Plan a change
During the plan phase of a change, time should be spent understanding the problem or issue you are trying to solve, alongside considering the impact on staff.
Key factors
- Explore the information available to you to clarify the purpose of change and what needs to be changed, alongside generating ideas for solutions
- Ensure you have clarity on scope and resources, including who should be involved to enable you to create the conditions for change to be initiated
- Consider any potential impact on people such as staff, students and partners etc.
Resources on this page:
- Change Management Foundations
- Four door model of change
- Communicating in Times of Change
- Change and the Three Box Model
- The Three Horizons Framework
- Model of personal change
- Creating an innovation charter
- The building blocks of innovative teams
- Create your shared vision for change
- Workshops (if you're new to change management)
It's also really important that you don’t forget to consider all aspects of the principles of change. Alongside the resources below, ensure you have considered the need for an equality impact assessment to ensure your change does what it intends to do and is inclusive for staff and students.
The practical and emotional impact on disabled staff should be a crucial consideration, and you must ensure any Individual Adjustment Plans for impacted staff are revisited to explore what support may be needed. Explore our resources on change and the impact on disabled staff for further support.
Related links
Change Management Foundations
- Format: Online course (LinkedIn Learning)
- Time to complete: 46 minutes
- Phase of change: Plan
- Principle of change: Shared vision
A short course outlining the people and process side of change management, along with a step-by-step roadmap for implementing and managing change.
Learning outcomes
- Explore considerations around implementing change and assessing an organisation's readiness for change.
- Understand the emotional journey people go through during change.
- Explore approaches for creating enthusiasm, commitment for change and making change stick by forming new habits.
Four door model of change
- Format: How-to guide
- Time to complete: 45 minutes
- Phase of change: Plan
- Principle of change: Communicate and engage
A short video and exercise for teams to complete in order to look at change in a more balanced and objective way. This resource can also be helpful in the implement phase and is something staff may find helpful to continuously revisit as the change progresses.
Learning outcomes
- Understand the range of perspectives on the change and the effects of it.
- Recognise and explore what you can and can't do both before and after the change.
Video: Four door model of change
Worksheet: Four door model of change
Communicating in Times of Change
- Format: Online course (LinkedIn Learning)
- Time to complete: 51 minutes
- Phase of change: Plan
- Principle of change: Communicate and engage
A short course exploring how you can communicate with your team and others, including tips and activities to try.
Learning outcomes
- Understand the necessity of careful communication planning when involved in a change initiative.
- Explore how to effectively modify communication efforts and how you can use key opinion leaders.
- Understand the communication behaviours that reduce resistance to change.
Communicating in Times of Change
Change and the Three Box Model
- Format: How-to guide
- Time to complete: 35 minutes
- Phase of change: Plan
- Principle of change: Insight-led
An exercise to explore how you view a change and how to develop a more positive look at the opportunities that change presents. This resource can also be helpful in the implement phase and is something staff may find helpful to continuously revisit as the change progresses.
Learning outcomes
Understand how you view change and develop a more positive look at the opportunities it presents.
Change and the Three Box Model
The Three Horizons Framework
- Format: Video
- Time to watch: 6 minutes
- Phase of change: Plan
- Principle of change: Insight-led
A short introduction to the Three Horizons Framework which provides a model to think about current assumptions, emerging changes and possible and desired futures.
Learning outcomes
- Explore a tool for thinking about transformational change.
- Understand how to have a more nuanced conversation and allow further insights into your change project.
Model of personal change
- Format: Video
- Time to watch: 6 minutes
- Phase of change: Plan
- Principle of change: Inspire and empower
An introduction to one model for exploring and understanding the emotional response to change.
Learning outcomes
Understand emotions to change using John Fisher's model of change.
Creating an innovation charter
- Format: Video
- Time to watch: 4 minutes
- Phase of change: Plan
- Principle of change: Nurture innovation
A short video about how to produce an innovation charter, detailing how your team will work together to maximise innovation. This video is part of a wider LinkedIn Learning course and we have selected the most relevant video for this part of the change process.
Learning outcomes
Understand the components of an innovation charter and explore how you might use one to boost creativity in your team.
Creating an innovation charter
The building blocks of innovative teams
- Format: Video
- Time to watch: 4 minutes
- Phase of change: Plan
- Principle of change: Nurture innovation
A short video outlining strategies to build more innovative teams. This video is part of a wider LinkedIn Learning course and we have selected the most relevant video for this part of the change process.
Learning outcomes
Explore strategies to foster a focus on continuous improvement, encourage fresh thinking, and approach obstacles with creativity.
The building blocks of innovative teams
Create your shared vision for change
- Format: Video
- Time to watch: 5 minutes
- Phase of change: Plan
- Principle of change: Shared vision
A short exercise to explore how to create a shared vision. This video is part of a wider LinkedIn Learning course on transformational leadership but we have selected the most relevant video for this part of the change process.
Learning outcomes
Explore how emotions can help others to buy-in to a vision.
Create your shared vision for change
Training and workshops
If you're in a leadership or management role, you may want to develop a range of skills that support you in your role, many of which are core to supporting change:
More resources
Browse all our resources by theme.