Leading Change

Who will benefit: Managers, Leaders and Supervisors

Objectives

Appreciate the reasons for change. Describe how to plan the involvement of the team in the changes required. Demonstrate how to present a persuasive case for change. Understand how individual attitudes affect people’s response to change. List techniques to reduce resistance to change. Plan how to create a positive environment for change. Demonstrate the importance of clear communication.

Course Outline

• Organizational Change: confirming the need for change; the changing business environment; importance of managing change; types of organizational change; communication; motivation and leadership; the innovative role of management; change initiatives; who makes it happen?

• Individual Responses to Change: perceptions and attitudes; recognising the personal impact that change can have; dealing with resistance; why people accept or resist change; factors affecting performance.

• Effective and Ineffective Change Strategies: links to organizations’ strategies; approaches that have been tried in other organizations; analysis of success criteria; major pitfalls.

• Creating a Positive Climate for Change: communicating intentions; dealing with uncertainty; questioning and listening techniques; the need for leadership focus.

• Participative Techniques: structuring expectations; gaining acceptance; identifying situations where participative techniques are most appropriate; strategies for handling varying attitudes to change; force field analysis.

• Creating an Empowered Climate: building trust and giving support; developing empathy; encouraging open and constructive confrontation; maintaining task achievement; gaining commitment to change.

• Communicating confidently: what and how to communicate; practicing the strategy chosen; questioning techniques.

• Consolidation and Follow-Up: benefits to be achieved; understand why change fails; how change is monitored; how to extend change to its full scope; giving praise and recognition.

• Action Plan: anticipating future changes; participants plan and discuss what they will do on return to work.