Workplace behavior change

Adopting new habits requires deep engagement with every person in the organization. We help people understand the change rationally so that they can see what’s in it for them and engage emotionally.

What we do

No two people are the same, and neither are any two organizations. Each has their own culture, characteristics and processes. For this reason, we tailor our framework of behavior change initiatives to suit the specific needs of your business.

We know that everyone engaged in learning new behaviors needs to be engaged on their own terms. In our experience, our role is to ensure that every employee understands the proposed change – what it is, why it’s being done, what’s in it for them, how it will work, how the change will be made and when it will happen. This is what we call “rational understanding”.

Communicating honestly and directly with employees to explain why, how and when changes are being introduced helps them to understand and learn how they can benefit. Armed with insights into how people respond to change, our approach helps everyone to explore their own win-loss equation, ultimately helping them to “engage emotionally” and positively with the change.

Why AWA

Our widely adopted approach to behavior change transforms employee performance by empowering individuals and teams to make the right choices, resulting in stronger performance around collaboration, social cohesion and workplace productivity across teams and organizations.

We understand behavior change can only be achieved one step at a time, so we ensure our engaging initiatives lead to actionable outcomes. As an organization, we have invested heavily in providing tangible and actionable tools, using knowledge as our baseline to deliver workshops that ultimately lead to new practices and desired changes in behavior.

Change management

Our holistic and inclusive approach to change management engages teams in co-creating and owning the changes they make. We focus on upskilling the organization at every level to create a culture of collaboration and productivity.

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Testimonials

“Leading a major change management project in complex international organization is challenging undertaking. I knew it would involve multiple stakeholders, take wide-ranging collaboration and that we would need some expert, confident experience to help steer and deliver it. AWA has provided that, not by steaming in and dictating how things should be based on their ideals, but by listening to us, learning, understanding and advising. I have enjoyed working closely with them on this project. I have felt supported, they have always been available to discuss challenges and options and have always responded promptly, constructively and positively with solutions and alternative ideas for consideration.”

Tom Crame Head of Global Workplace, Amnesty International

“We have worked with AWA for more than five years and value the collaborative partnership we have with them. They have supported the ongoing evolution of our workplace, providing deep insights and extensive expertise. With their help, we’ve been able to create a transformational space which supports our hybrid working approach and transforms our culture and ways of working to become more agile and innovative. This helps us recruit and retain the best talent, which supports our core purpose of funding research to save lives. None of this would have been possible without the help of AWA.”

Kerry Smith Chief People Officer, British Heart Foundation

“Mintel has worked successfully with AWA for over a decade on several major projects. We chose them for their expertise and experience at the cutting edge of understanding workplaces. They lead the industry with well-crafted research to understand the dynamic workplace landscape and help solve the real-world issues of operating successfully in a changing world. Along with data and insights they bring practical processes that involve everyone from grass root team members to the most senior executives, developing effective change to meet all parties’ goals. They have become trusted advisers around not only workplace matters but in behavioral change.”

Peter Haigh Chairman, Mintel

“We were really keen to understand how the learnings and behaviors of Covid enforced home working would affect the post-pandemic return of staff and in particular to our Sheffield campus as we have plans to restack and refurbish the office space. AWA’s detailed and in-depth engagement process allowed us to reach out to all levels of occupants and really understand staff perception on what will be needed to create a new working environment that would align with business requirements and where changes in behavior, management style and space might be appropriate. Their insights also allowed us to create a blueprint of alternative space types that we’ve used to inform the repurposing of space across our nationwide estate.”

Steve Chapman Interim Head of Estates ICF Security, Estates and Information Directorate, Home Office

“AWA has been a great resource of global data and research for us regarding agile, hybrid and the world of working. They are responsive, willing to question assumptions, and work as a partner to help us make good decisions.”

Neil Austin VP Real Estate Portfolio Management and Transaction Services, Omnicom Group