Reflections on Recent Change Management Training: Fresh Insights and Key Reminders

There’s been a lot of talk at the University around Change Management particularly at a strategic level. The Association for Project Management (APM) defines Change Management as “the overarching approach taken in an organisation to move from the current to a future desirable state using a coordinated and structured approach in collaboration with stakeholders.” In practical terms it’s how can we make sure that the people, technology, processes and structures are prepared to not just adopt but to make best use of projects outputs.

For our large LTW projects we’ve been adopting change management techniques, such as early adopters and co-design, for a while and these stakeholder engagement techniques have proved successful on projects such as Lecture Recording, Learn Ultra and the Short Courses Platform. Rather than relying on these approaches continuing to work we wanted to refresh and expand our change management knowledge and recently last month four of us spent a week doing just that and had to sit not one, but two exams (thankfully we all passed both!).

Lee-Ann’s reflection

On a daily basis, change management is at the heart of what we do and to take time out of our ‘day job’ to attend a dedicated change management training course felt quite alien to me, especially given this should be my bread and butter but what actually happened was, I came away from the course (and both exams) feeling confident with some new found enthusiasm for how I can help drive successful change more effectively within our projects and programmes.

Here are some insights from the course:

The VUCA framework: The world we live and work in is ever changing so why would that not translate across to the work that we deliver? The VUCA framework (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity) helps change managers understand the current state of the nation so rather than assuming each project and programme builds on the same foundations within the business, this helps us to unpick and identify the foundations required to successfully deliver change.

The Change Curve: This was a really helpful and timely reminder that change can be scary and not everyone experiences change at the same pace or in the same way. Having understanding and empathy for those going through the change is at the heart of every successful change initiative.

Communications and Transparency: Driving change at any level can be difficult as people can inherently fear change but bringing colleagues on the journey with you can significantly reduce that fear and help move them along the change curve. Being transparent and having the right communications approach are not only key, but vital to successful change initiatives.

My main takeaway though, is that whilst we might think we know how to do our jobs effectively, taking time out to invest in yourself (even if it is to cover material you think you already know) can make you re-evaluate and think about how you do things, for the better. I’ve come away from this course with a different mindset from the one I had going into it and I hope that this will drive me to being a more effective and supportive colleague when managing change.

Colin’s reflection 

I agree with Lee-Ann’s sentiments above. This course felt like an investment that will bear fruit.

Where projects are about the tasks to make the change happen, change management is about people. People’s values, people’s value and the different ways that change affects us all. There are very prominent examples of change being communicated badly in the wider world. Company executives proudly stating that ‘low value human capital‘ jobs will be replaced by AI springs to mind. Luckily, we don’t see that kind of sentiment within the university, however we do deal with substantial amounts of change. It feels timely to be on a course that refreshes change management skills, newly embeds well researched methods and keeps how we value colleagues as a core theme.  

We consumed a LOT of theories across the week. All with merit. In the following two examples Rosabeth Kantar in the end reminds us that the past can be celebrated and David Rock puts forward a neuroscience model on understanding our social behaviours.  

Kanter’s common reasons for resistance: Kanter reminds us that change can be a surprise. Maybe it is perceived as unfair and can hurt. Questions can be asked such as has it been worked through with competence and have all the ripple effects been considered? Finally, was the previous state really that awful? To counter these reasons for resistance your strategies should examine the following. Always keep people informed. Be honest, transparent, fast, and fair. Use abundant information, education, mentors, and support systems. Ensure a large circle of stakeholders. Plus make sure to celebrate the elements of the past that should be celebrated.

Rock’s SCARF model for understanding human behavior: This outlines five key domains that influence how we react to others in social settings (such as workplaces), which trigger either defensive “threat” or receptive “reward” responses in the brain. The five key domains are status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness and fairness. Your status is your value, where you are in the pecking order. Then what certainty you have in the future. Autonomy, your control over events. Relatedness is safety and belonging. Then fairness is about the perception of being treated justly, equitably, and with respect.

One other reflection. This course could’ve been done online and may have been in larger groups. We were fortunate though to be completing the course in a small group, with trusted colleagues, in a face-to-face setting. An ideal situation. The tutor did a great job across a fast-paced week. We felt as prepared as we could be for both exams. An enjoyable and rewarding training week.  

Nikki’s reflection

Like Lee-Ann and Colin, I’m not new to managing change but this course reminded me of why we invest so much effort in engaging the people impacted by our projects. It also gave me new perspectives and techniques to help improve the adoption of future changes.

These types of project/change management training courses typically cover extensive theory and good practices, with some time dedicated to reflecting on real-life scenarios where these concepts may be applied effectively. The real value of the course will be when we use the techniques to improve the adoption of future changes but for now these areas of the course felt most useful to me;

Review the full impact of the change: It’s not always obvious what impacts of the change will be or where there may be resistance so using techniques such as McKinsey 7-S Framework can help guide your thinking when planning change activities. The 7-S refer to Strategy, Structure, Systems, Shared values, Skills, Staff and Style and the suggestion is that organisations will only deliver sustained change when each of these are optimised. To use the 7-S framework for change management you first consider what the current state of each of the S’s are, then create a vision for what we want each to look like after the change. The remaining steps involve identifying the gaps between the current and desired states, determining changes activities/actions needed to address these gaps, implementing these activities, and monitoring their impact and of course making adjustments as necessary.

Driving and Resisting forces: Lewin’s Force Field Analysis suggests that there are always driving and restraining forces to change. Identifying which are the greatest forces can help a change manager focus on where to spend effort but it’s not enough to just strength the driving forces and effort should always be spent on minimising the resistance to smooth acceptance of the change. The driving and resisting forces can change over time and work against each other. Its therefore important to keep an eye on the balance of forces with the aim of keeping driving forces stronger than any resisting forces and adapt change management plans and effort if required.

The fourth member of our group was Ellen who not only aced two exams did so in her second language and while nine months pregnant. She’s off managing her own family changes now but was equally positive about the course and how she will apply the learning.