Jump Back
To achieve successful change in an organisation, Kotter’s change management model advises forming a guiding coalition, a coalition of the willing. Change agents must be identified to do this; people who will engage with and influence others in an organisation. Their change-agent role isn’t always defined by job title; these people can be social influencers, strong personalities, and highly regarded individuals, even if they are individual contributors rather than managers. If you can get their buy-in, there’s a much greater likelihood of sustained change. Identifying and understanding these subtle, yet powerful workplace dynamics is pivotal to project/change success.
The Limits of AI
As consultants and leaders, we can feed organisational charts into AI. AI will analyse the data and likely pinpoint decision-makers based on organisational hierarchy. But decisions are not always made from the top down. A lot of influence happens informally through social networks, personal relationships, and individuals highly trusted by their peers. The challenge is identifying these key people and engaging them, knowing they will then become advocates and help bring others with them.
The Value of Human Insight
This is where having real people/consultants, and not technology, leading projects adds value. People inside the organisation might see everyday interactions, but an outsider can spot patterns and dynamics and see how they might be leveraged to support positive change. AI can’t identify these nuances, at least not in any meaningful way. Decision-making isn’t linear, and it doesn’t always follow the formal hierarchy. It’s shaped by undocumented influence. Recognising influential people in an organisation is critical; understanding why they behave the way they do, and how you engage them, using empathy and emotional intelligence to understand their perspective and bring them on board.
Interpreting Culture
AI cannot “feel” culture. Culture is not what’s written on a website. Culture is what someone experiences when they walk into a business, how people interact, how decisions are made, and how conflict is handled. Picking up on that culture and knowing how to work with it is critical.
Final Thoughts
Sustainable change depends on truly understanding the people, the culture, and the informal dynamics that shape how an organisation functions day to day. Real influence comes from engaging the right individuals, recognising subtle behaviours, and using empathy and emotional intelligence to address the root causes of resistance. AI can’t replicate these deeply human factors, nor can AI think on its feet or respond in real time to the nuances of human interaction. Successful change is ultimately driven by people, their relationships, their trust, and their willingness to move together toward a shared goal.
Padraig Ryan (LinkedIn>>>) is the Managing Director of Navitise Consulting. Navitise is a boutique consulting firm that combines big-firm expertise with a personalised approach, delivering strategy, operational excellence and transformation solutions.