HRchat Podcast Hearts, Minds, and the Mechanics of Change with Richard Page-Brown
Change rarely fails because the software didn’t ship. It fails because people didn’t shift. In this episode, Bill Bnaham sits down with Richard Page-Brown, a veteran program and change practitioner, to map a clear path from big intentions to sustained behavior change. Using the ADKAR model as our backbone, we move step by step through awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, and reinforcement, translating each stage into simple tactics HR leaders can use on Monday morning.
We start with the hard question: why change, and why now? Richard shows how to use market data, employee feedback, and the risks of no action to build true awareness, then turns to the messy middle—desire—where WIIFM, persona-based impact assessments, and credible advocates turn compliance into commitment. From there, we dig into knowledge design for HR tech rollouts, blending e-learning, workshops, SOPs, and process maps. Along the way, we explore AI-driven skills mapping, faster upskilling cycles, and how leading platforms turn skill gaps into targeted learning, coaching, and mentoring.
Ability is where learning becomes doing, and Richard lays out how coaching, sandbox environments, pilots, and phased rollouts build confidence under real pressure. Finally, we tackle reinforcement—the Achilles heel of so many transformations—with concrete steps to update job descriptions, align performance metrics and rewards, celebrate early wins, and keep feedback loops alive so new habits stick. Richard shares lessons learned from global programs, a simple threshold rule for progressing through stages, and a bold reminder: excellent change management makes initiatives seven times more likely to meet and sustain objectives.
If you’re leading a Workday, SAP, SuccessFactors, or Oracle rollout, or rethinking your people strategy for an AI-shaped future, this conversation gives you a field guide to make change real. Listen, share with your team, and if it helps, leave a review and subscribe so more HR pros and leaders can find it. What stage of ADKAR do you need to strengthen next?
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