Meet Anja. She’s the Head of Organisational Change Management in Data Science.

Change is about people

I believe that Organisational Change Management (OCM) is essential to realise the full potential of the changes that we, as an organisation, are going through. It's all about bringing people and organisations closer to the new opportunities and benefits that, for instance, digital solutions can offer. Our aim is to support their understanding of why we are doing what we are doing, and help them adapt to and utilise technical solutions that will regularly change their ways of working.

I'm new in my current role, and I'm very excited to leverage the OCM discipline in Data Science and across Development together with good colleagues. New technical solutions are nothing without smart and skilled people in Line of Business adopting them; only then can we experience the full value of digital transformation, along with the changes and opportunities it brings.

War and... Peace

✏ I went to college to become a journalist, with a strong desire to become a war correspondent. Not exactly where I ended up.

Joining

Rumour has it

I decided to work for Novo Nordisk because I wanted to be part of an organisation with a strong purpose, good leadership practices and a safe, inclusive culture. Looking from the outside, Novo Nordisk seemed to be a company that really wanted to stand for something and make a difference. To me, they appeared to be pioneers – not only in the field of life science and pharma, but also in the way they were leading the organisation. The rumour was that Novo Nordisk was the go-to company if you wanted to be part of an organisation that put people first. And that is, in many ways my experience. It’s a company grounded in a human-centric approach, which guides the way we do things.

Reflection

Foundational support

One of the things that surprised me about joining Novo Nordisk was how the organisation has achieved such a level of success, despite not initially having a highly technical or digital point of departure.  Of course, this must be considered in light of the high degree of regulation that the pharmaceutical industry in general is under. But it demonstrates the solid foundation from which we are digitally transforming, and that is something we greatly respect.

Team

...it's the people side

Being connected to development and agile release trains, I get to work with a lot of different roles. Focusing on the people side of digital development and change, I work closely with Line of Business, ensuring that they buy into and are able to adapt to the new technical solutions. This means working with all levels of the receiving organisation, from specialists to business owners and top management. Internally within a project, some of my closest collaboration partners are the product owners and also the product managers, if the project covers a broader scope. I also work with the technical developers in order to understand and deliver the technical solution. And for user experience, feedback and co-creation, I also often engage with UX experts.

Did you try turning it off and then on again?

☏ Although I work in the tech space, I am not that tech-savvy. I am quite analogue by nature, and my closest colleagues can testify that I greatly benefit from Novo Nordisk’s Global IT support

Tools

Framework toolkit

As an organisational change manager, you primarily focus on the people and the organisational side, so we do not work with a preferred tech stack as such. We of course work in Azure DevOps (ADO), as well as use tools such as Teams, Miro and Visio. However, it's slightly different tools and frameworks that are included in the OCM toolbox, like the PROSCI and ADKAR methodologies. They provide good end-to-end frameworks and templates to help drive organisational implementation and change. It’s just important to keep in mind that it is never the tools and standards that are the leading factors. If you want to be a good organisational change manager, you should always aim to analyse and understand your change and your “customers” - and then set the route to enable them to create the value intended.

A good example is the human behavioural aspect of a change. How to approach specific behaviours in a constructive and beneficial way is very important to succeed with any change. Sometimes we as humans act and react in a rational way, sometimes we don’t. That is alright, but it can be difficult to navigate in. A good toolbox may come in handy here, but it definitely cannot stand alone. There is not a ‘one-size-fits-all' in change, and that is what makes it so exiting to work with.   

Challenge

One step, then the next ...

From an OCM perspective, we are on a journey to create a common understanding of the concept of organisational change management across the organisation. What value does it bring and how can we, across different areas of the organisation, enable and exercise good OCM? I think Novo Nordisk has come a long way in realising the importance of OCM and the job that we do. But, moving from understanding what needs to be done and turning it into a data-driven discipline that shows the value of digital initiatives, and the OCM work that enables it, through solid facts… that is indeed an exciting challenge for us in the change community.

Communities

Sparring for change

I benefit from being part of both the OCM Development Centre of Excellence and the community around that, as well as the OCM Development Digital Transformation community. We have a strong internal OCM community across Novo Nordisk. Recently, I also got the chance to become more acquainted with good OCM colleagues in Research & Early Development (R&ED).

The meaning of life

✧ I once read a book about the Japanese life philosophy called IKIGAI. It states that if all four factors: what you love, what the world needs, what you are paid for, and what you are good at are present, then combined they create a foundation for a good and meaningful life. That really resonates with me.