The people-first approach: why Change?

I have over 15 years’ experience of corporate HR with big MNCs across a variety of industries. This experience comprised of working with people, managing complex operations and leading transformation projects with the focus on changing the ways of working within the organizations.

After completing a Global Executive MBA with IESE Business School, I co-founded TBM Partners, an independent advisory and transformation services firm working at the intersection of strategy, technology, innovation and the human dynamics of change for leaders, teams and organizations.

In my current role I help organizations on their journey of technology-enabled business transformation to redefine their talent strategies, mindset, culture, change and leadership capabilities.

Change Management is an essential part of my professional career and early on I realized the importance of people on this journey. I went through different types of business transformations, including restructuring and digital, and observed successes and failures. I learnt from my experience that rapid acceleration of technology and business changes combined with the complexity of legacy systems, processes and ways of working create significant barriers to change and success. People, Culture and Ways of Working have been identified as the most important factors to mitigate these risks and to unlock the innovative growth mindset.

With today’s ever-changing economy, effectively responding to change has become not only an advantage but also essential for organizational survival. On the path of transformation, sudden and unexpected change is expected. I focus on simplicity and the human side of transformation, and coach leaders to implement increasingly complex change in a thoughtful, precise, and humane way.  

For me change is also a very personal thing. Ability to adapt to change and develop individual resilience is critical and I am very passionate about helping individuals to cope with challenges and setbacks in a more optimistic way.

When I decided to take the APMG Change Management course, I had practical experience in managing change and wanted to enrich my skills with more theoretical knowledge. I selected APMG because it offers an overview of almost all top leading concepts and models and a very holistic approach to change management.

I also found it very practical since the trainer explained not only the concepts, but also how they can be applied in a different context and situations of change. Practical application for me is very important as I transfer this value to my clients.

The course was very well structured and covered all major topics necessary to understand the dynamics of leading organizations through change and even more. The exam was rigorous but gave me the confidence that there is a strict verification of knowledge and certified professionals must have a deep understanding of change management methodology and its practical application.

The training was provided by IIL and conducted virtually, on demand, which allowed me to plan my time and have a flexibility in learning.

To my surprise, I discovered a variety of new models and concepts which made my investment of time and money totally worthwhile. Moreover, doing this course in the midst of pandemic helped me to realize the value of my knowledge as I observed all the struggles individuals and organizations are facing. After completion of this course, I feel extremely well equipped and qualified to help organizations thrive through change.

Despite training being online it felt very personal, interactive and challenging with a lot of exercises.

There were many concepts which resonated with me. I was particularly drawn into discussion about culture and its impact on the organizational change. Deep understating of the norm, values and behaviours is fundamental for assessing change readiness and impact. In fact, as a result of this discussion, I completed another certification in the Organizational Culture Audit which enables me to custom design change management solutions for my clients based on the deep understanding of their real needs, strengths and gaps.

I am using my certification and change management concepts in my Leadership Resilience Coaching practice when helping individuals understand their change capacity and transition process.

There are many projects where I apply my change management skills. For example, one of them is helping an organization to move to remote work and change the behaviour of their employees. Another project is about digital transformation and adjusting organizations' ways of working to the new digital processes.

The Practitioner level of Change Management was focused more on the practical application of concepts which I was looking for. It offered me an enhanced concept of levers, sustaining change and showed how the change management is interconnected with strategic planning and other business areas. Also, there were more practical recommendations on how to build an effective change plan and strategy.

After the training I have a wider perspective and more systematic approach to planning and managing changes.

This certification enhanced my skills. It gave me a tremendous amount of knowledge about organizational and individual changes and added more credibility to me in this professional area.

At TBM partners we are focused on building innovative people practices thus increasing the success rate of business transformations. ​We approach transformation as a continuous change which needs to be effectively imbedded and managed. Given our focus on change, my company and our clients will definitely benefit from my deep knowledge and understanding of the methodology and its application.

Managing change will be an increasingly important skill. Learn it now.