In a large not-for-profit education business, senior leaders had decided that the only way to get costs under control was to reduce drastically the number of different services being offered and to standardise on a smaller core.
They were convinced that without a radical change the organisation would be forced to close. They developed a new vision on that basis but, because they never engaged with the subject matter experts on whom they relied, there was active resistance every step of the way.
After a number of years, the organisation had spent millions of pounds but had very little to show for it because key stakeholders did not understand, let alone accept, the vision and objectives. When the project was eventually relaunched, a fresh approach to business change ensured active engagement.
