Who Really Moved My Cheese? Tales from the change management trenches

Danielle takes us on a romp through change management, starting, as with all good contrarians, with a challenge to the idea of ‘change management’ itself. 

Some of the ideas covered:

• Change is happening all the time in government, not just during formal "change management" periods
• Most people dislike uncertainty rather than change itself
• Mission and values-driven staff struggle most with macro changes that shift agency direction
• Medium-level changes (like new systems) are often underestimated and underfunded
• The "don't be a dickhead rule" isn't enough—change management is genuinely difficult
• Leaders should listen carefully to "change resistors" who may be flagging legitimate risks
• Administrative foundations must be solid before change begins (position descriptions, contracts, etc.)
• Different professional groups (lawyers, scientists, policy officers) respond differently to change
• Maintaining a stable core while being honest about what's changing helps navigate transitions.

Referenced in this episode:

• If Books Could Kill pod on Who Moved My Cheese?

This podcast was recorded on Kaurna land, and we recognise Kaurna elders past and present. Always was, always will be.

Now for some appropriately bureaucratic disclaimers....

While we have tried to be as thorough in our research as busy full time jobs and lives allow, we definitely don’t guarantee that we’ve got all the details right.

Please feel free to email us corrections, episode suggestions, or anything else, at [e-mail].

Thanks to PanPot audio for our intro and outro music.

'Til next time!