The Change Management Foundation and Practitioner course gives delegates the opportunity to comprehensively explore current thinking on how to manage organisation change. Classroom sessions will introduce delegates to the foundation and practitioner level content of The Effective Change Manager's Handbook and provide an opportunity to test their understanding through practical group work and the use of sample examination papers. Additional evening work will be required in the form of consolidation reading and further sample examination questions. The evening work is an integral part of the course and delegates should expect to spend approximately two and half hours on these activities each evening.
The course will cover the following syllabus areas:
Change and the organisation
Defining change
Organisations are exposed to wide variety of factors which they need to respond to in order to survive and prosper. Delegates will consider:
Why their organisations need to change and the implications for this on the design of the change programme
Change, the organisation and the individual
A change management perspective
Successful change typically involves careful design and delivery of new products, services or processes. However the same care and attention is also needed for the 'people' element of any change. Delegates will consider:
- The impact of change on the individual and what implications this has when planning change.
- How different organisational cultures can affect the change experience
- What frameworks are available to support the creation of a 'people focused' change management plan
- Key roles in supporting successful change
Education and learning support
Change usually involves people learning new ways of working. Effective change management recognises this and incorporates learning and development into the change management plan. Delegates will consider:
- The process of learning
- Identifying and meeting learning needs
- The implications of 'learning styles' when designing learning interventions
Communications and stakeholder engagement
Stakeholder strategy
Change agents need to understand who will be affected by the change so that their requirements can be taken into account while minimising disruption to current operational performance. Delegates will learn how to:
- Identify and analyse stakeholders
- Develop effective influencing strategies
Communication and engagement
Effective communications are fundamental to any successful change. Delegates will consider:
- The theory of effective communications
- The use of different communication channels
- How to develop a communications plan
- How to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the communications
Change management in practice
Change impact
Change does not occur in isolation. Change agents will need to manage the relationship between the change journey, business continuity and successfully embedding the change. Delegates will be shown:
Tools that help assess the wider impacts of the change and so ensure a comprehensive change management plan is developed
Change readiness, planning and measurement
Even if an organisation is effective today, change is likely to be heading its way. Successful organisations start planning for change long before it becomes a necessity. Delegates will learn how to:
- Build motivation to change
- Build organisational readiness for change
- Prepare for resistance
Personal and professional management
One individual is unlikely to be able to undertake all the activities to support successful change. Typically teams will be involved in supporting and shaping the change. Delegates will consider how to:
Project management: change initiatives, projects and programmes (practitioner level material)
Change agents will need to decide on the delivery mechanisms for change. Delegates will consider:
- What governance structures to put in place
- How different project management methodologies might impact on the management of change
Facilitation (practitioner level material)
Change agents will frequently be helping others to 'find answers' to difficult business problems. Delegates will consider:
Sustaining change (practitioner level material)
After all the hard work how can we ensure that the change 'sticks'. Delegates will consider:
Change Management Examinations
The Foundation examination is:
- Externally accredited by the APMG
- 40 minutes
- Closed book
- Multiple-choice (with 50 questions and a pass mark of 25/50)
The Foundation examination is taken on the afternoon of day 3 of the course.
The Practitioner examination is:
- 2.5 hours
- Partial open book (The Effective Change Manager Handbook may be used)
- Objective text i.e. complex multiple-choice
- Covers 4 syllabus areas including the Foundation level material
- 80 marks available and a 40/80 pass mark
The Practitioner examination is taken on the afternoon of day 5 of the course.
Delegates will be provided with sample examination papers so they can text their understanding of the course material and prepare for the examinations.
Related Training Courses
- PRINCE2 Foundation and Practitioner (Project management to build capability to support change)
- Managing Successful Programmes (Planning capability delivery while integrating the change management work)
