A multi-workstream leadership transformation programme for a specialist healthcare technology provider, preparing for executive succession, AI integration and operating model change. The challenge The organisation was approaching a planned executive retirement with no structured succession process. Internal candidates existed but had never been assessed against future-state requirements. The senior leadership team's governance had not kept pace: meetings defaulted to operational updates, decision rights were unclear, and key person dependency sat unmanaged. AI adoption was happening individually but without shared standards or governance. Leadership capability had been defined for the current business but not for the AI-enabled, platform-driven market the organisation was entering. The challenge was the interdependency. Succession planning needed a leadership model that did not yet exist. AI integration required governance the senior team had not yet built. None of it could move without first agreeing what good leadership would look like in three years. The approach Change management was embedded across all workstreams rather than layered on top. The approach combined: A structured succession process with phased evaluation, case-based assessment, assessor calibration and a defined feedback sequence A five-dimension leadership capability framework mapping each candidate's development needs against the organisation's three-year direction A psychometric assessment framework linking validated, locally applicable tools to the capability model A senior leadership governance redesign covering decision rights, meeting structure, steering committees and escalation protocols An AI readiness strand positioning AI as an organisational capability with defined adoption targets and governance A key person dependency workstream with knowledge transfer, succession depth and resilience actions The delivery Individualised leadership development profiles for each succession candidate Case-based assessments built around the organisation's actual strategic challenges, with model answers and scoring rubrics A capability ladder mapping expectations from operational through to enterprise leadership A RACI matrix across six functional domains Revised senior leadership meeting cadence, agenda template and escalation framework A talent strategy connecting AI capability, leadership development, line manager capability and succession depth A three-year development roadmap with stretch assignments, coaching and feedback mechanisms The shift Leadership capability now has a shared language and visible development architecture. Succession is evidence-based rather than informal. The senior team has a governance model that distinguishes strategic oversight from operational review. AI integration has moved from individual experimentation to a defined organisational agenda. Key person risk is actively mitigated rather than acknowledged in passing. The impact What made the difference was treating these as a single programme. The succession process needed the leadership model; the leadership model needed the governance redesign; the governance redesign needed the AI work to define what the senior team would actually be governing. The executive transition is positioned as a stability-first process with clear criteria and managed communication. Leadership development has moved from generic training to targeted, psychometrically informed interventions. The senior team now operates with governance designed for the complexity of a regulated, platform-driven healthcare business. An organisation already performing well is now positioned to sustain that performance through significant leadership and operating model change.

Restructuring a finance function without losing what makes it work A multi-workstream change management programme for the UK Finance function of a FTSE 250 international services organisation, supporting a structural shift from contract-aligned teams to a centralised hub model. The challenge The finance function had grown around its contracts. Each had its own team, its own processes and its own way of working. Capable people, operating in silos. A programme to centralise transactional finance into a dedicated hub had been approved. Over a hundred people faced role changes, redeployment or departure. The challenge was human, not technical: land the change without losing the capability and relationships that made the function work. The approach Change management was established as an integrated programme workstream from the outset. The approach combined: A stakeholder assessment mapping ten distinct groups, each with different impacts and information needs A bespoke training curriculum spanning soft and technical skills, sequenced against programme milestones and differentiated by audience An interaction matrix defining how finance activities flow between contracts, partners and the hub, socialised through structured feedback sessions before finalisation A communications and engagement strand covering leadership cascade, listening loops, FAQs and a dedicated knowledge hub A change agent network of Finance Directors and hub leaders, supported by a weekly steering committee The work drew on the change curve, ADKAR and Bridges' Transitions model, applied selectively rather than by rote. The delivery Stakeholder impact analysis across all ten groups with tailored intervention plans A rolling weekly steering committee at FD level An interaction matrix developed through iterative consultation, capturing feedback before finalising accountabilities Over fifteen training courses across six audience groups, from continuous improvement to resilience and career preparation Structured support for departing colleagues alongside programme delivery Readiness assessments at two checkpoints before Go-live, with targeted remediation The shift A shared interaction model is now in active use, replacing what had previously been understood informally. Role clarity has improved. Training is sequenced to real milestones rather than delivered as a standalone calendar. With the change network and steering committee operational, issues surface earlier. The programme has a visible feedback loop rather than relying on escalation. The impact What made the difference was treating this as a change programme from the start, not a restructuring project with comms bolted on. The interaction matrix was built through genuine consultation. Training was designed around what each audience actually needed, not what was available off the shelf. For the organisation, Finance now operates with standardised processes, a hub with its own identity and development pathway, and business partners freed to focus on commercial value. Career conversations have a framework. The function's credibility with the wider business is strengthened by a visible operating standard. A finance function that was already delivering is now positioned to operate as one team.

From execution to enterprise impact A bespoke twelve month capability programme designed and delivered by alterNOTION - through a consulting partner - for the technology team of a Fortune 100 global healthcare organisation. The challenge Engaged to address a familiar but stubborn pattern; a bespoke baseline survey confirmed it. The team had the skills and the will to collaborate but what was missing sat around them, not in them: unclear decision making across teams, no shared definition of success, and no agreed way to handle disagreement. The investment case was structural and cultural, rather than skills based. The approach We led a deep discovery phase combining the baseline survey, one to one interviews and focus groups across the team, their managers and senior stakeholders. Findings were synthesised into a fully bespoke programme, designed end to end: A skills catalogue setting out what good looks like at each career stage A learning roadmap sequenced against real work A human skills training series covering influencing, facilitation, handling challenge and managing conflict A central online hub as the place everyone goes for how the team works An integrated communications and engagement strand to drive adoption of the knowledge hub The work was anchored in established team development frameworks, applied selectively. GRPI provided the lens for goals, roles, processes and interpersonal dynamics. ROCKET shaped thinking on execution and momentum. DISC supported self awareness and adaptive communication. The delivery Skills catalogue covering both core roles across three career stages Facilitator led training sessions, refined between cohorts based on what worked in the room A central hub built to a structured wireframe, populated with onboarding guides, process maps, FAQs and learning content An adoption plan of practical actions to drive sustained engagement after launch A quantified baseline against which future progress could be measured The shift A shared language for capability is now in active use, giving line managers and team members a common reference point for career conversations that previously had none. Role boundaries are reported as clearer. A single hub has replaced scattered documentation, supported by a governance plan to keep it current. Practical role play was consistently rated the highest impact element of the training. With the baseline in place, progress on decision clarity, shared success and constructive challenge is measurable rather than anecdotal. The impact What made the difference was design discipline. The programme was built by alterNOTION bespoke from the discovery findings, treated as a change programme from day one rather than a training rollout, with the hub wireframed before any content was written. The future For the Client, this changes how the team shows up in the wider business. Cross functional work moves faster because decision making is clearer. Onboarding is quicker because the environment is documented rather than tribal. Career conversations have substance, strengthening retention. The team's voice at senior tables is more credible, backed by a visible standard of how it operates. A team that was already capable is now positioned to be relied on.

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