January 30, 2019
ADKAR, Agile, Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), Continuous Improvement, Corporate Training, Digital Transformation, Infographic, Innovation, IT Modernization, KAI Partners, KAIP Academy, Learning, Organizational Change Management (OCM), Project Management, Project Management Professional (PMP), Prosci, Public Sector, Sacramento, Scrum, Technology, Training, Waterfall
November 14, 2017
ADKAR, Best Practices, KAIP Academy, Learning, Managing/Leadership, Organizational Change Management (OCM), Prosci, Training
By Elizabeth Long
Having a certification like Prosci is valuable in terms of provide knowledge and framework around the Prosci ADKAR® Model. It’s also a great way to show your credibility as a practitioner of change management.
While the certification provides a good foundation—and is something I recommend my fellow change managers think about obtaining themselves—much of the work happens when you get onsite and observe and evaluate the organization with which you’re working.
I’ve seen my share of people come in to an organization with various degrees and certifications and while they can provide a lot of strategic or academic talk, their ability to recommend and implement the tactics is lacking.
If you simply take the methodologies and apply them in a cookie-cutter way, your chances of change management success are slim. Every organization or client is different. The people differ, the company culture differs—you need to be able to take these always-different environments and connect with people on a human level. That is when the action really happens.
So, with certification in hand, how do you integration that human connection into your work, so that people feel connected and valued (i.e., open to change?) Here are some of my best practices:
As you begin applying your Prosci certification in your work, remember that it is a guideline—the desire to change and understanding the people you’re working with goes beyond methods and is all about understanding the real-world application.
About the Author: Elizabeth Long is a professional Organization Development Consultant and Curriculum Developer/Trainer. She received her Certification in Organizational Change Management from Prosci and is certified in e-learning development from Langevine Learning Center. Elizabeth has worked in many industries: High tech, healthcare, and state and local government. Currently, Elizabeth works as an Executive Consultant with KAI Partners, Inc. as a contractor working in a variety of California State Departments. Elizabeth has lived in Sacramento for the past 17 years and appreciates the history of Sacramento as well as its convenience to many well-known destinations like San Francisco, Tahoe, and Reno.
July 24, 2017
ADKAR, Best Practices, Communications, Organizational Change Management (OCM), Prosci, VUCA
By Debbie Blagsvedt, Prosci, CSM, LSSGB
I recently attended an Association of Talent Management Development (ATD) seminar on Change Management Strategies, as well as a Training Magazine Network webinar called “Leading with Emotional Intelligence (EQ) in the New Workplace.” In both of these seminars, VUCA was mentioned.
VUCA—an acronym for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity—seems to accurately define the world in which we currently live and work. Working in a VUCA environment, combined with the need to quickly and efficiently adapt to rapid-fire change, is forever a part of today’s organizational culture.
A friend of mine—who has recently taken up running half marathons as a hobby—shared with me how Usain Bolt, the world-renowned Jamaican sprinter, became the 21st athlete to break the world record for the 100m sprint over the last decade. While the 100m record was broken merely four times from 1900 to 1950, the same record was shattered 17 times in the following 50 years!
You may ask, what does shattering world records have to do with VUCA in the workplace? Research shows that the time span between the launch of a new product and its extinction from the market is decreasing every year. This results in shorter lifespans of companies, a constant overhauling of ways of working, and disruption and change brought about by technology and customer demands. The effects of these changes across the globe happen at lightning speed, and all with VUCA at their core!
In the workplace, the churning of change running constantly in the forefront can result in change fatigue, employees face down, with their noses to the grindstone. Add to that the tension, fear, and a grappling within ourselves as to whether we have the competence and the confidence to take on this new world. The result is oftentimes employees waiting for the latest trend to blow over so they can get back to what they were used to doing.
Unfortunately, that approach doesn’t work well in today’s work environments. After contemplating VUCA and its relationship with change and the topic of “Leading with EQ,” here are some ideas that hopefully will help you ride the VUCA storm:
These are just a few ways to adapt your leadership or personal development for the rollercoaster that is VUCA. How do you manage change in your workplace?
About the Author: Debbie Blagsvedt is an Organizational Change Consultant with over 25 years’ experience in change management, performance management, process improvement, training, and facilitation. She has a worked in both the private, public, and non-profit sectors in industries that include health, legal, financial, social services, high tech, and transportation. She currently works as an Organizational Change Consultant with KAI Partners on assignment with a child welfare services agency. Debbie is passionate about collaboration among teams which she believes leads to high employee satisfaction and is equally fascinated with the rapid-fire speed of change and what it means for organizations today. Debbie grew up in the bay area but now considers Sacramento her home. She has many interests from home projects to wine tasting, volunteering, witnessing the changing face of Sacramento, and going on new adventures with her family and friends. Not to mention nightly walks and occasional mountain hikes with her dog, Emmett.
January 17, 2017
ADKAR, Best Practices, Communications, Dale Carnegie, Kotter, Organizational Change Management (OCM), Prosci
By Stephen Alfano
Undoubtedly, 2017 will usher in both expected and unexpected change. If you happen to be an organizational change management (OCM) and communications consultant, like me, embracing change is both a life philosophy and a business strategy. In my world, change management is resolution and revolution all rolled up into one. For some people, though, managing change may not be so easy. When faced with impending change, the only rational way to reach your goals and objectives is to embrace that change.
To help you prepare for change both this year and in the future, I am sharing with you three proven approaches to embracing change. Any of these approaches should help you—and your clients, colleagues, and teammates—stay in sync during times of change:
For more information on the Prosci ADKAR® Model, visit www.prosci.com
Prosci and ADKAR are trademarks of Prosci, Inc., registered in the US and other countries
© Prosci Inc. All rights reserved.
Step 1: Establish a Motivation for Change
Step 2: Analyze the Situation
Step 3: Plan the Direction
Step 4: Implement the Change
Step 5: Review the Direction
Step 6: Adopt or Adjust
For more information on the Dale Carnegie Training Change Model, visit http://www.dalecarnegie.com/
Copyright © 2011 Dale Carnegie & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.
Step 1: Create a Sense of Urgency … Craft and use a significant opportunity as a means for exciting people to sign up to change their organization.
Step 2: Build a Guiding Coalition … Assemble a group with the power and energy to lead and support a collaborative change effort.
Step 3: Form a Strategic Vision and Initiatives … Shape a vision to help steer the change effort and develop strategic initiatives to achieve that vision.
Step 4: Enlist a Volunteer Army … Raise a large force of people who are ready, willing and urgent to drive change.
Step 5: Enable Action by Removing Barriers … Remove obstacles to change, change systems or structures that pose threats to the achievement of the vision.
Step 6: Generate Short-Term Wins … Consistently produce, track, evaluate, and celebrate volumes of small and large accomplishments – and correlate them to results.
Step 7: Sustain Acceleration … Use increasing credibility to change systems, structures, and policies that don’t align with the vision; hire, promote and develop employees who can implement the vision; reinvigorate the process with new projects, themes and volunteers.
Step 8: Institute Change … Articulate the connections between the new behaviors and organizational success, and develop the means to ensure leadership development and succession.
For more information on the Kotter’s 8-Step Process for Leading Change, visit http://www.kotterinternational.com/the-8-step-process-for-leading-change/
©Copyright 2017 Kotter International
In spite of the transitions and disruptions that you may face, change can be managed effectively, if not relatively painlessly. Take a look at these three change management approaches to determine which one may work best for you. And, be sure to share your favorite change management best practices in the comments!
About the Author: Stephen Alfano is an Organizational Development Consultant and Communications Expert. He has over 25 years of experience leading and managing internal and external marketing initiatives for both private and government sector clients. His résumé includes providing both new business and business process improvement services to Apple, American Express, AT&T, California Department of Transportation, Chevron, Entergy, Levi Strauss & Co., Louisiana Office of Tourism, Mattel, Microsoft, Novell, SONY, Sutter Health, and Wells Fargo. Stephen currently works as an Executive Consultant with KAI Partners, Inc., providing change management and communications expertise and support services to California State Departments and nonprofit organizations.