How to Lead It Teams Through Organizational Change: 6 Best Practices
Navigating organizational change in IT teams can be a daunting challenge for leaders. This article presents expert-backed best practices for guiding IT teams through transformative processes such as cloud migration, agile adoption, and remote work transitions. Drawing from insights of industry veterans, these strategies offer a roadmap for IT leaders to effectively manage change while empowering their teams and maintaining operational excellence.
- Transform Payments Stack with Hybrid Approach
- Migrate to Microservices with People-First Strategy
- Navigate Remote Transition Through Clear Communication
- Evolve QA Services with Cross-Functional Teams
- Implement Cloud Migration via Phased Rollout
- Guide Agile Transformation Through Empowering Teams
Transform Payments Stack with Hybrid Approach
At Pagoralia, we had to completely re-architect our payments stack while onboarding multiple clients in a fast-moving and high-volume way (we accomplished this with no service downtime).
At that point in time, Pagoralia was growing rapidly, providing infrastructure to a business with recurring payments across Mexico. However, every new client had their own unique integrations, and our prior stack was no longer effective for either our engineering or business teams. The challenge was both technical and cultural. The IT and product teams were accustomed to waterfall processes and now had to navigate a shift to a DevOps culture, modular and microservices architecture, and get everyone on the team thinking about an API in real-time.
To lead through this transformation, I adopted a hybrid approach of coaching the team in modern architectural principles while co-building the first prototypes with them to model the behavior I wanted them to emulate. We adopted low-code tools wherever possible to minimize our engineering load, developed internal "success metrics" focused on uptime, merchant activation speed, and error-reducing opportunities. In 60 days, we transitioned 80% of our stack to a scalable, event-driven design.
For other CIOs, you should know this: organizational change is 10% technology and 90% building trust. Show your team what success looks like, and then give them the space to fail safely, while you continue to progress together!
Migrate to Microservices with People-First Strategy
One of the most pivotal moments I experienced leading my IT team at Zapiy was during a full-scale migration from a monolithic architecture to a more modular, microservices-based system. It wasn't just a technical change—it reshaped how our teams collaborated, how we released features, and how quickly we could adapt to customer needs. For a fast-moving SaaS company, it was mission-critical. But for the team, it meant rethinking everything from deployment workflows to communication norms.
My approach was rooted in one principle: **treat the transition as a people-first process, not just a system upgrade**.
The first step was creating psychological safety. Before any code was touched, I brought everyone into a series of open workshops—not just to explain *what* we were doing, but *why*. We walked through the pain points of the current system, what wasn't scaling well, and the customer bottlenecks it created. The shift wasn't imposed—it was co-owned. That made a huge difference in morale and buy-in.
Next, I prioritized phased implementation over perfection. We identified a single non-critical service as the "sandbox" for microservices development, which allowed the team to experiment, fail safely, and build confidence. I intentionally paired senior engineers with junior developers, using this change as both a tech upgrade and a mentorship opportunity.
Most importantly, I made sure this wasn't a quiet IT shift hidden behind the scenes. We made it part of our broader company narrative—explaining to other departments how this would improve product reliability, customer response times, and future feature velocity. That helped the rest of the organization stay aligned and patient as the transition rolled out.
My advice to other CIOs or tech leaders? **Don't underestimate the emotional layer of change.** Your team's confidence and clarity are just as important as your architecture diagrams. Communicate constantly, show short-term wins early, and build change champions inside your team. Organizational change moves faster when people see themselves as part of the transformation—not victims of it.
Navigate Remote Transition Through Clear Communication
Leading an IT team through significant organizational change is challenging, but a successful instance involved our company transitioning to a fully remote work model almost overnight. My approach centered on radical transparency and strong communication.
First, I established a clear, consistent communication cadence, holding daily stand-ups and weekly all-hands meetings to address concerns, provide updates, and reiterate the "why" behind the change. We created dedicated communication channels for IT support and technical questions. Second, I empowered team leads to manage their sub-teams with flexibility, providing them with the resources and decision-making authority they needed. My advice to other CIOs is to over-communicate, acknowledge uncertainty, and prioritize your team's well-being. Listen actively to their concerns, involve them in solution-finding where possible, and celebrate small victories. Empathy and clear direction are paramount during turbulent times.
Evolve QA Services with Cross-Functional Teams
One of the most pivotal moments at ChromeQA Lab came during the pandemic, when several of our enterprise clients began accelerating their cloud transformation and automation initiatives almost overnight. This shift forced us to evolve from being a traditional QA service provider into a more deeply integrated partner delivering automated, cloud-native, and API-centric testing at scale.
The challenge wasn't just technological; it was cultural. Our team had to unlearn static workflows, embrace agile delivery models, and adopt new tools like Cypress, Postman, and Jenkins pipelines, often in a matter of weeks.
My approach was centered around over-communication and shared ownership. We restructured teams into cross-functional pods that worked directly with clients. Leads were empowered to make tech decisions, and we launched internal upskilling sprints every fortnight.
I also personally engaged with mid-level QA engineers to hear their concerns because that's where real transformation either fails or takes root. Within months, delivery speed improved by 40%, and client satisfaction rose significantly.
My advice to CIOs is simple: don't treat change as a policy; it must be a lived experience. Build psychological safety so your team doesn't fear change but becomes the engine of it. That's how transformation sticks.
Implement Cloud Migration via Phased Rollout
A few years ago, I led our IT team through a full migration from on-premises infrastructure to Microsoft 365 cloud services. For a small firm like ours in Akron supporting multiple professional service clients, this was a major cultural shift. The pushback wasn't about the tools; it was about changing long-standing workflows and addressing fear of the unknown. So instead of forcing the switch overnight, we rolled it out in phases, department by department, with hands-on training and real-world scenarios. The goal was to get buy-in.
My advice to other CIOs? Don't just communicate the how, communicate the why. Show your team how the change improves their day-to-day, not just the company's bottom line. During our rollout, I sat down with every team lead and asked one question: "What's one thing that frustrates you about your current setup?" Then I showed them how the new system solved that exact problem. Once people saw it as a tool for them, not just another IT project, adoption took off, and resistance turned into momentum.
Guide Agile Transformation Through Empowering Teams
While every situation is unique, there are some core principles I've found essential for success.
A common example of this type of change is guiding a team through a major shift in strategy or operating model, such as moving from traditional project-based delivery to a product-focused or agile approach. This kind of transition isn't just about adopting new tools or processes; it requires a fundamental mindset shift across teams, stakeholders, and leadership.
My approach in such situations centers on three key pillars: clarity, communication, and empowerment.
First, clarity is critical. People need to understand why the change is happening, what it means for them, and what success looks like. When leading this kind of shift, I always prioritize a clear, compelling narrative that explains the purpose behind the change, not just the mechanics. Without that shared understanding, you risk resistance, confusion, or half-hearted adoption.
Second, communication must be continuous and multi-directional. Change can feel threatening, so listening is as important as telling. Creating forums, whether town halls, small-group sessions, or even one-on-one check-ins, helps surface concerns early. It also gives people a sense of ownership and involvement. Importantly, communication shouldn't be a single announcement but an ongoing dialogue that evolves as the change progresses.
Third, empowerment is where change really takes root. Top-down mandates rarely create lasting transformation. Instead, I focus on equipping teams with the training, tools, and autonomy they need to adopt new ways of working. This includes identifying and supporting change champions within the team who can model the behaviors we want to see.
My advice to other CIOs facing similar situations is to recognize that change is fundamentally about people, not technology. The technical aspects of transformation are often straightforward compared to the cultural shifts required. Be patient but persistent. Celebrate small wins to maintain momentum, and above all, lead with empathy.
Ultimately, successful change leadership is about aligning people around a clear vision, equipping them to succeed, and walking alongside them every step of the way. When you get that right, even the most significant organizational changes become opportunities for growth and improvement.
