Change management strategies for improved animal welfare: Implementing refined handling for mice and rats in a global contract research organisation

Abstract

Changing long-held practices is hard. Employing change management strategies simplifies the process and makes it attainable. These strategies can be used in the vivarium to introduce changes that improve animal welfare. This manuscript describes how change management can be effectively used to transition a global organisation from traditional tail handling to refined handling of mice and rats across 68 international sites. Refined handling methods offer clear benefits for animal welfare, personnel well-being, and scientific integrity, yet tail handling remains common in many research settings. A combination of the Prosci ADKAR model and the Results Pyramid framework were used to create a structured, values-driven approach focused on awareness building, desire for change, knowledge development, hands-on skill acquisition, and sustained reinforcement. Key initiatives included targeted training for diverse stakeholder groups, global workshops, multilingual educational materials, pilot studies to address operational concerns, and a network of site-level champions to foster local ownership and success. Progress was assessed through follow-up surveys and site-level assessments to ensure meeting the pre-assigned success metrics and change success was reinforced with awards. Four years after the programme was initiated (2021–2025), all sites had successfully adopted refined handling for mice ( Mus musculus ) and rats ( Rattus norvegicus ), with reported improvements in human-animal interactions, reduced bite incidents, and no significant long-term increases in task duration or error rates. This work demonstrates that structured organisational change management can effectively drive large-scale refinement initiatives and promote a sustainable Culture of Care in laboratory animal programmes.