Professional Change Management

Day 1

The psychology of change management

If you want to be effective at managing change you need to think like a good change manager thinks. This first session looks at the values, beliefs and attitudes of someone who is excellent at coping with change.

• Examine your current beliefs
• Reviewing expert beliefs
• Making changes that you feel are appropriate for you

Exercise: applying the "Affirmation" technique

The transition curve

Based on the work of Kubler Ross the Transition Curve explores the stages that people go through when having to deal with a major change in their lives. For each step in the process (from ‘shock’ through to ‘acceptance’) we consider what is required to successfully move on to the next step in order to fully engage with the change process.

• Self assessment – where am I on the curve
• Coping strategies
• Understanding where you and your employees are in this process

Exercise: developing coping strategies

Day 1 (cont)

Staying positive

When employees are experiencing change they can sometimes be very stressed and negative in their communication. In leading their team in such circumstances it is important that the manager is able to acquire and maintain a calm, rational state of mind.

• Counter thinking
• Future pacing
• Bullet proof glass technique

Exercise: series of pair's exercises to develop your ability to stay calm

Accepting the inevitable

Resisting change when it is inevitable simply wastes time and energy that would be better put to use dealing with the current situation. Accepting a change is not the same as agreeing with it or approving of it, but if something is going to happen then all of our mental and physical focus needs to be committed to adapting to events in the best manner possible under the circumstances.

• ‘Releasing strategies’
• Locus of Control

Exercise: Using an Internal Locus of Control

Day 1 (cont)

Meta programmes and reactions to change

In NLP meta programmes are defined as common thought patterns that are used to process information. By understanding our preferred patterns it is possible to gain an insight into our instinctive response to change and therefore to start to manage our response in the most productive way possible.

• Sameness versus Difference
• Towards versus Away from
• Big picture versus Detail
• Appetite for change
• Effective communications and employees meta programmes

Exercise: identifying meta programmes

Day 1 (cont)

Assertive communication techniques

The ability to communicate in an assertive manner when faced with aggressive, worried or anxious employees is one of the key skill sets of the effective change manager. A person who is assertive has the ability to be honest with themselves and others about what they really think and feel. They have the confidence to be themselves and to ask directly for what they want in any given situation, while taking other people’s feelings into account.

• Assertive listening
• Assertive inquiry
• Three Step Assertive Technique
• Fogging
• Broken Record

Pairs Exercises: using assertive techniques to handle difficult situations and improve listening skills.

Day 2

CIA speech - explaining the change to others

One crucial aspect of managing change is the ability to deliver a message about the need for the change in a clear concise manner. A very helpful tool for doing this is the CIA (or elevator) speech as it helps the manager to focus what they want to say in a direct and compelling way.

• The ‘thirty second’ rule
• The call to action
• CIA template

Small group exercises: writing and delivering a CIA speech

The change process

Understanding the main elements involved in leading a team through a change process from the ‘human’ perspective e.g. helping people become aware of the need for change; explain what the Vision for the change programme is; clarifying what training will be provided etc.

• The main stages of a structured change process
• Key questions to consider
• Developing key messages and ‘speeches’
• The call to action

Pairs exercises: writing and delivering a CIA speech for each step of the change process

Day 2 (cont)

Coaching and counselling

When employees are experiencing change they can often become withdrawn and anxious, or alternatively they may become angry and resentful. In either case the manager should have the coaching skills to identify precisely what the problem is and how it is affecting work performance. They should then be able to offer help and support so that the individual concerned can address it.

• Constructive feedback and SMART action plans
• Listening funnel
• The coaching and counselling process

Exercise: role-playing Coaching and Counselling interviews

Motivating people in the face of change

Clearly if employees are uncertain about their future there may well be a significant drop off in their work rate. Understanding how to keep people engaged so that they maintain good performance levels in times of change is a core competence of good change management professionals.

• Support structures
• Celebrating small wins

Exercise: designing support structures