Change Management
Cover: Cognizant, Workplace of the Future (London)
Change Management.
― WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
Projects are six times more likely to achieve or exceed their objectives if a structured change management strategy is employed.
Source: Prosci® Best Practices in Change Management, 11th edition, 2018.
As businesses evolve to accommodate new ways of working, intentional change management programs are more essential than ever. Through the skillful use of processes, tools, and techniques, we work with your team to navigate the human side of workplace change.
Like all important business initiatives, successful change begins with a thoughtful and relevant strategy. Our experienced advisors help ensure that you and your teams have the knowledge and skills to effectively prepare for, manage, and reinforce change.
Benefits of change management
• Minimise resistance to change
• Increase return on investment
• Reduce risk and inefficiency
• Maintain productivity
• Improve morale and quality of work
• Promote collaboration and innovation
Left: RBC U.S. Wealth Management Headquarters (Minneapolis)
Right: Confidential Technology Client (Dublin)
Your partners in managing change.
After you design and move into your business’ new or remodeled workplace, employees will likely need to change many of their habits and work routines. This journey will be truly exciting and inspiring for many, but the transition to new ways of working may cause concern for others.
To improve the return on your workplace design investment, it’s important to put in the effort ahead of time to ensure that all employees understand why they need to change, what will be changing, and how they can flourish in their new workplace.
We work closely with leaders and employees to engage in meaningful conversations and uncover compelling stories that justify change and complement your organization’s unique vision, values, and goals. Our approach embodies transparency, consistency, and clarity to ensure that everyone knows exactly what’s going to happen, when, and why.
Building trust and buy-in from the start saves money and maximises productivity over the long term.
→ Beazley Insurance (London)
Our Strategy.
Every client has unique needs, and the best change management process is a catalyst for continuous growth and renewal. We help bring about long-lasting change through organisational engagement and individual adoption.
Our certified practitioners use the three-phase Prosci® process to align workplace transition with your business strategy and culture, educate and inform employees about change before and as it occurs, and help ensure that employees embrace new ways of working. We address issues of work culture, engagement, behavior, and training through comprehensive communication and collaborative idea generation.
Our change management services include:
• Designing and executing change management program
• Engaging key stakeholders to lead through change
• Educating and informing managers
• Supporting “change champions” at all levels of the organization
• Engaging employees
• Producing compelling communication materials
• Measuring effectiveness via postoccupancy evaluations
Phase 1
Preparing for change
Develop a common understanding of the change you are facing
Phase 2
Managing change
Actively manage the process leading up to your physical move
Phase 3
Reinforcing change
Collect Feedback, ensure adopted changes are long term, move toward business as usual.
Preparing for change
The primary goal of the first phase is to ensure that leaders and project team are aligned around the greater purpose of the change, understand how the new workplace will support long-term goals, and identify the key components of the individual changes that will be necessary to ensure a successful outcome. The outcome of this phase is a change strategy that includes an engagement and communication plan.
Managing change
In the second phase, which occurs during design and construction, leading up to occupancy in the new space, our mission is to create awareness of the change and build excitement. To successfully achieve your workplace vision, we engage across the organization with interactive workshops and activites, and use proven communication methods, including your existing channels, to ensure that everyone receives crucial information. Working closely with the design team, we ensure that employees are involved where decisions can be influenced to build a sense of ownership and co-creation. We also proactively identify and address any resistance to change.
Reinforcing change
After all employees have successfully settled in, followup measures with leaders and employees ensure that the new space is supporting teams and individuals as intended. Based on findings, we recommend behaviors and information that may need reinforcing to reach the desired state.
― Change Management
Selected Projects
Evelyn Partners
London, England
Client: Evelyn Partners
Size: 93,000 square feet
Completion Date: 2022
Rating: Leesman®+
This relocation physically merged two companies, accommodating both under one roof for the first time. A key challenge for the employees was to move to a new location at the same time this coming together under a new vision, a new roof and a new brand. The client wanted to evolve and refresh their cultural and physical workspace while continuing to provide an outstanding experience for their employees and clients. Anticipating a highly complex level of change affecting 1200 employees, we applied an in-depth change management program from the outset, including a detailed technical due diligence and stay vs. go analysis, briefing, design, change management and post-occupancy evaluation. The new office achieved a Leesman®+ rating a year after move-in, proving the effectiveness of the new office and the corresponding transition to new ways of working.
― WHAT MAKES IT COOL
The new office achieved a Leesman®+ rating a year after move-in.
Confidential Medical Device Company
Maple Grove, Minnesota
Size: 405,000 square feet
Completion Date: 2026
With a growing presence in Minnesota, the company’s newest R&D campus building pulled together employees from three different sites which laid the foundation for engaging in a robust change management process. The complexity of change spanned policy, space, work processes, and personnel. Perkins&Will engaged in the three-phase Prosci methodology to support employees; we assessed the scope and scale of change, implemented a comprehensive communications and engagement strategy, and supported post-occupancy activities. By engaging groups of change champions, tailoring communications to support a scientist’s way of learning, and creating engagement activities to help employees see themselves in the new building, Perkins&Will ensured that employees were equipped with the information needed to hit the ground running on their first day.
Arup
London, England
Client: Arup
Size: 135,000 square feet
Completion Date: 2022
Rating: Leesman®+
Changing the way 3000+ Arupians work.
The global built environment consultancy Arup viewed an expiring lease as an opportunity to rethink their future approach to work. They opened 80 Charlotte Street in January 2022, which we designed, as a collaboration hub for all teams, complementing their more traditional office next door, at 8 Fitzroy Street. Arup wanted to push the boundaries with smart and sustainable design, and invested in technology that would allow them to continuously monitor usage of energy, water, and spaces to minimize and optimize when needed. The new collaboration hub completely changed the way the 3000 Arupians work, delivering a whole new, post-Covid way of working. A deep and robust change management strategy was required to ensure the teams could do their very best work from day one, requiring significant internal communication, as well as engagement with leaders and change champions to ensure buy-in at all levels.
Clinical Health Science and Wellness Facility
Oxford, Ohio
Client: Miami University
Size: 165,000 square feet
Completion Date: 2023
With the goal of promoting life-long holistic health, Miami University envisioned a new building to consolidate its healthcare and education programs. This would allow students to take classes, receive hands-on training, and participate in real clinic visits all in the same facility. The concept had broad support, but university leadership recognized that moving so many people to a new location would pose challenges. We recommended an approach that would successfully transition occupants from their existing environments to the new building and help them adopt novel ways of working, teaching, learning, and providing care. We worked with the leadership team to understand upcoming changes, actively manage the transition process, host town halls and special events to orient the campus community, and disseminate targeted messaging to ensure readiness for the building’s opening.
Newell Brands HQ
Sandy Springs, Georgia
Client: Newell Brands
Size: 183,000 square feet
Completion Date: 2025
Despite Newell Brands HQ moving less than two miles away from their previous site, the scale of change was shaped by new space types, moving from a single tenant to multi-tenant building, and evolved processes affecting employees’ day-to-day experience. Perkins&Will implemented a collaborative and integrated approach to change and rooted the process in understanding the impact of change on the individual. The change management process supported employees transition to the new building through clear communications, hands-on engagement sessions, and empowering change champions to support their colleagues.
WM Headquarters
Houston, Texas
Client: Waste Management, Inc.
Size: 285,000 square feet
Completion Date: 2021
WM engaged Perkins&Will to provide change management services to assist employees in their headquarters relocation. The primary goals of this initiative were to generate excitement around the new award-winning office space, ease moving anxieties and concerns surrounding the move, and provide the tools employees needed to eliminate potential disruption to their day-to-day business.
We worked with WM to create a roadmap of change activities and communications that synchronized with the design and construction schedule.
State Street
London, England
Size: 108,000 square feet
Completion Date: 2027
State Street are relocating from a multitenant building in Canary Wharf to their own building in the City of London. Perkins&Will have delivered the workplace strategy, design and are delivering the ongoing change management. Working with the bank’s global real estate team, Perkins&Will have developed a change management and communication programme that aligns with global precedents, whilst using our expertise to evolve the process and outputs.
The new office will embody new ways of working and a ‘wellness everywhere’ amenities strategy. The Change Management process is focused on keeping employees informed and excited throughout the design development, with a long-term view on behavioural change to ensure employees get maximum benefit from the amenityrich building.
University of Louisville Health Sciences Campus, New Health, Simulation, Academic and Innovation Facility
Louisville, Kentucky
Size: 160,000 square feet
Completion Date: 2029
The change management scope encompasses a new 160,000 square foot building that will bring together four schools to share and leverage one integrated simulation center and create a hub for the Health Sciences campus. This four year effort (targeting a 2029 FDOB) focuses on engaging the full community and guiding them through a complex transition—supporting individuals with varying levels of comfort as they adjust to changes in location, space standards, and school identity within a newly unified environment. The work includes addressing diverse questions around safety, wayfinding, culture, and daily operations; easing concerns for those experiencing the most significant shifts, particularly academic teams adapting to new office standards; clearly communicating the building’s value and how to navigate its spaces; and ultimately sparking enthusiasm for the opportunities this new shared home will provide.
Achieving the right level of support.
Our approach is scalable, with the level of change management support and number of activities driven largely by the experience and availability of your internal change stakeholders.
Silver Level
Change Manager will consult the project team through the change.
• Change Manager will consult the project team
• Change Manager will provide tools and templates throughout the project
• Change manager will provide guidance and coordination of communications
Change is a constant in the rapidly evolving workplace, and our Prosci® certified experts are ready to help you and your team embrace new ways of working together.
Gold Level
Change Manager will collaborate with the project team to manage the change process.
• Change Manager will manage the change plan
• Change Manager will support major employee engagement activities
• Change Manager will provide templates for planning and supporting communications
Platinum Level
Change Manager will own the change process from beginning to end.
• Change Manager will drive schedule and execution of change plan
• Change Manager will own and drive completion of communications and change activities
For more information, contact us at: perkinswill.com/contact/