I've worked on a LOT of different types of organisational change.
I've led the Change Management for new product developments, application builds, regulatory changes, system upgrades, hardware rollouts, mobility solutions, changes to pay and benefits, workforce transformation, process improvement, and culture design.
But there's one change that I enjoyed working on more than any other change.
It's the most complex, the most emotive, the most difficult.
It's the change that changes the very core of a business - it's people.
Can you guess what it is?
Operating model change.
And it might surprise you to learn why.
It's because nothing shakes up and wakes up the status quo like an operating model change.
It's because operating model changes are more than just a restructure. They often stem from other types of change, such as new products, services, regulations, digital transformation, mergers and acquisitions, divestments. And usually incorporate all the many other types of change, too - changes to systems, pay, leadership, workforce, workplace, process, culture.
And it's because operating model changes are often end-to-end transformation and therefore, as painful and as difficult as they are for the leaders to lead and the employees to face, there's so much opportunity on the other side of them.
I care about leaders and I care about teams... a lot. And losing your job is the most challenging type of organisational change (in fact, according to Dartmouth College's "Stress Test", it's in the top 10 most stressful things that can happen to a person).
I believe that helping both leaders and teams work through this stressful change and find the opportunity on the other side, both for the team and the individual, is one of the most meaningful things we can do with our skills in leading change.
It's always going to suck. But maybe we can help it suck less. And maybe we can help employees rebuild confidence and hope faster. And maybe we can help empower them to deal with future stressful changes better. Because if there's one thing for sure... there'll always be another change.
So as crazy as it sounds - operating model change is my favourite change to help leaders with.
What's yours?
I'm Lata Hamilton - the Founder & CEO of Passion Pioneers, a Change Management consultancy specialising in digital transformation, operating model changes, and new ways of working and leadership.
Grab my free Creative Launch Ideas Guide with 53 ways to bring your next Change and Transformation to life - download it here.
And if you'd like my help with your next change or building leadership capability for your team, get in touch with me here.