Podcast Summary: Embracing Digital Transformation
Episode #280: Navigating Change in Established Industries
Host: Dr. Darren Pulsipher
Guest: Lindsay Phillips, Founder of SkyFi Studios
Date: July 23, 2025
Main Theme & Purpose
This episode delves into the complexities of driving digital transformation in established industries, with a keen focus on people, process, and technology. Dr. Pulsipher and Lindsay Phillips explore how organizations can successfully navigate change, the unique barriers faced in mature sectors, and innovative models for organizational change management (OCM)—especially in the era of remote work and generative AI.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Lindsay Phillips' Origin Story
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[01:16] – [03:36]
- Lindsay graduated with an English degree during the 2007-08 recession, starting her career as a receptionist in oil & gas.
- Transitioned into technical writing, then project management with a stakeholder-centric approach to IT rollouts.
- Early experience highlighted the misalignment between project timelines and effective change management.
"I was trying to make these beautiful change plans…all my beautiful plans have been ruined every single [time]. And I was like, this is a system." — Lindsay Phillips [02:46]
2. Change Management in Established Industries
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[03:36] – [06:18]
- Oil & gas as a "well-established" but change-averse sector; resistant processes, field workers with unique constraints.
- Extreme external factors (like new federal regulations or the pandemic) can accelerate organizational change dramatically.
"If you can get the US Government to pass a law that people go to jail, they'll move, they'll change." — Dr. Pulsipher [05:07]
"Organizations I were working with that had 18-month plans—all of a sudden those 18-month plans became three-week plans, and they were done." — Dr. Pulsipher [05:21]
3. People as the Heart of Transformation
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[06:18] – [11:25]
- Human factors—motivation, incentives—are the primary barriers or accelerators to change.
- Many technology rollouts neglect the "people" aspect, focusing on tech/process and assuming users will adapt.
"The users are just getting in the way of my technology." — Dr. Pulsipher [08:24]
"I had a developer once tell me: 'I'm not a big fan of end users.' And I was like, what does that mean?" — Lindsay Phillips [08:42] -
The role of external OCM specialists, like SkyFi, is to be “people whisperers” who bridge these human gaps.
4. Business Model Innovation in OCM
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[11:25] – [17:56]
- SkyFi's model: recruiting former Big Four consultants for flexible, specialized OCM work on a part-time or contract basis.
- Attempted to help clients build OCM Centers of Excellence (COE); pivoted when organizations preferred to outsource for simplicity.
"When we started SkyFi…our first offering was COE. We'll help you establish your OCM center of excellence…There was zero interest." — Lindsay Phillips [11:47]
- The "studio portfolio" career model is taking off—professionals with multiple, specialized gigs rather than one full-time role.
"We call it our roster…We can go to our database and say, okay, we've got an opportunity in healthcare…Who do we have who's the perfect fit?" — Lindsay Phillips [13:22]
- Discussed the challenges (lack of benefits, healthcare, uncertainty) and which personalities thrive: self-motivated, flexible, not seeking traditional full-time structures.
5. Structures and Challenges within Organizations
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[17:56] – [22:44]
- Common challenge: inexperienced project sponsors who underestimate the complexity of company-wide rollouts, neglecting foundational comms and strategy.
- SkyFi often bridges the gap between sponsors and tech teams, providing strategic and tactical support.
"The lack of experience and sometimes lack of maturity of the sponsor can really kind of delay some of the change work that needs to happen." — Lindsay Phillips [19:36]
"Partners were trying…to fake it, and they got in there like, ‘This is pretty hard actually.’" — Lindsay Phillips [20:44]
- Many clients don't invest in strategic success indicators, focusing only on technical delivery without measuring organizational impact.
6. Impact of Generative AI on Change Management
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[22:44] – [28:44]
- AI makes content creation cheap and accessible, with some clients bypassing strategists to produce their own comms and training materials.
"Now, content is cheap…a video that is not informed by that strategy has limited impact." — Lindsay Phillips [23:53]
- AI frees up OCM pros to focus on more strategic elements, but risks clients undervaluing the narrative/people side.
- Future of consulting: necessity for OCM consultants to become AI super-users and constantly experiment with new workflows.
"We were pushing our team: you need to be using AI in your daily life…We're just going to give clients some stuff for free for a while. We gotta practice this." — Lindsay Phillips [26:44]
"Because we're so small, we can move faster than the big firms…If we build it and try to sell it for a quarter and it doesn’t sell, then it’s out. What's the next thing in?" — Lindsay Phillips [27:31]
Notable Quotes & Moments
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On Human Motivation:
"When people are completely bought in…you will get [change] quick." — Lindsay Phillips [06:09]
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On Stakeholder Experience:
"It's very different to roll out a tool to the whole company versus just to your department." — Lindsay Phillips [18:29]
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On Success Metrics:
"What does success look like here?…How will we know if we were successful? Folks aren't doing that." — Lindsay Phillips [22:15]
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On AI and Future Skills:
"We started doing future vision: what do consulting firms in 2030 look like?…You need to become…a super-user of this tool." — Lindsay Phillips [26:44]
"A video that is not informed by that strategy has limited impact. It's content, but it has limited impact." — Lindsay Phillips [23:53]
Timestamps for Important Segments
- [01:16] Lindsay's nontraditional career path to OCM
- [03:36] Change management in risk-averse industries
- [06:18] Human motivation as the catalyst for real change
- [08:42] Dealing with technologists who neglect end-users
- [11:47] SkyFi’s flexible OCM staffing model and pivot from COEs
- [13:22] Rise of the studio/portfolio career
- [17:56] Consistent challenges: project sponsors and change maturity
- [22:44] The impact of generative AI on change management
- [26:44] Necessity for consultants to become AI super-users
- [27:31] Small firm agility vs large firm inertia
Conclusion & Takeaways
- Successful digital transformation requires prioritizing the human factor as much as process or technology.
- External, flexible OCM specialists are increasingly vital, particularly for organizations unprepared or unwilling to build in-house expertise.
- Generative AI democratizes content creation but reinforces the need for deep, strategic, human-centric change management.
- The future of work—especially in consulting and IT transformation—will increasingly favor agile, portfolio-based models.
Connect with the Guest
- Lindsay Phillips:
- SkyFi Studios
- LinkedIn: Lindsay Phillips
This episode is valuable for anyone leading change in mature industries or curious about the evolving workforce and role of AI in transformation initiatives.