Events

Leading change is complex. Communicating change is challenging too. 

What do you say when the future feels like a conceptual aspiration? When a change programme is set to last for years? When everything feels strategic and nothing feels real? 

Internal change comms creates a unique space for organisational leaders and their communications leads to work closely together to create the right conditions for change to gain momentum.  
In this Change Chat, we’ll explore how councils can communicate confidently and credibly through change, looking at the complementary roles of leadership and internal communications, to help you create a successful approach in your own organisation.  

We’ll explore: 

• The role of communications during change 
• Leadership principles 
• The emotions of change 
• Balance process requirements with people’s needs 
• What to aim for and how to measure progress 

The session will be led by Lucy Trueman, organisational psychologist and change leader, alongside Georgia Turner, strategic communications and engagement specialist. Together, they’ll bring both the psychological and communications perspectives on helping people navigate uncertainty and change.

Join us for a practical discussion about communicating through change, staying visible and maintaining a focus on your people as much as your program

What does the Government’s new direction mean for your organisation, workforce and leadership team?

A research-led executive briefing for Chief Executives and senior HR and OD leaders

The direction of public sector reform is changing quickly.

Devolution, the growth of strategic authorities, public service reform, Local Government Reorganisation and the Government’s ambition to “rewire the state” are reshaping expectations of how public services are organised, delivered and led.

But while much of the debate focuses on structures, governance and policy, some of the most significant implications are about people.

What capabilities will organisations need in the years ahead? What will effective leadership look like in a more complex and interconnected public sector? How will organisational cultures need to evolve? And how can leaders build workforces that are equipped not simply to cope with continued change, but to perform through it?

This research-led executive briefing will look beyond individual reform programmes to explore the wider direction of travel for the public sector through the lens of workforce, culture, leadership and organisational capability.

Drawing on Government priorities, emerging sector trends and organisational psychology, we will consider:

• How devolution, LGR and wider public service reform are changing expectations of public sector organisations
• What this could mean for workforce strategy, talent and organisational capability
• The leadership behaviours needed to operate effectively through complexity and uncertainty
• Whether traditional public sector cultures remain fit for the environment ahead
• What high-performing public sector organisations may need to look like in the future

Designed for Chief Executives, HR Directors, OD Directors and other senior organisational leaders, this session provides an opportunity to step back from immediate operational pressures and consider a bigger question:

What do you need to start building now to ensure your organisation is ready for the public sector of the future?

The psychology behind lost momentum - and what leaders can do about it

An executive briefing for CEOs, Transformation Directors and programme sponsors

Most transformation programmes don’t fail because of poor plans. They fail because organisations underestimate the human side of change.

So why do some transformation programmes build momentum while others stall? Why do people resist some changes but embrace others? And what causes initial energy and commitment to fade over time?

As public sector organisations navigate devolution, public service reform, financial pressure and digital transformation, these questions are becoming increasingly important.

Yet transformation programmes still tend to focus heavily on structures, governance and delivery plans, while paying less attention to the psychological factors that shape behaviour, engagement and momentum.

This executive briefing will explore the human dynamics that can make or break transformation, including:

• Why people resist some changes but embrace other
• How change fatigue develops – and what organisations can do about it
• What creates genuine ownership rather than passive compliance
• Why transformation programmes lose momentum
• How organisational culture can accelerate or obstruct change
• The leadership behaviours that build confidence through uncertainty

Designed for CEOs, Transformation Directors, programme sponsors and senior HR/OD leaders, this session will look beyond the mechanics of transformation to consider a more fundamental question:

What does it take to keep people engaged, confident and moving when transformation gets difficult?

Great project management can give change structure. It can't, on its own, explain why people resist, disengage, become anxious or behave differently when uncertainty increases.

That's where psychology comes in.

In this practical Change Chat, organisational psychologist Lucy Trueman will unpack three psychological models that can help you better understand what happens to people during change – and what to do about it.

You'll leave with:

• Three simple psychological models you can apply to real change programmes
• A better understanding of behaviour and resistance
• Practical ideas for improving engagement
• A more people-centred approach to leading transformation

No psychology degree required - just bring a change challenge.