If you had a pound (or a dollar, let's think international here) for every management book you have ever seen with 'change' in the title you would probably be able to retire. You almost certainly have read of 'managing change' you may even have 'been on a course' – so what's new?
"There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success,
than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things."
Niccolo Machiavelli, 'The Prince' (1532)
Well to start with let's acknowledge that managing change is rather difficult and, regardless of what Prosci, Fisher or Kotter may say, it is remarkable how regularly things go wrong – even if we follow there sage-like advice or damn model! This 2-day learning and development event provides a refreshing degree of honesty and an unvarnished revelation of the actual individual and team challenges you will face when trying to introduce 'imposed change'. It is an honest and refreshing entrée into the world of making change less painful and more likely to work at any level of the organisation. We will review some of the contemporary models (but not for long); we will discuss what (if any) parts of them can help. More importantly, we will identify the critical factors of 'acceleration' through the 'bad bits' – getting people off the subject of talking about 'the new'; helping them become comfortable and familiar with the change; and reducing the inevitable anxieties that are at the root of most resistance. It is not just about communication, it has to be influential and persuasive. You need to identify allies – quickly and effectively; there needs to be an air of participation and collaboration (even for a 'done deal'). 'Manage change right' and your pathway to glory is assured; 'manage it wrong' and you will be straight off everyone's 'Christmas card list' and can look forward to some very uncomfortable weeks (if not months) in 'management purgatory'!
Key objectives
At the end of the course the delegates will be able to:
-
describe the resistance to change;
-
employ proven techniques for option generation and creative opportunities to improve performance;
-
create a change plan that will reduce resistance and accelerate the process from 'new' to 'normal';
-
meaningfully engage with staff and stakeholders and drive change through to optimum performance.
