Leading change can be difficult, when it affects every student and faculty member. This case study walks through the steps that one university took to create clear communication, participation and transparency in a new LMS system review. This process was guided by John Kotter's classic, The Heart of Change.
The potential switch to a new learning management system (LMS) can send a shuddering throughout an institution’s spine, especially when colleges and universities are known as bastions unwilling to change or will only begrudgingly bending to change. This case study will cover the process of change management and getting a university’s community on board for change to a new LMS system. This presentation will examine how John Kotter’s, The Heart of Change, was used a guide for leading successful change. One of the biggest issues is creating the sense of urgency as well as creating that buy-in for faculty and students. Each of the eights steps of successful change will be highlighted from the book with examples of actions we took in order for change to happen. We will cover in detail the steps to build a committee, process and execute an initial scan of the marketplace, managing vendors and their expectations, getting student buy in, creating a process that is transparent and inclusive, making the decision and working with administration for final steps. We also cover the use of novelty events whether it be our University’s Bison mascot, the prize wheel or emails sent only in memes that got people accepting and aware of change. Finally, we hope to provide other institutions with ideas and takeaways on leading change management, whether it is for a new LMS system or another large project that affects an entire population.