The Change Curve: Why Arts Leaders and Corporate Leaders are in the same boat

Right now, I’m working with a number of clients across different sectors who are going through big changes-restructures, new leadership, strategy shifts, culture work. A lot of it centres around how we lead through uncertainty and how we hold space for people to process what’s going on.

I’m often in rooms where reflection is essential, not just for others, but for me too. So this blog is a way of doing that. A bit of clarity. A bit of expression. It’s longer than my usual blogs…. But somewhere to structure thoughts and maybe come back to as a reference point when the next wave of change rolls in.

What I’ve been noticing is how many of us-regardless of sector-are sat somewhere on the change curve. The arts, the corporate world, the public sector.

Different language, different pressures, more or less 000’s on the balance sheet, same emotional journey. And if we’re going to keep navigating it, we’ve got to start being honest about where we are on it-and what we can learn from each other.

Shock and Denial: “This’ll Blow Over, Right?”

When the pandemic hit, I was leading an organisation with a full in-person programme. It disappeared overnight. So we moved quickly. We didn’t just pivot to digital, we built a fuller digital programme than we’d ever done before. We stretched.

And to be honest, I’m still reflecting on whether that was the right decision. Did we meet the moment or overextend ourselves to stay visible? Maybe both. But we move.

It was the same across the board. Commercial leaders were doing digital transformations in weeks. Everyone was adapting at speed. And there was a sense of denial running underneath it all. We told ourselves it would be short term. Back to normal by summer. We now know it wasn’t.

The dust’s settled, but the questions haven’t. What did we change because we had to? And what actually worked?

Frustration and Fatigue: The Middle Bit

This is the hard part. The energy’s gone, but the demands haven’t. I’ve sat in this bit. Leadership felt heavy, progress felt slow, and the clarity I’d relied on for years started to feel out of reach.

This hasn’t just been in the arts. Corporate teams have faced the same. The CIPD’s 2023 Health and Wellbeing report pointed out that stress-related absences are higher than they’ve been in years.

What’s interesting is how different sectors handle it. Business environments often have better systems and support in place. The arts often lead with empathy and openness, but don’t always have the infrastructure to match. There’s something to be said for learning from each other. Practical systems and emotional honesty aren’t mutually exclusive.

Experimentation: Trying New Things (and Failing Sometimes)

This is where I find myself most of the time at the moment. I’ve taken on new projects, stepped into freelance work, tested different ways of collaborating. It’s exciting. It’s vulnerable. Some things work. Some things don’t. But innovation is key.

In the arts, organisations are testing co-creation models, rethinking how they tour, and embedding access in new ways. In the corporate world, there’s movement towards human-centred design, flexible working, and flatter decision-making. It’s not always perfect, but it’s progress.

What links both sectors is this urge to do things differently. What separates them is often the language and pace. But underneath that, the intent feels similar. Relevance. Value. Impact. And the courage to say, “We don’t quite know yet, but we’re figuring it out.”

Integration: Not Quite There Yet

This is the bit where things are supposed to bed in. New ways of working become normal. But truthfully, I’m not there yet. A lot of organisations aren’t either. And that’s ok…

Some are getting closer. I’ve seen businesses reshape their teams around flexibility. I’ve seen arts organisations rethink what success looks like. But most are still asking the big questions.

How do we embed change properly?
How do we look after people in the process?
How do we stay focused on the work, not just the pressure?

One thing that keeps coming up in the spaces I’m holding is this: accountability and reflection matter just as much as strategy. It’s not enough to roll out a new approach-we need to keep checking in. Are we doing what we said we would? Are we listening to feedback? Are timelines being honoured by leadership, or are they slipping without consequence?

Integration isn’t just about systems or comms. It’s about trust. And trust is built when action matches intention.

Final Thoughts: Same Curve, Shared Lessons

I don’t think either sector is nailing this all the time perfectly. But I do think both are learning. The arts often hold the human stuff better. Business often drives structure and implementation more confidently. We need both.

The change curve isn’t a one-and-done journey. It’s not a clean line. But if we’re honest about where we are and open to borrowing ideas from outside our usual bubble, we’re more likely to make meaningful progress.

And for those of us somewhere in the middle of it, still figuring it out, that’s alright. It means we’re still moving. And sometimes, that’s the best thing we can do.

Curious about cross-sector collaboration, or just want to chat about how we navigate all this in real terms?

I’m always up for a conversation. Let’s make the messy bits useful.