Change that feels like something worth being part of.
Hey. I'm Jaimi, founder of Acres Dynamics, change management specialist and someone who genuinely, wholeheartedly believes that people are the whole point.
You should probably know up front that this is not your average change management consultancy. I didn't create Acres Dynamics because I wanted to sell hours or dump frameworks or do what everyone else was doing.
I created it because I couldn't find a single approach to change that felt alive.
I couldn't find an approach that understood how humans really operate or that could hold complexity and not reduce people to dot points, spreadsheets or dry slide decks (ugh, kill me now).
So I built it.
We helped a business save over $200K a year.
A paper-based reconciliation process was costing this business time, morale and some serious money in wasted resources.
We redesigned the human experience around a new digital system and, within 3 months, reconciliations were faster, cleaner and adopted by everyone.
The business reclaimed approximately 9,990+ hours a year, which converts to well over $200,000.00 in conservative savings.
The challenge.#
A mid-sized organisation was switching from paper credit card reconciliations to a digital system. Two finance specialists were spending 20+ hours each week chasing up errors, missing reconciliations and fixing up submissions. And more than 100 staff were spending 6–8 hours per month reconciling their expenses. The technology was sound but the rollout risked being a classic "system-first" failure... useful tools, poor adoption. This is the kind of behavioural challenge Acres Dynamics exists to fix.
The opportunity.#
We saw an opening to flip the energy completely. If 80% of credit card holders could learn the system and be motivated to submit their reconciliations on time and without error, the finance team would be freed to focus on much higher-value work and the business would SAVE hundreds of hours every month. The key here wasn't more training though... it was designing a change experience that people WANT to be part of.
Our approach.#
We made the transition FUN. Intentionally so.
Instead of a standard rollout, we created an experience that mixed structure with fun, competition and enjoyment. The training was broken into short, hands-on sessions that helped people build their confidence fast. Drop-in sessions gave staff an easy way to ask questions directly to the finance team, making it all personal and approachable.
Early adopters were encouraged to share their wins and help others, which built organic social incentive across teams. The atmosphere shifted from hesitant compliance to light-hearted competition! People began timing how quickly they could reconcile, laughing about it and taking pride in getting it right.
Our impact.#
Within three months of launch:
- 99% of reconciliations were submitted on time and without errors.
- Tasks that once took hours were now completed in under 30 minutes.
- The business reclaimed 9,990+ hours of productivity each year, equating to over $200,000.00 in real savings.
- Month-end became faster, calmer and more predictable.
- Staff reported extremely high sentiments as well as confidence in using the new system.
The finance team stopped firefighting and started adding strategic value!
We shifted a stagnant workplace culture.
When an Australian-wide organisation began planning a major office relocation, the logistics were pretty straightforward but the human side wasn't.
We were working with roughly a quarter of the business all spread across different teams and functions. While the culture was broadly positive, the daily reality was fragmented. Teams operated in isolation, people kept to themselves and were hesitant to mix cross-functionally. In fact, many had never even met their colleagues from other areas.
Moving from private, segregated offices to shared, flexible spaces meant breaking habits, patterns, mindsets and a sense of ownership that had built up over 30+ years.
The challenge.#
The shift to hot desking and shared zones triggered all of the classic fears: loss of territory, uncertainty about workflow, discomfort around proximity and sound, etc. It wasn't hostility so much as anxiety that shows up in various forms of resistance.
If this move was going to succeed, we needed to help people let go of the old environment emotionally before they packed a single box.
The opportunity.#
We saw a chance to turn this relocation into something far more meaningful than a change of address and way of working. It could be a catalyst for connection, a moment to reintroduce teams to one another, rebuild trust and show that working flexibly can be an opportunity for enhanced workplace relationships.
But first, we needed to disarm the resistance. And that meant approaching the project with creativity, warmth, deep empathy and, of course, humour.
Our approach.#
We built a campaign around a single unifying metaphor: the long-haul flight. No one loves the journey of a long-haul international flight but we do it because the destination is worth it.
This theme became the heartbeat of the project.
- Every update, event and communication played into the "flight" narrative from boarding passes (moving packs), the itinerary (project timelines), inflight entertainment (drop in sessions), video updates from the pilot (a trusted social influencer at the office location)... you get the drift.
- The campaign gave people a light-hearted, shared story that made the transition feel like something they were on together, rather than something being done to them.
- We established a steady communications rhythm to keep people informed and emotionally prepared, making each stage predictable and human. In fact, people were also able to co-create much of their new office location to help build their sense of ownership too.
- With the most resistant groups, we ran focus sessions so we could listen to their concerns, validate their fears and work through solutions collaboratively.
We didn't ask them to stop saying, "No." We helped them find better ways to say, "Let's try."
Our impact.#
By the time the move took place, something remarkable had shifted.
- Sentiment scores were at their highest recorded levels by the project close.
- Previously siloed teams were engaging, sharing and even laughing together during move week.
- The most resistant voices became informal champions, the ones helping others adjust.
- Leaders described the relocation as "a turning point" in how their people related to one another.
The new space didn't just look different, it felt different. The energy was lighter, conversations were flowing and the culture had moved away from isolated to connected and curious.
You can have these results too!
Take the first step to enhance your business and culture right now.
Why Acres Dynamics exists.
We exist because the world doesn't need more consultants.
It needs more connection and we are so ridiculously passionate about that.
The business world and its team members need more people willing to say, "We don't want to do change the way it has always been done. We want something real and human that enriches our people and benefits the way we do work."
Our primary aim is to help Australian organisations lead change in a way that speaks to the hearts and minds of the people impacted by it. And we want to do it in a way where we don't gate keep information and knowledge, it is shared freely and widely so that we all have the chance to learn and grow from one another.