Change Management Training

Three essential ideas guide HRDQ's approach:

Experience

From engaging video lectures and dynamic visuals to data visualizations and interactive components, learn new skills in several ways.

Practice

Demonstrating your understanding is an important component of learning. Quizzes, open response exams, virtual environments, and other tools are available in our courses and materials.

Use

Applying what you've learned changes the way you think and what you can do in the real world—immediately use your new skills in the context of your career.

Understanding The "Change Curve"

Change—and people's reaction to it—frequently moves through a "change curve." There are four main phases that individuals go through when change occurs:

• Phase 1, Denial. When people hear about a change, they may be in denial that it is happening and they may avoid addressing it.
• Phase 2, Resistance. People may resist the change at first because it is unknown and they would prefer things to stay the same. They may not be a fan of the change. Or, they may believe things should change in an entirely different way. It’s natural to resist a sudden or large change, but unfortunately, a change at work is often necessary and employees are required to deal with it when it happens.
• Phase 3, Exploration. Exploration happens when people acknowledge their hesitant feelings and accept that the change is important and necessary—at least to the management, which is what matters. After that they realize there is nothing they can do about it, so they explore their feelings about it to discover why they don’t want it to happen.
• Phase 4, Commitment. Once the person works through their feelings and accepts the change, they can then understand and commit to it.

When change happens, there are usually feelings of heightened stress, uncertainty, upheaval, and diminished productivity. As acceptance of the change takes place, employees gain their sense of direction, learn new skills and roles, and begin to work in a new way.

Change is an Ongoing Process

Change is an ongoing process rather than just one event. There is a progressive sequence of behaviors that needs to be mastered to handle changes effectively. Negative emotions are normal and part of the change process. There are specific strategies and training materials available that employees can utilize to help with the negative behaviors and increase change mastery and personal growth.

Manage Change Effectively

Changes frequently fail due to human factors: the change's proponents fail to consider ordinary people's healthy, genuine, and predictable reactions to disruptions in their routines. One of the most essential criteria for good change management is efficient communication. As the change happens, all concerned personnel should comprehend the progress and witness the effects.

The people who are assigned the task of delegating and leading the way through times of change are generally the top executives at an organization. But that doesn't mean the rest of the staff doesn’t need to know how to navigate through different times. Ensuring that employees at every level learn how to deal with change is crucial to maintaining optimal performance.

Avoiding the "Old Ways"

Change managers must avoid regression to the previous state or status quo once the change endeavor is concluded. This is especially true when it comes to process, workflow, culture, and strategy changes inside a company. For instance, employees may revert to the "old way" of doing things if they don't have a strategy in place, especially during the transition time.

Backsliding is more difficult to achieve when reforms are embedded in the company's culture and processes. Change management activities such as new organizational structures, controls, and reward systems should all be addressed.

Analyze the Results and Evaluate the Progress

A change initiative's completion does not imply that it was successful. A "project post mortem," or assessment, can assist company executives to determine if a change endeavor was a success. It can also provide useful information and lessons that can be applied to future transformation attempts.

Achieving Success

With the proper tools, like the change management training course materials available at HRDQ, you can guide your employees through the process, understand their reactions, and find positive strategies to survive organizational change. These training materials allow both employees and change leaders to find more satisfaction and camaraderie at work in times of uncertainty.