How to Manage Changes in the Workplace: A Leaders Guide

Most leaders are expected to know how to manage changes in the workplace instinctively, but many of us are figuring it out as we go.

Change is everywhere. It shows up in new strategies, shifting team dynamics, evolving goals, or simply the reality of an uncertain world. And yet, despite its constant presence, change rarely feels simple. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking there’s a straightforward formula: a few quick wins, a good vision, some strong communication – and things will shift smoothly. But if you’ve ever tried to lead change, you know it doesn’t work like that.

At Farleigh, we support organisations navigating complex transitions through leadership development – and we’ve noticed something important: the people best equipped to lead change aren’t necessarily the loudest or the most experienced. They’re the ones who stay curious. Who make space for others. Who can sit with uncertainty and still create movement.

This guide is for anyone who wants to lead change more thoughtfully – not by following a fixed playbook, but by learning how to read the room, question old assumptions, and bring people along in a more human, grounded way.

• Why Workplace Change Is So Challenging
• Rethinking Common Change Management Myths
• How to Lead Change in the Workplace Through Co-Creation
• A Human Framework: How to Manage Changes in the Workplace
• Leading Yourself First: The Inner Work of Change

Why Workplace Change Is So Challenging

Maybe you’ve been asked to lead a restructure, introduce a new strategy, or guide your team through yet another shift in direction – and found yourself wondering how to lead change in the workplace without losing your team’s trust (or your own footing).

Change is rarely just about new systems or strategy documents. It’s about people. And people bring emotion, history, relationships, and sometimes a fair bit of resistance to the table. Even when the need for change is obvious – a shift in business direction, a new piece of technology, a restructure – the human side is where things get messy.

For many teams, workplace change triggers uncertainty. Will my role change? Will I still belong here? What does this mean for how we work together? These are reasonable questions. Change can stir up stress, disengagement, and even grief for what’s being left behind.

In the middle of all of this, leaders often feel pressure to have answers; to be certain, composed, and ahead of the curve. But the truth is, learning how to manage changes in the workplace isn’t about being unshakeable. It’s about being present, transparent, and willing to listen. It’s about creating space for others to process, ask questions, and feel involved – even when things are still in flux.

And that’s where many change efforts stumble. They’re led with the best of intentions but rely on a top-down approach that leaves people out of the conversation. Communication becomes a broadcast instead of a dialogue. Culture is treated like something to “fix,” rather than something that evolves from shared experience.

So, even well-designed change management initiatives can fall flat. Not because they were wrong, but because they didn’t land where it mattered most: with the people.

Rethinking Common Change Management Myths

There’s no shortage of advice out there on how to manage changes in the workplace. Vision. Communication. Quick wins. Culture. It’s become a kind of standard recipe – passed down in books, models, and leadership courses. And while there’s value in these ideas, following them blindly can actually hold change back.

Through our work with leaders and teams, we’ve seen how these well-meaning frameworks often bump up against the real world – where people are tired, timelines are messy, and outcomes aren’t always clear. Below are three pieces of “received wisdom” that sound right but often fall short in practice.

1. “Create a Compelling Vision and Communicate It Relentlessly”

A strong vision matters – but pushing it top-down, over and over, can have the opposite effect. Instead of feeling inspired, people switch off.

What if, instead of perfecting the message, leaders focused on creating space for conversation? Real change starts with dialogue: asking people what they see, what they hope for, and what’s getting in the way. Shared stories, lived experiences, and active listening often carry more weight than any town hall slideshow.

2. “Balance Quick Wins with Long-Term Strategy”

Of course it feels good to get early wins. They can boost momentum. But the reality is that meaningful change rarely follows a neat timeline.

What we see working better is designing for continuous learning. Change isn’t a series of steps to check off – it’s a living process. It evolves. The most resilient organisations build feedback loops, support experimentation, and give people permission to try, adjust, and try again.

3. “Lead with Culture and People First”

We hear this all the time. But the truth is, culture can’t be led like a project. It isn’t a lever to pull or a message to cascade.

Culture is something that emerges. It’s shaped in the everyday – in the way people speak up (or don’t), how decisions are made, and whether it’s safe to be honest. Instead of trying to “fix” culture, leaders can focus on creating conditions where trust, experimentation, and openness are more likely to grow.

The point isn’t that these ideas are wrong – it’s that they’re incomplete. When we treat change like a straight line, we ignore the complexity of real workplaces. And when leaders let go of needing to have all the answers, and instead stay connected, curious, and open, that’s when change starts to take root.

How to Lead Change in the Workplace Through Co-Creation

Leading change used to mean standing at the front of the room and explaining the plan. But more and more, people aren’t just asking what’s changing, they want to know how they can be part of shaping it.

This is the shift we see in organisations learning how to lead change in the workplace well: moving from control to co-creation.

When change is imposed from the top, even with good intentions, people often feel sidelined. They go quiet. They wait to be told what’s next. But when people are involved early – when they’re invited into the process – it becomes theirs too.

Co-creation doesn’t mean every decision is made by committee. It means leaders invite participation where it matters: in naming challenges, imagining new ways of working, and testing ideas in real time.

This approach also helps build employee engagement. Not through surface-level tactics, but by showing people that their voice shapes the direction of the organisation. It’s especially powerful during transformational change, when the stakes are high and uncertainty is everywhere.

Here are a few shifts we’ve seen make a real difference:

From “leaders lead” to everyone contributes: leadership becomes shared, relational, and grounded in trust.

From “telling” to asking: leaders invite questions they don’t already know the answer to.

From rigid plans to flexible frameworks: room is made for local adaptation.

And here’s the paradox: letting go of control often builds more alignment, not less. When people are involved in creating change, they’re far more likely to walk through it with you.

A Real Example: Bath Future Talent Programme

We’ve seen this co-creative approach work powerfully in the Bath Future Talent Programme – something we co-designed with Bath Bridge to support emerging leaders early in their careers.

Instead of sitting through lectures or ticking boxes, participants work on real projects that matter; like supporting local charities tackling digital exclusion. They learn by getting stuck in, having honest conversations, trying things out, and reflecting as they go.

It’s not about being told what leadership should look like. It’s about discovering it together, through shared experience. And it shows how powerful change can be when people are invited to shape it for themselves.

A Human Framework: How to Manage Changes in the Workplace

There’s no single playbook for managing change in organisations, and that’s part of the challenge. Every business is different. Every team brings its own dynamics. And every change has its own context.

But while there’s no one-size-fits-all model, there are some shared practices that help leaders approach change with more clarity, care, and adaptability. This isn’t about controlling every outcome. It’s about designing conditions where people can engage, learn, and move forward together.

Here’s a simple checklist to support a more human, flexible approach:

Checklist: Leading Change with Clarity and Care

☐ Slow down and map your context
Don’t jump straight into action. Get curious. What’s changing, and why? Who’s affected? What assumptions are being made?

☐ Involve people early
Invite the voices of those closest to the work. Ask questions. Listen without defensiveness. Make people feel part of shaping the path forward.

☐ Design for learning, not perfection
Build in space for feedback, reflection, and adjustment. Encourage small experiments over big, high-stakes launches.

☐ Be open about what you know (and what you don’t)
Transparency builds trust. You don’t have to have all the answers, but people need to know you’re being real with them.

☐ Focus on relationships, not just results
Trust, safety, and connection matter. Change happens faster when people feel seen, heard, and supported.

☐ Check in, regularly and honestly
Keep asking: how is this landing? What’s working? What needs to shift? Make reflection part of the process – not a one-time event.

Rather than managing change from a distance, this kind of approach invites people into it. Allowing you to create a culture where trust grows, learning happens in real time, and progress feels grounded rather than forced.

While these actions can guide you through change, the way you carry them out; the mindset, self-awareness, and presence you bring, matters just as much. That’s where the real work begins.

Leading Yourself First: The Inner Work of Change

Before we can lead others through change, we need to turn inward. Because how we show up matters just as much as what we do.

Real leadership isn’t about having the perfect strategy or the most convincing message. It starts with something quieter: the relationship we have with ourselves. The ability to notice our reactions. The willingness to question our assumptions. The courage to sit with uncertainty without rushing to close it down.

And yet, self-awareness doesn’t grow in isolation. We come to know ourselves in the mirror of others – in the way our words land, in the energy in a room, in the conversations that leave us moved or challenged. Growth, when it’s real, is a shared experience. We learn by listening, by reflecting, by staying open.

Leadership development, then, isn’t a one-time event or a set of competencies to master. It’s a practice. Like yoga, it isn’t about getting the pose right –  it’s about showing up again and again. With intention. With humility. With curiosity.

It happens slowly;  in small shifts, in passing moments, in the way we respond when things don’t go to plan. And then sometimes, suddenly, something moves. A conversation opens up, a perspective might shift or a new possibility takes root.

So instead of asking how to lead change in the workplace, maybe start here:

• What are you doing this week that really matters?
• Who are you doing it with?
• What might shift if you slowed down, asked a different question, or listened more deeply?

These aren’t big moves. But they’re real ones. And they’re how change begins – moment by moment, person by person.

Bringing It All Together

There’s no single way to manage change – and anyone who tells you otherwise probably hasn’t lived through enough of it. The truth is, every team, every moment, every shift will ask something different of you. But what stays constant is how you show up: with curiosity, with care, and with a willingness to learn alongside others.

If you’re exploring how to manage changes in the workplace, the real work is in relationships. It’s about noticing what’s emerging, inviting others in, and responding to what’s real, not just what’s planned. 

Here’s what this way of working invites:

• Involve, don’t just inform. Leading change is about creating the conditions for people to be part of the process.
• Build for learning, not just results. Instead of chasing one-off wins, design change as something that grows through experimentation, reflection, and everyday practice.
• Let culture emerge. Rather than trying to fix or reshape culture from the top down, focus on trust, safety, and openness – and let culture evolve through how people actually work together.

And still, these aren’t instructions. Because then, we’d be falling into the same trap of oversimplified recipes too. It’s not really about the things we decide to do as leaders – it’s about the way we understand the context we’re working in, try things out, and gradually deepen our understanding of what works here and now.

Partner with Farleigh

If you’re navigating change in your team or organisation and want a partner who’ll meet you in the mess – not just the model – we’d love to talk.

Whether you’re developing leaders, strengthening team dynamics, or evolving your organisational culture, we’ll work alongside you to shape change that’s real, rooted, and built to last.

👉 Get In Touch and start a conversation about what matters most to you and your team.

If you’re looking to create stronger foundations beyond change itself, we also support teams through:

Culture consultancy – to help uncover what’s really shaping how your organisation works
Team development – to build connection, trust, and momentum where it matters most