In This Issue
The Future is Here, Are We Ready?
Oh How Organizational Change Management Has Changed
In Your Shoes

  Exciting Change Guides News!

 

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Change Guides is happy to announce that our Change Management Certification Program has been approved as an ACMP's Qualified Education Provider™ (QEP™) Program indicating that our program aligns to ACMP's Standard for Change Management and adult education best practices.


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Summer 2015    
Greetings 
This year marks Change Guides' 10th anniversary.  Celebrating 10 great years has got us feeling a little reflective.  Personal growth, market fluctuations, advances in research, changes in demographics... they have all made the past 10 years a truly great ride. 

We have changed as people, we have changed as an organization, we have changed as a society.  We have been fortunate to work with fantastic people and organizations over the years - thanks for allowing us to grow with you, and thanks for your continued support and trust. 
  
In the articles below, we explore how the field of Change Management has evolved, as well as how the workforce is evolving over time.  We also have a spotlight on Chris Fehring from VHA in our "In Your Shoes" section.
  
We are looking forward to the next 10 years of growth and change, and we hope you are too!  Thanks again and keep in touch!     E-mail Feedback.

All the best,
Your Change Guides  
 
The Future is Here, Are We Ready?
Bob Dylan once said, "There is nothing so stable as change."  Change is all around us, impacting every aspects of business from our workforce and our technologies, to the world in which we work.

When I first joined the workforce a few decades ago, I was surprised by the number of people I met who had over 30 years of service with the same organization.  They worked traditional business hours and then left the office (and their work) behind to return home to their families.
  
Today, statistics show that younger workers have an average tenure of only 3 years of service.  And the traditional workday has given way to a world of 24/7 global connectivity where "the barriers between work and life have all but been eliminated."

The makeup of our workforce is also changing.  A 2012 Economic Intelligence Unit Study shows that by the year 2030, 50% of the workforce will be made up of contingent workers (e.g., self-employed, independent contractors, temporary workers).
  
Today, Millennials make up over half of our workforce and they have vastly different expectations than the previous generations.This changing workforce is on the receiving end of the shift in the balance of power.  With all the transparency brought about by LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and other social media, employees have greater control over navigating their careers and fulfilling their goals of finding flexibility and purpose in life.


Oh How Organizational Change Management Has Changed...
Some of the core ideas about human behavior that shape the field of Change Management have been around for over 50 years. But the field itself is relatively young. In the last 20 years, the field has grown and changed tremendously and more is yet to come.

In the mid-90's, when many of us at Change Guides were just getting our start, big consulting firms like Deloitte Consulting and Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) created Change Management methodologies for the first time. Practitioners read John Kotter and Daryl Conner (ok, so some things haven't changed) but generally, available resources were limited. There was a lot of experimentation - what works and what doesn't?

In 2005 when Change Guides formed, experimentation led to best practices and we published the first accessible methodology and toolkit focused on Change Management (The Change Management Pocket Guide, First Edition on Amazon.com). Today, ten years after the start of Change Guides, we see a different landscape in terms of demand, advocacy and available resources.


In Your Shoes
Chris Fehring
Director, Business Operations and Analytics Performance Services
VHA

Have you approached projects differently after the certification? If so, how?  

Absolutely! I have a process improvement background and use the DMAICs methodology in my approach. ChangeGuides training provided me a different perspective and tool set that has complemented my approach. Historically, I have been very tactical, focusing more on the specific improvement and impact on results. Aligning stakeholder communication and commitment along with assessing behavior changes needed for success have always been an afterthought. The ChangeGuides tools have helped me to take a more holistic approach and to consider the change needed sooner in the project. This takes more time and planning up front, but is worth the time driving better results and greater sustainability. 

What advice do you have for others trying to drive change?      

Take the necessary time to thoroughly plan the project and develop a strong communication and leadership involvement plan. Many times this will mean the difference between a successful and unsuccessful project.
In addition, be flexible to changes within your own project, and be able to recognize that tools which work for one audience may not always work for another.

What one thing has helped you the most in driving change in your organization?

What has helped me is getting leaders involved early, committed, and engaged along the way (including informal leaders). There are two tools I have found very useful: 1) The Stakeholder Analysis, among other things, helps me to identify the key leaders needed to help drive change. 2) Once the key leaders are identified, I turn to the Leadership Involvement Plan to help me organize the what and when action needed.