CHANGE MANAGEMENT

Anita Ward recognizes the challenges of change.  Her approach to change management is focused on people and behaviors. As an executive, a consultant and a scientist, she has organized and led change initiatives and transformation projects in many industries. 

• Enterprise change initiative for a regional bank with 15,000 employees, and 15 associated community banks.  The approach was grassroots and cross-departmental, and required the organization and completion of 1,200 projects.  The results were revenue increases, expense decreases, and improved levels of employee satisfaction.  The approach was highlighted in Jon Katzenbach's book, Real Change Leaders.
• Technology and change initiative for national organization of an international autoglass company. The approach included the design and implementation of best-of-breed technologies, the re-engineering of operational and service processes, and the management of change from the perspective of 125 retail service stores, 6 distribution centers, 2 call centers, a data center, and manufacturing in the US and China. 
• A change initiative based on the acquisition and consolidation of 5 insurance companies, their operations, technologies, systems, and sales teams.     
  
  

As an anthropologist, Ms. Ward recognizes that organizations are social arenas in which people create cultural systems and in which there is a constant interaction between employees and the cultural system.   Change occurs through a process of diffusion which spreads an ideology, behavior, mythology, or artifact throughout the culture and into others.  Change models can be evolutionary, or revolutionary, but cultures are interconnected  and an intentional change in one department can lead to unintentional change in other departments through processes, workflows, and networks.

She uses anthropological instruments to diagnose and develop the organizational culture and then maps it to the vision of the future.