Workshop:
Managing the Human Side of Change
Designing and Implementing Balanced and Effective Change Strategies
Change in organizations is most often driven by rational business considerations: restructuring in the wake of a merger; reengineering to increase productivity; downsizing in the face of falling profits; expanding to accommodate rapid growth. Because the business case for change is based on logic, the model for designing and implementing the change tends to be equally rational: design a structure suitable for the new situation, fill the boxes with appropriate people, and announce the new structure.
But those who must make the new structure work are the people in the boxes. As we all know from our own experience, change is not simply a rational process; it is highly emotional as well.
This workshop provides perspectives and tools to anticipate and address the blind spots that so often undermine organizational change efforts and prevent the expected benefits which originally motivated the change. Participants learn to understand change from a variety of perspectives and to use these insights to ensure that each perspective is suitably addressed in order to realize the full benefits of the change.
Who Should Attend?
- Managers who are involved in the design of large-scale organizational change initatives.
- Managers, team leaders, supervisors, team leaders and others who are responsible for implementing change initiatives.
Optimal group size is 12-25 participants.
Workshop Objectives
By attending this workshop, participants will:
- acquire a high-level model for understanding the change process in organizations (including the human element)
- explore the psychological roots which underlie the human response to change
- know the predictable and patterned human responses to change
- understand how and why resistance to change is generated when fundamental human needs are not addressed
- explore your own attitudes toward change
- develop a change strategy which takes into account the human needs which are present during change initiatives
- learn and apply a variety of tactics to facilitate acceptance of and commitment to change
Workshop Content
Understand Organizational Change from Different Perspectives
- The structural frame
- The human resource frame
- The political frame
- The symbolic frame
Why Change Is Tough on People
- Revisiting a change you experienced
- Stages in accepting change
- Factors which accelerate or inhibit acceptance
- Guiding others through the stages
- "Moving the needle"
Communicating About Change
- Why good intentions often produce bad results
- What to remember and what to avoid
- Dealing with tough questions
Individual Responses to Change
- Identifying your own style
- How your style affects the way you manage change
- Developing a strategy that covers diverse styles
Preparing for Change
- Building organizational resilience
- Taking care of yourself
- Handling multiple waves of change
Applying New Learning
- Where and how
- Peer consultation
- Action plannning
Workshop Details
Duration: One day.
Learning methodologies: Exercises, case studies, plenary discussion, small group discussion, structured activities and peer consultation supplemented by brief presentations.