Abstract

Over the past few years, it has felt as though research management — and the world more generally — has been defined by rapid change. As some offices have moved to remote work and new platforms have made engagement at once easier and more isolating, we have seen significant impacts to the communication and implementation of new regulations, systems, and practices. In response to observed challenges among our research administrators in adapting to change, in 2022 the Harvard University RMA office instituted a new committee-based initiative to identify, communicate and implement new policies and processes impacting our community. The initiative has already proven successful in increasing engagement and a sense of preparedness across our office and suggests helpful lessons in the context of international project management.

In response to ongoing feedback from both office personnel and individual research units, RMA leadership recognized a need to improve communication and engagement in three significant “areas of change”: laws/regulations, systems changes, internal policies/processes. Like many large institutions, Harvard’s administrative functions are decentralized, a factor that carries into even individual office structures. This presents a significant challenge in not just effectively communicating change, but in understanding and adapting to the specific impacts a change might have on an individual unit level. We frequently had units indicating that they were not consulted with respect to how a particular policy change, for example, might impact their function, or worse, that they were not aware of the change at all. Further, individual changes rarely exist alone. Rather, effective implementation of a new system or new funder policy often requires adaptation in other areas.

It is of course impossible for a large institution to engage every single individual who may be impacted by a particular change before it takes effect, and even less so when the change is driven by law or policy. However, by reimaging change management as a multi-phased dialogue within our own office, we have adopted a model that considers “change” to be an ongoing conversation. By practicing effective engagement, we have increased morale and enhanced our office’s ability to respond to the individual impacts change can create.

This discussion group will highlight the objectives, structure and early outcomes of Harvard’s Change Management initiative and present strategies for application across international project management. Attendees will leave with an understanding of potential approaches to change management, and questions to ask as they consider how to improve communicating and implementing change within their own institutions.