2 Secrets That Will Help You Build Change Management Skills Across Your Business

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Most CEOs and managers agree that Organisational Change Management capabilities are a must-have in our ever-changing industry. You probably already considered investing in Change Management Training to ensure your leaders have the right skills to help your workforce and business thrive.

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A quick Google search will return almost 2 billion returns in under 1 second. And here is where the dilemma starts. Whilst sending your managers on a Change Management Training course is a great way to upskill your people and ensure they have the skills to manage and lead change effectively, many alumni report that they found it to be a short-term solution lacking long-term returns.

Whether you are an executive, the People & Culture Manager, the Project Manager or even the resident expert in change looking for sustainable development methods – read on! This article will shed light on 2 secrets that can tick your box for Change Management Training and guarantee lasting results through greater organisational change readiness.

Change Management Training in a Nutshell and How It Can Help Your Business

Studies from Forbes, PMI, Prosci and StrategyEx have shown that those with Change Management capabilities are 3.5 times more likely to outperform their peers, while inadequate leadership support is the leading cause of project failure. Therefore, proper training in Change Management is essential for businesses to stay competitive and ensure growth. Change Management Training aims to develop awareness and skills in your workforce to drive adaptability, resilience and change. Most training providers focus on knowledge, skills and tools to help managers and key stakeholders effectively manage changes to standard practices, lead their teams through transition periods and communicate the organisation's goals.

The benefits are numerous but generally involve:

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  • Improved efficacy: By learning to manage change effectively, leaders practice techniques and develop skills that support successful project execution.
  • Increased team morale: By investing in change management training, the business demonstrates care for people, talent and future careers, which builds trust and improves morale within the team.
  • Better communication: Most Change Management Training focuses on how to communicate change. Managers that can clearly, consistently and concisely convey their message enable dialogue and greater engagement. Both are proven to improve stakeholder buy-in.
  • Increased productivity: Great Change Management training is tailored to the learner’s needs. For example, line managers learn skills to anticipate and manage resistance and subject matter experts learn how to champion change. This greater organisational change readiness leads to less distractive and painful transitions and smoother rapid change cycles.

Avoid the most Common Mistakes Businesses make when choosing Change Management Training

There are likely to be significant differences in the quality of the training provided by two billion training providers. Sure, you want to do your due diligence, but it is nearly impossible to make the right choice. It is common to make mistakes during the selection process, especially if you are not sure what to look for.

Here are 5 questions that will make it much easier for you to compare apples and pears: 

  • 1 How will learners be held accountable for translating skills into action?
  • 2 Are there tailored learning pathways available to help executives, sponsors, managers, line leaders, and champions develop the right skills and actions?
  • 3 Is the provider familiar with my industry-specific issues or challenges?
  • 4 What resources are available to fast-track and standardise our organisational change management processes?
  • 5 How do we ensure that the organisational change management activities are sustainable?
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Over the years, we have learned that the best training programs are built on industry experience rather than textbooks, and we see training for Sponsors, Leaders and Champions as an integral part of the Leadership, Project Management, and Change Management (LPC) Triangle. Learn more about the LPC triangle here.

In case the Google Search Results scared you, you may be thinking of covering the training in-house.  The above questions can still help you to avoid the most common misconceptions about how to tick the Change Management Training deliverable and get the benefits associated with it.

Learn two tips to immediately improve your Change Management training

Tip 1: Hold Learners Accountable

Investing in training is an excellent start to driving effective change management, but it's just the beginning of the journey. It's important to ensure that leaders are held accountable for their post-training actions and that training isn't seen as a "one-and-done" solution. Change Management training isn’t about the morning tea and scones but rather a continuous improvement process:

  • 1 Plan: At the time of booking, set clear expectations for learners to demonstrate learning outcomes at a set date after they have completed the training.
  • 2 Do: Resources and tools that can be used after training at work enhance learning retention and encourage people to put the learned to the test. For example, we offer a range of templates and cards or board games that encourage change one conversation at a time or fast-track change management deliverables.
  • 3 Check: After the training, regularly follow up with leaders to ensure that behavioural changes are being made and progress is being tracked.
  • 4 Act: Reward and recognise individuals who demonstrate personal growth as the result of the change management training. Highlighting their accomplishments encourages others to do the same.
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Tip 2: Adapt a practical learning pathway designed for success

Where most Change Management Training falls flat is the focus on theory and concepts. These ideal-world scenarios are great, but they set the learner up for failure and disappointment.  Change is simple but so hard. Because change is complex and uncertain, learners need to learn about what helps in the real world. Otherwise, their learning journey starts after the course and is likely to be met with resistance. Practical learning pathways ensure that leaders can build their muscles and ability during the course and are more likely to see long-term success in managing projects and change.

In other words, you want to make sure that your Change Management training has practical significance:

  • Clear outcomes: The learning pathway should provide employees with the necessary knowledge, skills, and understanding of their responsibilities to effectively carry out their specific roles in organisational change projects.
  • Practical application: The training program needs to link theoretical knowledge to activities that build abilities for real-life case studies and simulations.
  • Interactive and engaging: Change Management Training must be interactive and engaging to develop the learner's ability to build rapport with stakeholders, communicate and listen effectively.
  • Flexible and accessible: The training program must meet the requirements of modern work environments and manager schedules, effectively blending in-person and self-paced learning.

Your Change Management Partner

As you can see, Change management is a simple process in a complex and uncertain environment. We owe it to our business strategy and our workforce’s health to equip our leaders with practical skills, proven resources and the confidence and license to apply both. At Approach Services, we specialise in building change leadership skills.

 

Our Leadership Academy provides blended learning pathways explicitly designed for Project Sponsors, Executives, Middle Managers and Line Leaders. Our experienced professionals guide Change Champions and Resistance Managers through every step of their journey, and our 12-month roadside assistance guarantees long-term success.

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Sam is one of the authors of The 6 Cents of Change. He's a father, a CEO, an Engineer, a trainer and a problem-solver. His work impacted Apache, Santos, MMA, and more. In his other life, he loves CrossFit and cricket. 

To learn more about us and the solutions we provide, subscribe to The 6 Cents of Change, follow us on LinkedIn or connect with us here info@approach-services.com or +61 (08) 610 20 343.

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