Change Management™ Foundation

This course provides practical knowledge on Change Management techniques and the Foundation certification.

You will examine various Change Management techniques and explore which could be effectively implemented in your organization. The structured approach helps you understand how you deal with change as an individual, as a member of a team or organization, and as a leader. 

The program design explores the impact that change has on these four major areas:

• Change and the Individual
• Change and the Organization
• Communications and Stakeholder Engagement
• Change Management Practice

This course also prepares you for the APMG Change Management Foundation exam. Given that a primary course goal is to achieve the Foundation Certification, the course text will be provided in advance of the workshop so the participant may begin studying. In addition, daily homework assignments and practice exams will be provided. The Foundation-level exam is taken at the end of the third day.

Who Should Attend 

• Those wishing to achieve Change Management Foundation Certification
• Those in any role including leading, managing, or supporting the change initiative
• Those working in organizations where a change initiative is being planned or taking place

Performance Focus 

• Preparing individuals for change
• Assessing organizational change readiness and change impact
• Leading organizational change
• Engaging stakeholders for successful change
• Preparing for the Foundation exam

Prerequisites:

• Some experience with an organizational change initiative and with coursework (such as Change Agility, Organization and People Change Management, or similar workshops) is recommended 
• 8-10 hours of pre-course study
• Virtual Classroom: Approximately one hour of study between each of the virtual course sessions will be required by those who wish to pass the exam

Course Level: Intermediate/Advanced

What You Will Learn 

You’ll learn how to:

• Understand how individuals learn and why many may resist change
• Understand how to build an effective change team
• Describe the stakeholder engagement process and relate this to appropriate communication
• Understand various approaches to plan, implement, and sustain organizational change
• Understand how to assess change impact and readiness and deal with resistance
• Improve your ability to pass the APMG Change Management Foundation Certification exam

Course Overview 

Getting Started

• Introductions
• Course structure
• Course goals and objectives

Change and the Individual

• How people learn
• Personality and change – introduction to MBTI
• Models of individual change – the Change Curve and Bridges’ Transition
• Motivating individuals during change

Change and the Organization

• Understanding organizational metaphors
• Organizational culture and change
• 3 models of change – Lewin, Kotter, and Senge
• Key roles in change

Stakeholder Engagement

• Identifying and analyzing stakeholders
• Personas and empathy maps
• Influencing strategies

Communication

• Feedback and communication approaches
• Communicating change – planning, factors, and barriers
• Communication biases and channels

Change Impact

• Identifying and assessing change impact
• Stakeholder impact assessment
• Change severity assessment

Change Readiness

• Building change agent networks and the change team
• How to make the organization ready for change
• Creating a change management plan
• Dealing with resistance to change

APMG Change Management Foundation Exam Preparation

• Review of and practice with APMG sample questions and test papers

APMG Change Management Foundation Exam

• Traditional Classroom: The exam is taken and marked (provisionally) within the course

Summary and Next Steps

About the Change Management Foundation Exam

• 40 minutes, closed-book exam
• 50 multiple-choice style questions
• 25 marks required (out of 50 available) to pass – 50% pass mark

Passing the Change Management Foundation-level exam with a pass rate of 50% or higher is a prerequisite for sitting the Change Management Practitioner exam.