Weekly Wonder: Change Management and CUG Meetings

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Hi CUG members!

Welcome back to our Weekly Wonder series! We’re excited to dive into another important topic this week:

"How do Company User Group meetings fit into a broader change management strategy?"

Change management is crucial in ensuring that organizational transitions are smooth and effective. CUG meetings serve as a vital platform for facilitating communication, gathering feedback, and fostering collaboration during times of change.

Here are a few ways these meetings can integrate into your broader change management strategy:

• Fostering Open Communication: CUG meetings provide a space where members can discuss ongoing transformations, share their thoughts, and voice concerns. This open dialogue can help alleviate anxiety around changes and create a sense of community.

• Gathering Feedback: By leveraging CUG meetings, you can collect valuable user insights regarding the implemented changes. This feedback can guide decision-making and help refine strategies to better meet user needs.

• Building Advocacy for Change: Engaging members in discussions about changes helps cultivate advocates within your organization. When users feel involved in the process, they are more likely to support and promote the changes to their teams.

• Aligning with Organizational Goals: CUG meetings can help align users with the organization's wider objectives. By discussing how changes impact the user experience and the organization as a whole, you can ensure everyone is on the same page.

To further support your change management initiatives, here are some resources from Atlassian’s Change Management plays in the Team Playbooks:

• Change Management Kick-off: Align your team on the value and purpose of the change.

• Dependency Mapping: Understand and prevent project bottlenecks.

• Health Monitor: Self-assess against 8 attributes found in high-performing teams.

• Stakeholder Communication: Build a comms plan for special projects or business-as-usual.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this! How do you see your CUG meetings contributing to change management efforts? Have you implemented any specific strategies within your meetings to support this process? Share your ideas and experiences in the comments below!

Once you’ve added a comment below, you’ll receive a brand new CUG Member kudos badge!

Remember, you can submit your questions for future Weekly Wonder posts here!

[Dave Mathijs]

Hi @Chris Shernaman I'm new to this group after clicking a post from Jimmy Seddon's CUG. Still wandering around in this "space" trying to find out about CUGs, their purpose, the benefits, etc. Thanks for continuing to share you weekly wonder.

[Chris Shernaman]

Hi @Dave Mathijs, first of all, welcome to the Atlassian Company User Group (CUG) group in the Community! We're excited to have you here.

You can find more about the CUG offering here. The key benefits include:

• Creating a sense of community: these groups foster a supportive environment where users can connect, share experiences, and learn from each other.
• Delivering product value: ensure that your users get the most out of Atlassian solutions, enhancing their overall experience.
• Enhanced collaboration and productivity: a CUG drives greater organizational efficiency by promoting knowledge sharing and teamwork.

Starting a Company User Group is a fantastic way to promote collaboration and knowledge-sharing within your organization while enhancing your user's skills and career opportunities. Here's how you can get started:

1. Download our new All-in-One Kit
2. Connect with other CUG Leaders within this group by posting questions or joining discussions
3. Plan your first event using our templates and resources provided in the kit.

If you have any questions or need assistance along the way, please reach out to this group, we're here to support you!