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With the appointment of a new commissioner of police, there was an understanding that this UK regional police authority's environment and expectations – and the way in which it needs to interact with the public – were changing. In early 2009, ASK was appointed as a key partner to offer a different perspective on change and transition, based on its experience of working with client organizations worldwide. This case study aims to examine the work carried out by ASK to help leaders deal with change more effectively.

The resulting Leading and Implementing Change workshop program was both a strategic and an operational intervention, designed to ensure that participants gained a clear view of the approaches available to them in managing change at a senior level in the authority. The workshops were interactive events with scope for lively discussion. Command leaders had a valuable opportunity to assess how to pragmatically apply best practice to “close to home” change and transition issues relevant to them in the context of implementing the “Policing Pledge” – commitments made to the public on levels of policing services.

A total of 96 percent of participants rated themselves as either more or much more effective as leaders of change and transformation as a result of the program; 78 percent felt the business impact of their achievements and improvements would be significant or very significant.

Rigorous post‐event evaluation clearly confirmed the value of the Leading and Implementing Change workshop program in enabling those who participated to agree and design implementation of the Policing Pledge in ways that were genuinely workable and measurable in local environments.

This article aims to focus on a program that was designed to support a major international specialist publisher during a global organizational change program and to support individuals with their personal transitions.

The program derived from a decision to fully embrace the possibilities of electronic publishing and workflow systems. The identification of live cases for change enabled complete workplace teams and units to develop skills and understanding in implementing and experiencing change in parallel with the introduction of new practices. After initial piloting in two business units, a program model emerged comprising two levels of workshops (Leading and implementing change and Experiencing change) and pre‐event and post‐event webinars with follow‐through activity including 1:1 and team coaching. Flexibility was retained to be adaptable to the specific requirements of each business unit and case for change.

The implementation of new working practices and procedures at senior levels was greatly aided by an overall approach based on the active inclusion of all levels of staff. The incorporation of workshops on experiencing change provided models to explain the process and coping strategies that minimized the less agreeable emotional elements of change while enhancing the successful transition to a new working reality.

The context of the organization extended the impact of the change program beyond direct employees – a large external pool of authors, contributors and editors would be affected by process transformation. In addition to supporting the global change program, the approach taken in the cases for change has provided those involved with both theoretical and practical understanding of the psychological impact of individual transitions as well as the organizational challenges of change management.

The article shows that the “hands on” understanding enabled the program to actively involve and consult with those beyond the organization's wall and implement changes while remaining mindful of impact on individuals.

This case study seeks to demonstrate how to re‐engage talented employees after they have left an organization. The “Green Room” is a facilitated process that moves beyond a simple employee exit survey approach to build rapport that supports not only re‐engagement, but also the identification and actioning of critical push and pull factors at play within an organization. This enables it to develop and strengthen its employee value proposition and its positioning as an employer of choice.

The process builds from a customized and structured questionnaire, facilitated by the use of a third party agency to encourage perceived neutrality and drive up reliability of information. The process also provides exited staff with networking opportunities, coaching and access to thought leadership in their industry and sector, providing opportunities for personal development regardless of their final re‐engagement decision.

Through the provision of confidentiality and skilled third party practitioners, the Green Room process not only leads to the successful return of a percentage of previously departed key talent, but informs an organization's talent management, recruitment and retention strategies and practices, and can significantly reduce attrition rates.

Highly cost effective, this integrated process provides other significant benefits over traditional exit survey practices, including the development of dynamic databases that can drive and guide process and procedural changes that are informed by genuine, rather than perceived, areas for action with regard to the push and pull factors that are influencing both recruitment and talent retention.