COURSE OVERVIEW:

Change is a fundamental part of every company and is how businesses grow and evolve to be more successful. It is important for those who implement change to move the process along efficiently. Effectively enacting change management can help employees achieve a common goal and boost the advancement of a company as a whole. Most change management implementations focus on how employees accept and adapt to a new way of doing things. Whether the change is simple or complex, the primary aim is to ensure the implementation moves the organisation closer to its objectives.

No organisation can afford to stand still. There are always new challenges to meet, and better ways of doing things. However, every change you need to make should be planned and implemented with care, otherwise it could end up doing more harm than good!

That's where change management comes in. It's a structured approach that ensures changes are implemented thoroughly and smoothly – and have the desired impact.

Change management is defined as the methods and manners in which a company describes and implements change within both its internal and external processes. This includes preparing and supporting employees, establishing the necessary steps for change, and monitoring pre- and post-change activities to ensure successful implementation.

Significant organisational change can be challenging. It often requires many levels of cooperation and may involve different independent entities within an organisation. Developing a structured approach to change is critical to help ensure a beneficial transition while mitigating disruption.

Changes usually fail for human reasons: the promoters of the change did not attend to the healthy, real and predictable reactions of normal people to disturbance of their routines. Effective communication is one of the most important success factors for effective change management. All involved individuals must understand the progress through the various stages and see results as the change cascades.

This course looks at change management from the perspective both of the organisation and of the individual manager.

The first part begins by explaining what is change and why we need to change. Then explains how change affects organisations. Then looks at the skills and competencies needed to manage periods of transformational change. Then explores how change management differs from the operational management of an organisation. Then looks at the key management characteristics required in changing organisations.

The second part begins by looking at types of change and external, internal and proactive triggers for change. Then focuses on the external and internal environments for change. Then explores the strategic and external environment and the link between strategic planning, change management and environmental analysis. Then examines some of the theories associated with diagnosing change situations and the characteristics of each stage of the evolutionary cycle of competitive behaviour.

The third part begins by discussing the process for change, presenting recommendations and gaining approval for change. Then explains how strategic choices are made and proposals are evaluated within an organisation. Then investigates how organisations make the movement from the current to the future state. Then looks at the ‘Three Step Model’ developed by Lewin (1952) based on unfreezing the organisation, moving and sustaining the change.

The fourth part begins by discussing the willingness of individuals and the organisation as a whole to change. Then looks at how you can change perceptions, how the coping cycle illustrates patterns of behaviour and how force field analysis can help you understand individual reactions to change. Then discusses some of the threads about organisational culture and investigates the nature of an organisation’s culture in more depth.

The fifth part begins by examining the ways we can move from the launch of a change program through styles of management appropriate for a change environment to the creation of an organisational culture that thrives on change. Then explores the ways of tailoring the management of the change program to the needs of different groups. Finally, looks at the dynamics of the ways in which organisations change.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

·       The process of change management

·       Explore how your organisation’s current culture and practices are the product of its past

·       Research trends within your industry

·       Assess the key competencies for change management and contrast these competencies with those required at other times

·       Identify the key functions of the change manager

·       Differentiate between managers and leaders

·       Explain what is meant by continuous improvement

·       Distinguish between different types of change and identify suitable responses

·       Identify the three stages of strategic planning

·       Use the PESTLE analysis to identify external triggers for change

·       Understand the characteristics of the evolutionary cycle

·       Prepare an analysis of the current and future environment of the industry in which your organisation operates

·       Evaluate what needs to change if your organisation is to compete in this new environment

·       Identify the leading indicators for divergence or convergence

·       Generate possible alternative strategies for change and formulate recommendations as to which is the best alternative

·       Develop the change strategy

·       Describe the importance of the way in which approval is gained to later stages of the program implementation

·       Understand how organisations make the movement from the current to the future state

·       Develop ways of involving others and gaining their commitment to change

·       Evaluate how to deliver each of Lewin’s three stages of change in the context of your own organisation

·       Evaluate the barriers to change represented by the attitudes of individuals

·       Understand how the coping cycle for the individual is an important element of any change management process

·       Understand the force field of factors influencing individual change

·       Design strategies for reinforcing the forces for change and overcoming those barriers

·       Analyse characteristics of your organisation’s current culture

·       Define the key characteristics of a desired future culture

·       Identify possible launch strategies

·       Consider how different styles of managing change may be appropriate in different contexts

·       Understand the advantages and disadvantages of the different management styles

·       Evaluate different approaches for different target groups within an organisation

·       Understand Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

·       Understand the simplified process of project evolution

·       Explore the importance of organisational dynamics in the change process and how to sustain a culture of change for the future

·       Analyse the characteristics of static and evolutionary change

COURSE DURATION:

The typical duration of this course is approximately 3-4 hours to complete. Your enrolment is Valid for 12 Months. Start anytime and study at your own pace.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

You must have access to a computer or any mobile device with Adobe Acrobat Reader (free PDF Viewer) installed, to complete this course.

COURSE DELIVERY:

Purchase and download course content.

ASSESSMENT:

A simple 10-question true or false quiz with Unlimited Submission Attempts.

CERTIFICATION:

Upon course completion, you will receive a customised digital “Certificate of Completion”.