This may be the most important skill for Digital Transformation or to implement any change

The quote I see about change management is from the book “The Prince” (originally in Italian) by Niccolo Machiavelli, considered by many as the father of modern political science

… there is nothing more difficult and dangerous, or more doubtful of success, than an attempt to introduce a new order of things…

Research has shown that major transformational change has only a 30% chance of meeting all or most of the results expected.

Machiavelli adds that

Hence it is that, whenever the opponents of the new order of things have the opportunity to attack it, they will do it with the zeal of partisans, whilst the others defend it but feebly, so that it is dangerous to rely upon the latter.

Implementing innovative solutions is hard work, and it requires strong collaboration and broad consensus building, not only with direct partners and supporters, but also amongst perceived competitors.[1]

[2] Machiavelli directly addresses three core principles of successful change management:

1) Change is a process – Change is not an announcement or an event, it is a process. As he points out, it is difficult for people to put their faith in something that they have not experienced. This is why it is critical to have active and visible sponsorship throughout the change. More than one change has found itself floundering because the sponsors observed substantial progress and moved on to the next issue trusting in ‘momentum’ to carry it the rest of the way. The reality is that as soon as the sponsors lose visibility, the momentum shifts to the defenders of the old way and hard-earned gains are soon lost.

2) Expect resistance – Major change alters power structures, shifts responsibilities, and crosses organizational boundaries, which affects real people with real influence. These real people get their real influence from the existing power structures, responsibilities and organizational roles. Therefore, it is dangerous to underestimate the power of the desire to hold onto the current state. Machiavelli provided this observation as a reminder that people tend to work in their own self-interest and that the fear of losing something is generally stronger than the hope of gaining something. In other words, don’t waste energy wondering why people are resisting and focus your efforts on leading through the resistance.

3) Build support – Left to their own devices, those with power in the old system will actively (though not always visibly) defend the current state and those who will benefit the most from the new system will tend to be more passive in their support. In writing “The Prince”, Machiavelli hoped to provide the reader with an understanding of the challenges that lay ahead so that they may be better prepared. Therefore it is a critical role of the sponsor to work at closing the gap by reducing resistance from the first group and building support from the second.

I’m not sure what the success rate was in the 16th century, but I would venture to guess that the statement “…there is nothing more difficult or dangerous…” is a good indication that it was low even then. While some of Machiavelli’s other advice belongs in the Change Agent ‘Wall of Shame’ category, his observation of the nature, danger, and challenge of change is as true today as when it was written 479 years ago. Effective leadership is critical to successful change and requires active sponsorship throughout the change, expecting and managing resistance, and building support. Just ask Nick.his statement says that those who oppose a change will fight it with all they have, while those who support a change will do so without enthusiasm. As a result, leaders must take additional measures to ensure changes are adopted.

Several certifications are offered around change management training:

Certifications specifically about change mangement

• $213 Certified Problem and Change Manager (CPCM) by the Global Association for Quality Management (GAQM), focuses specifically on identifying and fixing problems in an organization - those working with development processes or overseeing product life cycles. It covers identifying areas for change, implementing that change, encouraging employee buy-in, and creating resilient strategies. It’s based on EU’s e-Competency Framework organized around macro processes PLAN – BUILD – RUN – ENABLE – MANAGE.

  Pass 70% of 40 questions in 1 hour online by ProctorU. Closed book. Valid for life.

• DevOps

• $300 Change Management Specialist (CMS) from MSI (Management and Strategy Institute) is 2-hour online and includes self-paced online training materials that cover basic change management principles.

  “The importance of effective Change Management can’t be understated. Positive changes to a business can help it be more efficient, less wasteful, and more productive. Organizational change management is essentially a wide-scale plan that aims to increase individual and organizational effectiveness by making use of behavioral science technology. The purpose of this is to reduce the chances of negative fallout in a business and to put more emphasis on the “people side” of how an organization can change.

• $340 Organizational Change Management Foundation (among other certifications administered by APGM-International) based a 2015 Body of Knowledge (CMBoK) by the Change Management Institute who wrote the “Effective Change Manager’s Handbook”.

  The exam focuses on the key skills for change management, including motivating employees, engaging stakeholders, assembling teams, and delivering on effective change strategies.

• The Practitioner level exam is designed for change project managers, transformation managers, senior responsible owners, business change managers, and change program managers.

• $390 Certified Local Change Agent (CCLA) is administered by APGM for leaders and staff after a 2-day class. Open book pass 50% of 40 questions over 45 minutes.

  The Certified Local Change Agent certification from APGM International is designed for those who are in a supporting role during organizational transformation. It’s aimed at those who need to understand the fundamentals and principles of change management, and who are responsible with assisting the organization during times of change. This includes team leaders, supervisors, junior and senior managers, nonmanagerial staff, and anyone who wants a better idea of what change management entails. The exam covers approaches to helping others engage with organizational change, aligning changes with departmental or organizational changes, developing change plans, and creating relationships between change professionals in the organization.

• $595 for members of the Association of Change Management Professions (ACMP) is the Certified Change Management Professional (CCMP) of an essay plus 150 multiple-choice questions over 3 hours taken through Kryteriononline.com after 21 hours of training based on ACMP’s Standard for Change Management© VIDEO. $300 for a retake.

  The 2019 Edition of the 79-page Standard defines best practices and ethics in change management based on an extensive Practice Analysis Study, which investigated leading practices in change management with professionals around the world. It references ISO 21500:2012(E) Guidance on projectmanagement:

  

• $3,100 AIM Change Management Professional (ACMP) certification is obtained after a 3-day training (virtual or on-site) by consultant Don Harrison. “it’s a day longer than most, because there is so much to know — including how to manage leaders and how to deal with the power and politics of change”.

  Accelerating Implementation Methodology (AIM) focuses on the human side of risk; rather than look at how technology or software fails us, it encourages leaders to strengthen processes that involve employees, given that human-error is one of the biggest risks for failure. The certification is targeted at human resources, organizational development, IT, and business and clinical leaders, as well as project managers.

• The Prosci Certified Change Practioner certification program costs $4,850 for 3-days on-site or $4,500 virtually to learn their ADKAR model for individual change developed in the 90s by Prosci founder Jeff Hiatt after studying the change patterns of more than 700 organizations:

  1. Awareness of the need for change
  2. Desire to participate and support the change
  3. Knowledge on how to change
  4. Ability to implement desired skills and behaviors
  5. Reinforcement to sustain the change

  The Prosci Process for organizational change has 3 phases:

  1. Prepare Approach - deliverable Change Management Strategy establishes the approach needed to deliver desired project outcomes.
     • Define Success - What are we trying to achieve
     • Define Impact - Who has to do their jobs differently and how?
     • Define Approach - What will it take to achieve success?
  2. Manage Change - deliverable Master Change Management Plan consolidates individual plans and serves as the guiding document for the change management team.
     • Plan and Act - What wil we do to prepare, eqipt, and support people?
     • Track Performance - How are we doing?
     • Adapt Actions - What adjustments do we need to make?
  3. Sustain Outcomes - the deliverable Change Management Closeout documents the change performance status, plus prepares the organization to own and sustain change outcomes.
     • Review Performance - Where are we? Are we done yet?
     • Activate Sustainment - What is needed to ensure the change sticks?
     • Transfer Ownership - Who will assume ownership and sustain outcomes?

• $1,495 for members of The Association for Talent Development (ATD) for the ATD Change Management Certificate trains HR/learning professionals on how to improve efficiency, productivity, and service quality. The (six-session over 12 hours, online or 2 days in person) covers: implementing change processes, change management tools, qualities of a change leader, and how to encourage the organization to embrace change. Learn how to conduct diagnostic assessments, define change efforts, analyze data, provide feedback, understand change management theories, select the right change model, create implementation designs, develop communication plans, and manage any consequences of change.

• $525, discounted to $450 with CMI-endorsed training, for a Foudational Change Management Institute Certification (CMI) based on the institute’s Change Manager Competency Model. The foundation level requires a written application providing your capabilities and competencies, along with a reference from a manager who has “directly observed your behavior in a change management role.” You’ll also need to complete relevant change management education, either through a CMI-endorsed course or one that aligns with the Change Management Body of Knowledge (CMBoK).

  The $675 specialist level requires 3-6 years of experience operating at the project or program level as evidenced by a written assessment that provides evidence of your skills, backed up with references from those who have observed your abilities, and you’ll need to complete a virtual interview with an independent assessor.

  The $1,050 master level accreditation is for “highly experienced, senior change practitioners to stand out from their peers as leaders in the profession,” and is best suited for those with more than 7 years’ experience.

Certifications with a change management component:

https://www.cio.com/article/228204/pmp-project-management-certification-guide.html

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References

[1] https://www.lce.com/Niccolo-Machiavelli-Change-Agent-1272.html

[2] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/machiavelli-change-innovation-guido-stroemer/

[3] https://www.cio.com/article/221699/7-change-management-certifications-to-boost-your-it-career.html

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Change Management (for IT) was published on August 20, 2022.