ITV: Shifting Mindsets in a Creative Culture
The Situation
At ITV, I was brought in to lead the design and implementation of a group-wide digital-first transformation strategy. The goal was to modernise operations and shift toward an agile, product-led operating model across multiple business units—ranging from traditional broadcast to digital content, commercial, and tech.
The challenge was clear: while leadership supported the strategy, many mid- and senior-level managers had built successful careers in a very linear, project-based environment. Agile ways of working felt alien—or worse, like a threat to their control and credibility. There was deep resistance to changing how decisions were made, how teams were structured, and how work was prioritised.
The Task
My job was to bring these units along—not just structurally, but culturally. I had to help them not just understand the new model, but want to adopt it, and feel confident navigating it.
The Action / Approach
What didn’t work at first was leading with frameworks and jargon. I’d made the classic mistake of assuming that logic and structure would be enough to shift behaviour. It landed like ‘consultant speak’—and understandably, people pushed back.
So I shifted gears. I spent time with teams in their context—observing pain points, mapping how their current processes actually worked, and listening to what they feared losing. I replaced agile theory with business storytelling:
- We ran show-and-tells using success stories from other units.
- I introduced agile pilots tied to real delivery priorities—starting small but visible.
- I paired product coaches with influential team leads, not just product managers.
Most importantly, I created permission structures for people to try, fail, and learn. One editorial team, for example, had never used iterative planning. Instead of pushing a full scrum model, we co-created a weekly experiment that gave them immediate value—and celebrated quick wins. That built confidence.
The Result
RESULT
Over six months, adoption rates improved significantly, and agile ways of working spread organically. The group’s new operating model became self-sustaining—not because we enforced it, but because people saw it worked.
What I learned was that you can’t ‘sell’ change to people who feel like they’re the ones being changed. You have to build change with them—in their language, at their pace, and in their context. That takes longer up front—but delivers exponentially better outcomes.
SO WHAT?
That experience cemented something I now live by: transformation isn’t about changing people—it’s about helping people change themselves.
It’s easy to mistake resistance for reluctance. But often, it’s protection—of identity, competence, status. If you can meet people there—with empathy, structure, and just enough stretch—you don’t just shift behaviours. You create belief. And that’s what sustains change.
