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Change Management Group

The Change management Community of Practice is about networking, sharing best practice, learning and reflecting on the future of change management in the sector.

It was created as a safe space for people involved in sponsoring, leading and managing change initiatives within and outside a project/programme environment.

Our group facilitator:

Fola Ikpehai

A former Head of Digital Change and Transformation, Fola specialises in process improvement, organisational and business change, training development and delivery, programme and project management, and leadership.

She combines her expertise as a coach and mentor with strong analytical skills and a practical understanding of the challenges of implementing benefits-led change in complex organisations.

Who should attend:

  • Unlike most communities of practice, the Change Network is not a homogeneous group.
  • Attendees come from a range of roles and different levels within institutions -Directors of Programmes, Projects and Planning; Heads of Change, Transformation, Portfolio or Programme Management Offices; Change Coordinators etc.
  • The only common denominator is the attendees are involved in leading or managing change initiatives within their institutions - from very large programmes of change to much smaller initiatives.

Why should you attend:

  • Participants attend the group to share knowledge and best practice, network and seek solutions to change management issues.
  • Action learning is a key element of our approach; colleagues may present the network with a range of scenarios (in confidence) that the group can debate and come up with options/solutions.
  • At each session, participants are encouraged to take away practices that they can experiment with at their institutions and feedback to the group to define what worked and what did not work.

How to join:

Contact Fola Ikpehai on o.o.ikpehai@sums.ac.uk

The group meeting virtually once a month (excluding August) with one in-person session each year.

Change Network sessions for the 2025/26 Academic Year:

2025 dates

  • Tuesday 16th September
  • Tuesday 14th October
  • Thursday 13th November
  • Tuesday 16th December

2026 dates

  • Wednesday 14th January
  • Thursday 12th February
  • Wednesday 11th March
  • Wednesday 15th April
  • Tuesday 12th May
  • Thursday 11th June
  • Wednesday 1st July - in-person in Leeds

Key points to note:

  1. Meetings are scheduled for the second week of the month at 11:00a.m. to 12:00p.m. on Teams.
  2. We have flexed the day of the week when we meet in order to allow more people in the Change Community to engage
  3. We know that this means that everyone will not be able to attend every session, and members of the network can keep up to date on outputs for sessions that they miss through our “SUMS Change Network Teams site”.

Summary of topics previously covered in the group:

  • Sponsorship of Change in Higher Education
  • Your University Transformation Portfolio – Align, Prioritise, Focus
  • Evolution of Change Teams in the wake of Covid-19
  • Use of the Johnson and Scholes Culture web to inform a Change Approach
  • Change – The Big Picture and Where we want to be
  • Use of Behaviour Frameworks/Top Tips for Communication and Engagement
  • Harnessing the role of middle managers as agents of change
  • Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Equity in the HE sector
  • Neurodiversity and Change
  • Change Management Analysis of roles in Higher Education
  • Change Models/Frameworks (An Overview)
  • Change Management and sustainability
  • Making Change Stick
  • Leadership Maturity
  • Utilising Academic theories to deliver change
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