This document discusses how organizations can better manage change by empowering employees to share their experiences. It recommends: 1. Creating conditions that support choice and continuous change. Organizations need to embrace changing technologies and provide support for different workstyles. 2. Building and encouraging communities for sharing information. When employees can openly discuss observations and examples, it facilitates learning about new technologies and changes. 3. Empowering people to share their stories. Telling relatable, first-hand stories is an effective way to communicate about changes. Management should support different media for sharing experiences.

1. Darrell Webster | Adoption and Change Management Consultant
Adopt & Embrace

2. Photo by Andreas Fidler on Unsplash

3. Photo by Antonio Molinari on Unsplash

5. ▪ Technology is always changing
▪ Cloud-based technology and Continuous Improvement /
Deployment
▪ Benefit realisation vs Change fatigue
▪ Small frequent changes vs large infrequent changes

6. ▪ Changes often introduce more choices
▪ Organisations offer more choices to support
the way we work (location, equipment,
collaboration tools)
▪ We can’t provide for all choices in our
workplaces.
▪ Cost of maintenance and support
▪ Security and compliance
Photo by Bundo Kim on Unsplash

7. ▪ Change is certain.The promise of change was
purchased
▪ Continuous improvement
▪ Growing number of choices
Graphic by Tracy van der Schyff.

8. IT people
▪ Office 365 Roadmap
▪ Office 365 Message Center
▪ Official blog posts and
announcements
▪ Microsoft Tech Community
▪ Live events and conferences
▪ Social media
The rest of us
▪ Observations – our own and others
▪ Discussions with pilot groups –
Targetted Release group
▪ Blog posts from community
champions
▪ Social media – announcements,
overservations, complaints
WHERE DO WE LEARN ABOUT CHANGE IN
OFFICE 365?

10. ▪ Ease of communicating change to the organisation
▪ Getting attention
Where possible, don’t let change arrive without warning

11. ▪ Planned / Structured
▪ Driven by internal communications
role or team
▪ Leadership forums
▪ Email
▪ Leaflet drops
▪ Intranet stories
▪ Signage
▪ Demonstrations
▪ Expo
▪ Disruptive “marketing”
Get people talkingPhoto by rawpixel.com on Unsplash

12. ▪ The place for continual
conversation
▪ Observations – What have you
seen?
▪ Examples – a starting point from
someone else's experience
Observations,
Experiences and
Examples

13. ENABLING
CONDITIONS
J R Hackman
http://www.cleverworkarounds.com/2013/08/19
/rethinking-sharepoint-maturity-part-1-
conditions-over-causes/
Paul Culmsee

14. ▪Comfortable to ask questions
▪Confidence to share what you
know, to share your
experiences
▪Give you the capability to
connect
▪Community Managers –
Champion and Concierge

17. ▪ A way people organise and store
information
▪ An account of an event, imaginary
or real
▪ Amuse, interest, inspire, teach,
pass on knowledge
▪ Relatable
▪ Told using different forms
▪ spoken, acted, sung, painted,
photographed…
▪ Text, pictures, video,
drawing and white boarding,
role playing, demonstrating

18. TOLD FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS
▪News
▪Traditions
▪Lessons
▪Support for an idea

19. ▪Informed
▪Enriched
▪I learn
▪Passed on
▪I am heard. I belong.

20. EMPOWER AND ENABLE
YOUR ORGANISATION TO
SHARE STORIES▪People sharing examples of how
they are working.
▪ Outcomes
▪ What technologies they use
▪Share challenges they face and
seek input and validation
▪Build a culture that allows
everyone time to share their
stories
Photo by Phil Coffman on Unsplash

22. SITUATIONAL
AWARENESS
CHANGE YOUR
INFORMATION
CULTURE
▪From:“who needs to know” to
“who doesn't know and we need to
tell and tell them as quickly as we
can”
▪Instead of knowledge is power…
sharing is power.
▪Information is only valuable if you
give it to people who can do
something with it
▪Knowing what others are doing
adds to your story

23. ▪ Media vs Social Media – democratisation of media
▪ Same pattern in business – communications team and the individual story teller
▪ Official and polished OR direct from the person affected

24. ▪Tell your story as if you
were talking with a person
▪Make a few points and
finish – don’t waffle on

25. ▪ Persistent stories
▪ Discoverable and
searchable
▪ Measure sentiment
▪ Discuss stories, short
and long
Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash

26. ▪ Short post in a discussion
platform
▪ Text with a few attached
pictures, links, videos
▪SharePoint News pages
▪Text, pictures, videos,
links,
▪Embedded
conversation

27. ▪ SharePoint Home page
▪ SharePoint Hub sites
▪ Mobile app
▪ Share stories to email,Yammer,
Microsoft Teams – rich thumbnail

28. ▪ Make a few points. If it gets too long, write a second story.
▪ Start a discussion on your own story – at the foot of your page and in the discussion
platform

29. ▪ Quick and easy to
consume
▪ Show the bigger picture
– situation, fuller than a
verbal description
▪ Snapchat, Instagram,
Facebook -> LinkedIn,
▪ Recorded vs Live

30. ▪ Again, don’t go for perfection
▪ Camtasia or Skype for Business meeting, recorded

33. Create the
conditions to
support choice
and change
1
Build and
encourage your
Communities
2
Empower people
to share their
stories
3

34. Working @ adoptandembrace.com
@DarrellaaS
regarding365.com
youtube.com/darrellasaservice
linkedin.com/in/darrellwebster