How the British Red Cross achieve people-first change management

Download the slides!

Resources from the session:

• Storytelling through UGC (user-generated content) video
• Change management handbook
• Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, Book by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

Digital changes aren’t instant. There’s so much more to creating true innovation than just getting the go-ahead or switching something to digital. There needs to be preparation before, during and after.

Internal challenges are always likely to arise when embarking on a new project. There can be hiccups, barriers and some team members or service users might struggle when facing a digital change. Sometimes, people might see technology as something that takes a lot of effort to understand and prefer to stick to existing processes. Managing a digital project is about support, as well as the end goal.

When the British Red Cross rolled out one of their most recent projects, they wanted to ensure they took a proactive approach to change from the beginning. In previous projects, they had come up against a digital knowledge gap. People didn’t engage with the technology and this hindered progress. In future, they needed to bridge this gap between the leadership team and those executing the project on the ground.

So, whilst trying to introduce tablets to front line workers, they made sure to put into practice their past learnings from when technology wasn’t adopted and where their people didn’t feel supported. They made change management a priority. They introduced ‘Digital Champions’ to help educate people on the project, providing the necessary guidance and support from the get-go. Along the way, Ross Pitbladdo (BRC’s Technology Business Partner) learnt some valuable lessons that BRC will be taking forward. In this session, charities can expect to learn:

• What to consider when managing digital projects
• Tips on how you to increase the chances of technology adoption and success of digital projects
• Insight into BRC’s favoured model of change and how it can work for your charity projects and transformations
• Tips on how you can harness your team to become champions of digital change

Who is this session for?

• Medium (income (£100K-£1M) - Supermajor (income <£100M) sized charities
• Those working in leadership positions such as Manager, Executive, Consultant or Director roles, or any role relevant to change management
• There is no specific level of tech expertise needed for this session – it is suitable for any charity leader who is wants to learn more about change management and running digital projects!