The hottest Change Management Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Business Topics

TBM 412: Institutionalized Overload (Now With AI)

The Beautiful Mess • 687 implied HN points • 27 Mar 26
đź’Ľ Business Change Management
  1. Workplace overload has become normalized so people adapt by treating constant busyness and juggling inputs as a sign of competence, which then gets defended and sustained.
  2. AI is mostly being used to cope with and amplify that overload, helping people process more context faster while reinforcing existing power structures instead of changing them.
  3. Changing this requires actively resisting the expansion of work and information, and deliberately designing for calmer, more focused ways of working even though that will feel uncomfortable at first.

#54 - IT Services Client Leaders: Your Buyer Has Moved.

OSS.fund Newsletter • 56 implied HN points • 26 Mar 26
đź’Ľ Business Change Management
  1. Buyers have shifted — they are more informed, hypothesis-driven, and expect fast, measurable results instead of broad discovery or generic workshops.
  2. AI-native competitors win by showing up narrow and pragmatic, offering tight scopes, quick proofs, and practical data-governance that remove friction.
  3. Traditional IT services can stay relevant by upgrading commercial skills with hands-on drills that turn messy account context into next steps, tighten proposals, handle governance, and prove value quickly.

The more you talk about culture, the less people believe you

Make Work Better • 441 implied HN points • 26 Feb 26
đź’Ľ Business Change Management
  1. Treating culture as a communications campaign backfires — people are skeptical of slogans and town halls when nothing actually changes.
  2. Trust grows when leaders change their behaviour, not when they repeat values; consistent actions by senior leaders meaningfully raise trust, while contradictions between words and deeds breed cynicism.
  3. Sequence matters: deliver concrete changes first, then explain them — show proof through action before launching big communications so people can believe you.

#53 - Forward Deployed AI Engineers: Great Expectations?

OSS.fund Newsletter • 18 implied HN points • 19 Mar 26
đź’Ľ Business Change Management
  1. Forward Deployed Engineers can build and embed AI tools, but they alone can’t rewire how a company actually works; enterprise AI is mainly an organizational change problem, not just a deployment problem.
  2. Companies need an internal, load-bearing layer—functional leaders, process owners, risk, HR, finance and exec sponsors—to redesign workflows, decision rights, incentives and vendor boundaries for AI to stick.
  3. The real talent gap will be people who can translate AI capability into operating-model change under real constraints, and the biggest advantage will come from making governance and the organization ready for AI, not just adding models to workflows.

My Circus, My Monkeys

Polymathic Being • 42 implied HN points • 01 Mar 26
đź’Ľ Business Change Management
  1. Don’t pretend complex problems aren’t yours — when teams shove issues into the seams between programs those “monkeys” become integration failures, so take responsibility and act like the ringmaster for the system.
  2. Use systems thinking with a simple mantra: Yes, and… So — acknowledge the issue, step back to see physical, logical, and human impacts, then decide what to own and what to hand to the right person.
  3. Embrace chaos intentionally: use practices like chaos engineering to test for resilience, balance disciplined execution with flexible processes, and look for innovation hiding in the seams.
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TBM 395: Words! Damned Words!

The Beautiful Mess • 476 implied HN points • 14 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Change Management
  1. Terms like “initiative” naturally mean different things to different people and at different zoom levels, so don’t force one single definition; use a thin base meaning and allow different shapes or scales with clear rules and interfaces.
  2. Abstract labels become harmful when they harden into rigid governance or accounting rules, so anchor decisions on concrete events (milestones, releases) or intentionally work around or rewire those constraints to protect learning and impact.
  3. Use practical lenses — interaction, constraint, governance, and relational — and tactics like event storming, naming exceptions, fractal artifacts, and designing for many frames to see how things actually behave and keep the system resilient.

#49 - Shift Right, Dear Middle Manager.

OSS.fund Newsletter • 37 implied HN points • 19 Feb 26
đź’Ľ Business Change Management
  1. AI is likely to cut or compress coordination-heavy middle management jobs first, like meeting coordinators, status reporters, and standardised team leads.
  2. Managers who design systems, own outcomes, and handle ambiguity will become more valuable and are less likely to be replaced.
  3. Survival means automating coordination, owning a measurable outcome, becoming the control plane that sets policies and escalations, and moving closer to money or risk.

TBM 358: The Genius of SVPG

The Beautiful Mess • 1190 implied HN points • 16 May 25
đź’Ľ Business Change Management
  1. The SVPG approach to change is effective because it gives leaders a way to improve their product practices without losing face. It helps them take action while feeling confident in their leadership.
  2. For change agents within a company, who you are and how you say things really matters. Sometimes, your message might not be heard because of who you are, so timing and framing are important.
  3. Making big changes in an organization is tough and messy. Real change often requires removing hidden barriers and understanding that success doesn't just come from having a good plan; it's about navigating complex situations.

Career Architecting.

The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past • 68 implied HN points • 21 Dec 25
đź’Ľ Business Change Management
  1. Use the nine-word exercise (three words for niche, three for voice, three for story) to clarify who you are and uncover a core expertise to build your career around.
  2. Reframe that expertise into specific solutions customers need and build credibility by continuously learning and sharing proof through content, speaking, and advisory work so those activities create a reinforcing flywheel.
  3. Be generous in partnering to grow a strong network, and shore up financial resilience by cutting costs and adding income streams so you can take risks and reinvent gradually over a long career.

Why Growth Requires Discomfort

Gad’s Newsletter • 64 implied HN points • 22 Dec 25
đź’Ľ Business Change Management
  1. Real growth comes from leaving your comfort zone; small, controlled discomforts build skill, confidence, and resilience. Don’t aim for constant overwhelm—seek the right amount of challenge so you can improve without burning out.
  2. Organizations that cling to short-term comfort risk stagnation and failure, so they must be willing to take uncomfortable bets and rethink what works. Investing in long-term projects and new ideas, even when they hurt short-term metrics, creates lasting advantage.
  3. Practical habits help: encourage a culture that challenges the status quo, learn from crises, and balance exploiting today’s strengths with exploring future opportunities. Accept some short-term pain and strategic patience to build long-term growth.

TBM 362: How (And Why) We Help

The Beautiful Mess • 370 implied HN points • 14 Jun 25
đź’Ľ Business Change Management
  1. Consulting can either follow a set plan or focus on helping people discover their own solutions. It's important to understand the difference and choose the right approach.
  2. It's normal to feel torn between sticking to the usual ways of doing things and wanting to create real change. Recognizing this struggle is the first step to addressing it.
  3. Being aware of how we show up in our work is crucial. It helps us connect better with others and can lead to more meaningful change.

When Change Outruns Us

Fish Food for Thought • 42 implied HN points • 24 Dec 25
đź’Ľ Business Change Management
  1. When companies change faster than people can adapt, employees get exhausted and stop learning. That creates compliance without conviction and a culture that frays.
  2. Growth needs time to absorb change—quiet intervals for people to make sense, rebuild habits, and consolidate learning. Slack and recovery are not inefficiencies but necessary infrastructure for durable capability.
  3. Leaders should value direction and readiness over raw speed and watch for signs of saturation, slowing the tempo to let changes take root. Measure progress by clarity and strengthened capabilities, not by how many initiatives are launched.

Why Your Data Infrastructure Migration Project Will Fail (And How to Succeed)

SeattleDataGuy’s Newsletter • 376 implied HN points • 12 Feb 25
đź•ą Technology Change Management
  1. Having a clear plan is crucial for successful data migration projects. You need to know what to move and in what order to avoid chaos.
  2. Ownership of the migration process is important. There should be a clear leader or team responsible to keep everything on track.
  3. Testing data after migration is a must. Just moving the data doesn't guarantee that it works the same way, so check for any discrepancies.

Expensive Shelfware

Perspective Agents • 6 implied HN points • 25 Jan 26
đź’Ľ Business Change Management
  1. AI itself is incredibly powerful, but many companies see little value because they haven't invested enough in people, workflows, and everyday use.
  2. Big enterprise buys and long roadmaps often leave AI as expensive shelfware, while starting small and embedding AI into real team workflows drives adoption and impact.
  3. Real returns come from investing in a 'Human OS'—systems, habits, coaching, clear outcomes, exec sponsorship, and relentless testing—or else AI sits idle and becomes a competitive drag.

Engineering Management: Dealing with the Broken Window effect, understanding Resistance and Objections to Quality

🔮 Crafting Tech Teams • 79 implied HN points • 14 Mar 24
đź•ą Technology Change Management
  1. The bar for quality is defined by influential leaders and can evolve over time based on business needs.
  2. Stakeholders may request changes to either increase or decrease quality based on signals like bugs, morale, and process burden.
  3. Resistance should be considered when changes to quality are ignored to avoid negative impacts.

Traversing the Neutral Zone

Suzan's Fieldnotes • 117 implied HN points • 27 Mar 23
đź’Ľ Business Change Management
  1. Transitioning through change involves psychological shifts, not just logistical ones.
  2. The neutral zone is a crucial phase in transitioning where confusion and identity loss may occur.
  3. Understanding and navigating the neutral zone is essential for new leaders to succeed.

The Future Fits on One Page.

The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past • 72 implied HN points • 25 May 25
đź’Ľ Business Change Management
  1. The future is shaped by change, and we need to adapt our thinking to keep up. It's important to let go of old ways that may limit our growth.
  2. Learning is an ongoing process, and we should always strive to upgrade our skills and knowledge. This helps us stay relevant in a fast-changing world.
  3. Creating strong and positive relationships is key. Treating others with kindness and generosity can lead to better teamwork and success.

The Missing Multiplier

Perspective Agents • 3 implied HN points • 22 Jan 26
đź’Ľ Business Change Management
  1. Top leaders now treat AI as the most consequential global issue, and leading AI builders warn of rapid advances that could replace many entry‑level white‑collar jobs within years.
  2. Companies have the models and tools but are getting little financial benefit because they lack a Human OS — the people, workflows, incentives, and governance that turn AI capability into real value.
  3. This gap is both an organizational and career crisis: without rebuilding how people learn and work, roles from juniors to middle managers are at risk while AI‑native workers and new ladders will rise, so act now to build human readiness.

TBM 319: Surfing Inertia and Pendulum Swings

The Beautiful Mess • 158 implied HN points • 03 Nov 24
đź’Ľ Business Change Management
  1. Companies struggle with finding the right balance between team independence and overall coordination. Too much focus on one can harm the other.
  2. Inertia can make it hard for companies to adapt, leading to bigger problems in the future if they're not addressed. Leaders should recognize this and take action.
  3. Being open to change and adjusting how teams work can help organizations respond better to challenges. Setting the right incentives also supports a flexible mindset.

Firefighting

The Uncertainty Mindset (soon to become tbd) • 99 implied HN points • 26 Jul 23
đź’Ľ Business Change Management
  1. Teams should be designed to adapt quickly to change rather than stay rigid. This means creating temporary project teams that can be evaluated and disbanded if they're no longer needed.
  2. Instead of focusing on strict, clear KPIs, organizations should promote flexibility. This allows teams more freedom to make the right choices based on changing situations.
  3. Employees should be encouraged to take on roles that allow for continual change. This mindset helps everyone prepare for shifts in their jobs and the organization as a whole.

JC content update - autumn 2023

The Jolly Contrarian • 39 implied HN points • 24 Sep 23
đź’Ľ Business Change Management
  1. The Jolly Contrarian website operates as a 'pull' resource where users obtain content they want, instead of being bombarded with content they may not need.
  2. Emissions allowance trading is a unique and transgressive product challenging traditional financial boundaries, susceptible to government decrees, and with interesting documentation quirks.
  3. Understanding repackaging and secured MTNs involves complexities like limited recourse and security roles, needing a thorough study of documentation and anatomy.

The Change Edition

Suzan's Fieldnotes • 39 implied HN points • 01 Aug 23
đź’Ľ Business Change Management
  1. Change is constant in business and can be both scary and wonderful.
  2. Leaders play a crucial role in navigating change within organizations.
  3. Interviews and podcasts can provide valuable insights on how leaders deal with and adapt to change.

LL #39 | Thriving in Complexity

The Leadership Lab • 59 implied HN points • 02 Oct 22
đź’Ľ Business Change Management
  1. Navigating complexity requires a multivariate approach, as simple stories and the need to be right can be traps. Success in complex situations demands attention to various key variables simultaneously.
  2. The Cynefin framework helps in understanding different environments and guides appropriate actions based on the level of predictability in each environment. It is crucial to align strategies with the complexity of the situation at hand.
  3. Effective leadership involves asking different questions, considering multiple perspectives, and seeing in systems. These habits aid in better addressing complexity and making informed decisions.

The Leverage Points in Engineering Ecosystems

peoplefirstengineering • 50 implied HN points • 18 Dec 24
đź•ą Technology Change Management
  1. Complex systems, like software teams, are made up of many parts that interact with each other and change over time. Understanding these interactions can help improve how we manage and work within these systems.
  2. Donella Meadows' framework shows that not all changes in a system will have the same impact. Some changes, like adjusting goals or encouraging new mindsets, can lead to much bigger improvements than simply tweaking numbers or rules.
  3. To create a successful and adaptable environment, it's important to give teams the freedom to self-organize, share information openly, and align their goals with the overall mission of the organization.

Episode 32: Better Built By Burkhard

burkhardstubert • 79 implied HN points • 15 Dec 22
đź’Ľ Business Change Management
  1. Continuous Delivery can greatly improve software development efficiency. It reduces the time for building and testing, leading to faster and more reliable integrations.
  2. Organizations should focus on both technical and social aspects to optimize their performance. The way teams are structured influences how the software is developed, so it's key to align team setups with software architecture.
  3. Successful change in organizations is best achieved by starting with willing participants. Using principles like attraction and scarcity can help create interested teams who want to improve rather than forcing everyone to follow new practices.

Liminal Thinking

QUALITY BOSS • 2 HN points • 16 Jul 24
đź“– Philosophy Change Management
  1. Changing your beliefs can change your life. By shifting how you think, you can create a new reality for yourself.
  2. Liminal thinking encourages you to look at the patterns in your life. Identify negative cycles and imagine ways to turn them into positive experiences.
  3. Understanding that beliefs shape our identity is key. If we challenge and reshape our beliefs, we can change how we see ourselves and improve our lives.

Edition 29: Security slows down Change Management and we have a chance to fix it

Boring AppSec • 15 implied HN points • 27 May 25
đź•ą Technology Change Management
  1. Change management in IT often slows down security processes, making it hard for teams to implement new features quickly. Many companies find this review process lengthy and unproductive.
  2. Using AI, like LLMs, could help automate security reviews, making the process faster and more efficient. This can potentially save days or weeks by compressing what used to take a long time into just a few minutes.
  3. Finding the right name for these new automated reviews is tricky, as the current options don't fully capture the goal. Still, the focus should be on how to secure changes rather than just assessing risks.

The Pivotal Thing

CTOrly • 19 implied HN points • 25 Aug 22
đź’Ľ Business Change Management
  1. Guard against unnecessary, preventable volatility in planning and focus on the quality of the problem rather than constantly changing solutions.
  2. Detangle desired outcomes from specific features in planning to enable pivoting on how to achieve goals while maintaining the constancy of overall objectives.
  3. Leaders should balance adapting to changes when necessary without causing unnecessary chaos by crying wolf with constant changes.

#15: Maintenance by design

The Uncertainty Mindset (soon to become tbd) • 119 implied HN points • 12 Feb 20
đź’Ľ Business Change Management
  1. Maintenance isn't just about fixing broken things. It can also mean improving what already exists and ensuring everything runs smoothly.
  2. Design systems to be flexible and aware of changes in their environment. This helps them adapt quickly without breaking down.
  3. Having a diverse setup, like different types of wheat in a field, makes systems more stable and less fragile. They can adjust better to unexpected challenges.

Rolling out developer productivity metrics

Engineering Enablement • 7 implied HN points • 19 Feb 25
đź•ą Technology Change Management
  1. Communicate openly with leaders about new productivity metrics to avoid surprises. It's important to have conversations, not just send emails, to build trust.
  2. Be clear about what the metrics cover to reduce fear. Focus on process-related data, and explain how it helps teams improve.
  3. Invest time in change management, as it’s crucial for success. Engage key players early, ask for their input, and keep everyone informed through various channels.

Delivering Data & AI Strategy

TeamCraft • 26 implied HN points • 11 Sep 23
đź•ą Technology Change Management
  1. Data transformation is a crucial step for companies to reach their true potential.
  2. Before diving into AI, focus on nailing down Data & Analytics foundations.
  3. Implementing Data & Analytics strategy requires more than technology - it's about people and culture.

How to Drive Meaningful Change - Handling objections to your proposal

Joseph Gefroh • 2 HN points • 04 Mar 24
đź’Ľ Business Change Management
  1. Be prepared to handle objections and various responses when proposing a change - it's unlikely to always be met with full acceptance and applause.
  2. Understand the categorization of responses to objections: disagreement on outcome, disagreement on mechanism, and agreement and alignment, each requiring a different approach to address.
  3. Dealing with objections involves strategies like asking for specific reasons, painting a clear picture, comparing with other problems addressed, and being aware of personal relationship issues or power dynamics.

Chegg, ChatGPT, and the changing nature of change

Platforms, AI, and the Economics of BigTech • 8 implied HN points • 19 Nov 24
đź’Ľ Business Change Management
  1. Chegg's struggle shows how modern businesses face not just ordinary problems but bigger changes that redefine the whole market. They can lose ground quickly when something new, like AI, gives customers a better option.
  2. Companies need to think differently about competition today. It's not just about beating the businesses they know, but also about new solutions that take away their customers.
  3. When change happens quickly, businesses should look for ways to make that change permanent. This means creating new systems or services that keep customers even after the initial change fades.

Jack Welch's Theory of Leadership: A Model for Failure in the 21st Century

The Geek Way • 1 HN point • 01 Apr 24
đź’Ľ Business Change Management
  1. Encouraging vulnerability in the workplace can lead to malingering, which can harm cooperation within a team.
  2. Model 1 leadership norms, like taking charge and minimizing losing, may not be suitable for running a modern company that requires adaptation to change.
  3. Defensiveness in Model 1 leadership can hinder innovation and prevent companies from thriving in a rapidly changing business landscape.

#12: True diversity

The Uncertainty Mindset (soon to become tbd) • 19 implied HN points • 22 Jan 20
đź’Ľ Business Change Management
  1. True diversity is about having a rich mix of different types of information and perspectives. It's not just about meeting certain quotas based on traditional categories like race or gender.
  2. Organizations need to adapt to constant change, and diversity helps them innovate. The more diverse the team, the more ideas and solutions they have to deal with unexpected challenges.
  3. To promote true diversity, companies should create flexible roles, encourage employees to define what makes them unique, and train staff to understand the value of difference. This approach makes a company stronger and more innovative.