Leadership & change
Making Organisations
Future Fit
The world keeps changing. How do leaders move an organisation forward while bringing its people with them?
Originally written by George Perry in 2021 · Updated September 2026
Organisational change succeeds through people, not plans alone.
In a Leadership Comes Alive conversation recorded during the pandemic, Greg Young discussed Transforming Organisations the Right Way. The immediate crisis has passed, but the question behind the episode remains: how do you change the way an organisation works without losing the trust and contribution of its people?
Today the pressures include AI, shifting skills, the green transition and different expectations about how work is done. These drivers are reflected in the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report and the CIPD’s research on flexible and hybrid working.
Change the work, not just the chart
A new structure or technology is only part of a transformation. People also need to know what they will start doing, what they will stop doing and how decisions and relationships will change. That requires a clear purpose and an honest account of what the change means in practice.
Greg’s point still holds: a plan must make sense to people logically and connect with what matters to them.
Make room for different responses
Uncertainty can bring enthusiasm, concern, scepticism or several reactions at once. Leaders need to explain what they know, acknowledge what remains undecided and listen to the people affected.
The original article referred to the Kübler-Ross change curve. It can remind leaders to notice the human side of change, but people do not move through a fixed sequence of stages. The Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Foundation describes those responses as a vocabulary, rather than a timetable.
Give leaders time to listen and adapt
People closest to the work often see obstacles and possible solutions first. Ask for their views, show what you have heard and explain what will change as a result.
Managers also need the time and support to guide their teams through uncertainty alongside day-to-day responsibilities. Clarity, listening and headspace: these are Greg’s three practical starting points for transformation that lasts.
Leadership Comes Alive · Episode 23 · 20 minutes
Hear Greg Young’s original conversation
Greg and Danielle Grant discuss how to bring people with you through organisational transformation.
Listen to the Episode on Spotify