This year marks the 25th anniversary of the first publication of the classic Change Management Book: The Essence of Change Management. Written by noted leaders and thought leadership experts in the field of change management for more than 25 years ago, Change Management Series continues to target advanced skill development for today's leaders charged with driving successful larger scale organizational undertakings. Just as importantly, this series continues to provide leaders with a detailed synthesis of theory and practice that both identifies and addresses the most important areas and themes of study. Part two of this series will focus on tools and techniques to apply theory to real business scenarios.
The first chapter of Change Management focuses on concepts and ideas central to successful change management training. The authors explain how leaders should view change and emphasize how employees must be included in the planning process. They then describe the different types of change, review some basic information about employees, and suggest several practical exercises that facilitate discussion and debate within the organization. The final chapter considers some broader issues including goals and values and effective leadership.
The second chapter of Change Management focuses on topics relevant to the planning and execution of an organizational change. Specifically, the authors examine the relationship between an organization's transformation plan and its future state, finding that the two are indeed related. Organizational success hinges upon a good plan and the ability of its leaders to communicate it effectively. The authors then illustrate the value of a well designed plan by describing four case studies and offering several relevant tips and guidelines for successfully completing an organizational transformational process.
The third chapter of Change Management Training addresses the topic of "sellability." What makes an organization viable and appealing to employees? Although not discussed directly in the book, the authors explain that employee buy-in is critical to the success of any organizational change process, and that this can be hard to obtain. The book concludes with several recommendations for helping managers create a more reliable organizational culture.
The fourth and final chapter of Change Management Training looks at implementing change initiatives. Several factors go into developing an effective change initiative. The first chapter presents several case studies, each focusing on a particular aspect of an initiative. The authors conclude their chapter by saying that effective change management training requires a strategy and a plan of action. The use of an organizational Vision and an Action Plan will help leaders understand what exactly they want to accomplish and develop a course of action to get there.
The fifth chapter of Change Management Training looks at using surveys as part of effective change management training. Surveys allow managers to get valuable insight into what employees really want. By developing surveys that focus specifically on the desires of employees, managers can develop programs that are designed to meet the needs and desires of employees. The importance of employee engagement is well documented and understanding what motivates employees can be the difference between successful change initiatives and those that fail.
Change Management Training includes twenty-six lessons, including: leaders must set the learning objectives, provide information that is relevant to employees, provide opportunities for employees to learn new skills, create structures for learning, provide examples of making changes in the workplace, review policies, evaluate performance, provide incentives for employees to participate, set goals, develop methods for monitoring progress, and provide guidelines for dealing with employees' feedback. While this is a helpful guide, it does not offer comprehensive information about how to implement change. It does not mention specific examples of making changes in the workplace. There are eleven appendices, including a glossary of management terms and a checklist of factors to consider when determining if an initiative is appropriate. However, all of these items are largely focused on aspects related to creating change, rather than the main topic of learning objectives per se.
Change Management Training does have one significant positive aspect. It provides managers with a blueprint of how to go about managing change successfully. Although some elements may overlap with other areas of organizational management training, such as conflict resolution, there is a clear connection between the topics and the concepts taught in this manual are very valuable for managers who wish to learn how to manage change. The Manual provides information that can help managers make sense of and understand employee resistance, as well as provide strategies for addressing and dealing with employee resistance.