intertwined with organizational culture. They sought out Heller’s change management expertise in the hopes of encouraging buy-in and helping the organization understand how the existing tools were utilized.
Approach
Heller Consulting conducted interviews, workshops, and information-gathering sessions to understand stakeholder perspectives, identify key issues, and begin developing targeted solutions.
We found that the leadership team was committed to the existing tools. Student and staff stakeholders, however, were experiencing day-to-day challenges.
With these insights in hand, Team Heller facilitated stakeholder workshops focused on shared challenges and alignment. The open format gave participants space to voice concerns, collaborate on solutions, and build trust as a team. Since the solutions were shaped by their own input, staff began to feel a sense of ownership and investment in the process.
Within just a few short weeks, Heller Consulting helped the stakeholders define their unified vision for the future.
Making headway toward that vision required several key elements:
- Improving the scheduling system to make it more user-friendly, flexible, and transparent
- Provide user training to increase comfort level and build stakeholders’ buy-in
- Encourage inter-departmental connections and communication channels so that information is exchanged as quickly as possible
Results
With continued support from Heller, the college is moving forward steadily and intentionally.
Because staff felt included in the process and committed to solutions, there was a marked change in their desire to be a part of the change. The initial resistance among stakeholders has been replaced with optimism, and there is a steady foundation for the college to grow.
