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Jul 18 2019 Change Creation 2 – this autumn
Change Creation 2 is coming soon! Starting this autumn we’ll be working with arts and cultural organisations from across the UK – working leaders from organisations large and small and every art form – to deliver Change Creation 2. So whether you’re shifting organisation cultural, re-imagining your organisation’s vision, connecting with new communities, re-shaping your income model, we’d love to hear from you. Build your network, share insights, learn from others and become part of an incredible community of leaders.
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Jul 16 2019 A more diverse workforce
Dan Bates, Chief Executive of Sheffield Theatres is one of the leaders on the Change Creation programme. Together with the Ramps on The Moon network, Dan is striving for a step change in the development of a more diverse UK theatre workforce that incorporates D/deaf and disabled individuals. He started off with the question: how do we embed inclusivity and relevance across our organisation, programming and people?
“We know diversity is essential to our success, so using diversity as a lens, we started with questions about who we are, what we do and how we do things,” says Dan. “Where are we today and where do we want to be?”
Dan and his team have worked with Change Creation to create a new mission, vision and values, reflected in a new brand. They have made changes to their working practices in areas like recruitment processes (including hiring positive action trainees), improved inductions, daily staff briefings, and inviting staff to observe board meetings. They have also invested time and resources into staff engagement, training and development. This has led a strong and united team who are ambitious for change.
Dan’s team has also developed a ‘story of change’ specifically focusing on diversity. A story (or theory) of change is a methodology for unpacking the causal relationships between our work and their outputs and ultimate impacts. Creating a story of change enables organisations to understand all the inputs they execute to create an impact, and also helps in the isolation of data and evidence at each step in the chain of effects to get clearer about where refinements might be needed.“We’re proud of how far we’ve come. That inspires us to go further.”
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Jul 12 2019 Not managing change, but creating it
Change management is traditionally seen as a set of tools and approaches for dealing with resistance and overseeing the implementation of new processes or structures. But creating change is much more proactive, dynamic and generative. We see the development of an appetite for change and innovation within an organisation as a creative act – one that enables everyone to bring changes to life. We call this building of the conditions and environment that make change inevitable change leadership, or change creation.
At the heart of our thinking is the ’eight elements of change’ model. This highlights the crucial areas that every leader needs to focus on in order to ensure that changes are delivered, and don’t drift into a cul-de-sac of never-implemented initiatives. The eight elements combine to create clarity, consensus, appetite, ownership, confidence, practicality and momentum. Following the steps enables change to be embedded and benefits to be realised.Creating change is often like tending a garden – it takes time and care. But there are practical principles we’ve embedded in everything we do to enable change to flourish.
Clarity is a crucial, early priority that takes time and attention. Once we are crystal clear about where we are going, how to get there starts to emerge by itself.
Building an appetite for change really is a fundamental step. Once everyone is change hungry across the organisation, half the work is done.
Change is done by people, not to people. Building involvement early on develops ownership, momentum and quality.
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Jul 10 2019 How to move your organisation
Talawa Theatre Company is one of the UK’s primary Black led touring theatre companies, providing a platform for Black actors and artists to launch and establish their careers in the wider industry. Touring at least one production each year, Talawa works with and for a diverse range of audiences and participants to inspire, educate and tell stories that are informed by the wealth and diversity of the Black British experience.
As part of Change Creation, Talawa has been searching for a new building… a new home. Inevitably the challenges – the known and the unknown – have been plentiful, and here Natasha, Executive Director reflects on her time with Change Creation.
“We knew that having an independent creative space was fundamental to our business… our premises at the time were being redeveloped so there was a real sense of urgency. At the same time, we knew that we needed to take the time to get it right. Moving house is hard enough, so we knew that moving an entire organisation was not going to be easy!
We wanted to use the opportunity of moving, to focus on our strategy, our approach, our partnerships, audiences and staff. There is little point in moving to a new building if the processes, people, infrastructure, mission, and structures don’t support that move.
It’s been such a learning curve, a learning curve for me personally and for the organisation. I’ve learned that change takes time and it’s hard. There isn’t a quick fix and it’s not simply about implementing new processes. It’s about creating the right environment for change to happen – awareness and understanding, commitment and support, appetite and momentum. We all needed to be on the same page, know where we were going as an organisation and why. Change Creation has given us the opportunity to take time out of the ‘day-to-day’ to reflect on this.
We began to feel like property developers, we looked at lots of premises! Some I liked, and our Artistic Director Michael Buffong didn’t, and vice versa. We initially struggled to find consensus, but by asking ourselves the right questions, we’ve found somewhere (Fairfield Halls, Croydon) that we can say ‘This is Talawa, this is our new home, this is somewhere that we’re all excited about’. It’s not what we set out to look for, but we know it’s best for Talawa and the people we work with and for.
We’ll be getting more space – all our operations will be under one roof and we’ve got studio space to work closer with artists and community groups. We’re moving to a new community, meeting new partners and stakeholders and we already feel supported in a community that is alive with ambition and opportunity. All of this means we can look forward to our future, develop our national touring programme and continue to produce incredible work with the incredible talent that surrounds us, both in London and nationally.
For me personally Change Creation has helped me to grow in confidence as a leader. That’s thanks to the incredible people on Change Creation. Being part of a cohort, surrounded by other leaders from arts organisations of different size, scale and art form is the best support that I could have wished for. It was support that I wasn’t expecting but the generosity of other people’s time, insights and learning has been significant for me and for Talawa.
It’s like being in ‘live-time’ case studies. Richard Watts, Programme Director said at our very first workshop that the future is already here, but it’s unevenly distributed… and that’s true. No matter what we’ve faced, other people have experienced something similar, so to be in a supportive, friendly environment where people are happy to share is a real gift. I hope that I’ve been able to help others too.
I’ve also learned that creating change creates new opportunities. We’re moving to a new borough, and Paula Murray, Creative Director of Croydon Council in particular, has been instrumental in our move. We recently had an away day with our Board, and Paula gave a presentation about the Cultural Strategy, there’s a real sense that change is happening and that culture is at the heart of it.
We’re now working with a Change Creation consultant to imagine the future of our organisation and what that needs to look like. The expertise and insight is invaluable – I thought I knew what we needed, but having an expert ‘outside eye’ has really challenged and shaped my thinking.
So, whilst we’ve faced challenges and change, I know that the changes don’t stop here. Change is inevitable and recurring and I’m now better equipped to lead change in our organisation’s future. I’ll keep surrounding myself with supportive networks; share and harvest opinions, learning and expertise; invest more in, and value stakeholder relationships; take time to establish clarity and consensus; and maintain momentum for our work, our future and the communities we are part of.”
