Improvement-driven change: Aligning a global network for safer systems   

Challenge

An international foundation came to ChangeMakers with a goal of refining a complex system where risks had already been identified and change was essential. The effort spanned across hemispheres and multiple countries, requiring seamless, safe ways of working across diverse organizations, partners, and vendors. Gaps in communication and handoffs posed risks to efficiency, accountability, and ultimately achieving the initiative’s goals.   

Approach

ChangeMakers led a system refinement process that combined technical risk management with leadership alignment and behavior change. We helped organizations and teams understand hidden and complex risks, and know how to identify and manage them. We also worked with leadership to define a clear North Star outcome that inspired collaboration and gave diverse teams a shared purpose. This alignment made it possible to surface risks, hold difficult conversations, and embed new ways of working that addressed both operational and cultural gaps.   

Results

The process broke down silos and allowed organizations with different goals and leadership structures to work together toward a common objective: reducing risks and closing gaps. The framework gave leaders and teams practical tools to identify hidden and complex risks, understand their impact, and manage them effectively across geographies. The clarity and effectiveness of the system drew recognition beyond the foundation itself, with a leading university adopting the program as a risk mitigation and identification tool.