Course Outcomes

This change management course will:

  • Provide an overview of the change process.
  • Offer techniques for preparing for change.
  • Review the spectrum of reactions to change.
  • Suggest methods for addressing negativity.
  • Give suggestions for managing uncertainty.

Course Overview

There are few guarantees in the workplace today, but change is one of them. “Just like it’s always been” is quickly becoming a phrase of the past, often replaced by something such as, “We’ve streamlined the process.” And so, kicking, screaming, and complaining, our workforce reluctantly adapts only to find itself being faced with change once again.
 
This change management training course discusses the need for change, available change strategies, generating buy-in for those changes, and more.

Program Objectives

At this program’s conclusion, participants should be able to:

  • Describe various ways people react to change.
  • Understand adapting to change is not technical but attitudinal.
  • Recognize before people can embrace the way things will be, they must go through a process of grieving and letting go of the way things used to be.
  • Identify strategies for helping others adopt and implement workplace changes.
  • Implement best practices for driving culture shifts.
  • Avoid common organizational transformation pitfalls.

The following outline highlights some of the course’s key learning points. As part of your training program, we will modify content as needed to meet your business objectives. Upon request, we will provide you with a copy of participant materials prior to the session(s).

Workshop Outline

Change: What It Is, Why We Do It, and Why Most People Don’t Like It

This course begins with a frank discussion about change and how it’s been and is being handled in their organizations.  Next, the group will explore the external and internal forces that drive change, why it’s critical to adapt to and adopt implemented changes, and why most people still resist rules, processes, procedures, and people who upset the status quo.

Wheels in Motion: The Change Cycle

You can’t prepare for or manage what you don’t understand.  During this part of the workshop, we will explore the three phases of William Bridges’ change cycle: (1) Ending, Losing, and Letting Go, (2) The Neutral Zone, and (3) The New Beginning.  We will also identify specific actions leaders can take at each stage to manage the process.  From empathetic listening to managing by objective, group members will practice the skills needed to guide others through an organizational transformation.   

Closing Doors: The Human Reaction to Change

Building on the previous discussion, this portion of the course looks at Daryl Conner’s interpretation of the human response to change.  During this discussion, we will pay special attention to how people at different levels within an organization can have varied responses to cultural shifts and why this matters when mapping the change process.  

How Do I (Oops, I Mean We) Tell (or Rather, Sell) Them?: Ways to Involve Stakeholders to Drive and Communicate Change

“If we’d only known!” Too often leadership teams embark on change efforts, yet they fail to follow best practices: mapping culture, leading from the top, involving people from all levels, modeling the desired state, building pride, and leveraging formal and informal solutions.  This training segment addresses ten best practices for successfully driving change.

Preventing Pitfalls: Avoiding Common Mistakes

Employees who learn about change from the news media first, leaders who ignore the current culture, a strategy that addresses only the long term, and a plan that fails to recognize incremental achievement are only a few of the problems that can plague an organization in transition.  During this portion of the course, participants will discuss the most common mistakes people make when rolling out something new and how to avoid those errors.

Moving Right Along: Putting Together a Plan

In this final seminar segment, participants will identify the actions they plan to implement when they return to the workplace. 

At the program’s conclusion, participants will have an understanding of the change management process, actions they can take to be a positive force in driving change, and best practices for implementing organizational changes.