Program Overview
Research consistently shows that most organizational transformations fail because leaders underestimate the human side. Resistance, disengagement, and lost momentum are signs that people weren’t brought along for the journey.
Drawing on evidence-based frameworks in change leadership, psychological safety, strengths-based communication, and accountability, URI OSI’s Change Leadership programs give leaders a practical vocabulary and a repeatable approach for navigating transformation with humanity and purpose. Whether your organization is preparing for a major restructuring, scaling rapidly, implementing new systems, or rebuilding culture from the inside out, this program meets you where you are.
Partner with us
We believe in the power of collaboration. By partnering with OSI, you’ll receive customized solutions tailored to your unique business needs. From initial consultation to implementation and evaluation, we’re with you every step of the way.
Discover how our programs can transform your organization and unlock new opportunities for growth.
Benefits and Outcomes
Program participants leave with accessible strategies and tools they can apply right away, in response to urgent organizational and interpersonal needs:
- A people-first leadership mindset — Understand why leading with trust, empathy, and psychological safety is the fastest path to sustainable performance.
- Accountability that actually works — Build the structures, expectations, and conversations that hold teams to high standards while maintaining engagement and morale.
- Strengths-based self-awareness — Through the integration of validated assessments including the VIA Character Strengths Assessment, Extended DISC®, and/or Emotional Intelligence 2.0, participants gain insight into how their default patterns show up under pressure, and how to lead more intentionally.
- Practical change communication skills — Learn how to deliver difficult messages with clarity, composure, and credibility, and how to sustain momentum long after the initial launch.
- Concrete action plans — Establish personalized and time-bound Leadership Accountability Agreements, so development doesn’t stop when the training ends.
Customization and Implementation
No two organizations face change the same way. URI OSI’s Change Leadership programs are fully customized to your organizational context, leadership level, and transformation goals.
Delivery options include:
- Intensive full-day formats — Ideal for cohorts navigating active, high-stakes change; typically structured as two full days with pre-work assessments, experiential learning, and 90-Day Accountability Planning.
- Modular series formats — Six or more two-hour sessions delivered bi-weekly, allowing learning to unfold alongside the real-time demands of the work. Modules can be packaged as a complete program or selected à la carte to address your most pressing leadership needs.
- In-person, virtual, or hybrid delivery — We come to you. Sessions can be held at your facility, on URI’s campus, or via Zoom — whatever serves your team best.
Sample program topics include:
- People-First Leadership and Accountability in the Context of Enterprise Change
- Strategic Communication for Senior Leaders
- Team Engagement and Accountability
- Performance Feedback in Complex Environments
- Executive Presence
- Managing Difficult Conversations
- Change Leadership: Creating Alignment, Commitment, and Momentum
Why Choose This Program
Change doesn’t wait for people to feel ready. The leaders who navigate it best are not the ones who have all the answers — they are the ones who know how to hold the tension, build trust under pressure, and keep their teams moving toward something worth building.
URI OSI has spent decades partnering with Rhode Island organizations — manufacturers, state agencies, airport authorities, healthcare systems, and more — to develop leaders at every level. We understand the complexity of leading through change in highly regulated environments, unionized workforces, and fast-scaling organizations alike. Our programs are not off-the-shelf trainings; they are co-designed with your advisors, grounded in the research, and built around the specific challenges your leaders are facing right now.
When you partner with URI OSI, you are not just investing in a training program. You are investing in a culture where accountability is rooted in values, trust is the foundation of performance, and change becomes something your organization knows how to do well — again and again.
Who should attend:
URI OSI’s Change Leadership programs are designed for the leaders who are closest to change challenges: the managers, directors, and executives who must hold the vision, steady the culture, and keep teams moving while facing restructuring, growth, or cultural transformation, including:
- Senior leaders and directors navigating enterprise-wide change
- Mid-level managers responsible for sustaining team performance during transition
- HR and organizational development professionals supporting change initiatives
