Hello,

I am looking for change management workshops for individual contributors. The goal is to help individuals adjust to change and the stress that may come with it. There are lots of managing change topics but would like suggestions on those that work and aren't real touchy-feely.

Thanks!
-Suzanne.

What makes this so challenging is that everyone responds differently to change, and at a different pace . . . I've seen and used everything from "Who Moved My Cheese?" to a complete change management methodology that can be practiced at the organization planning level (which actually provides a certification program for practitioners).

Are you looking for something that will make individuals more receptive to changes in general? And if so, what is the performance goal that you hoping to attain? Or is there a specific change initiative that you need to support? That info would help me to understand what kind of solution may work best.

SuzanneL,

So much of what we often attempt to do in a workshop is to overcome the resistance to a new order of things....a change. Unfortunately, it is too late. No learning experience can remove the bitter taste left by a change imposed upon others without their involvement.

You might want to look for ways to include those effected by change in the planning process itself. Certainly not a new or even very profound thought...but one which is constantly by-passed under the heading of "we don't have time."
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"....we cannot talk people into reality because there truly is no reality to describe if they haven't been there. People can only become aware of the reality of the plan by interacting with it, by creating different possibilities through their personal processes of observation.”

Meg Wheatley
Leadership and the New Science
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The full quote from Meg Wheatley may be found at
www.salonverite.com/MegWheatleyQuote.pdf

Managing the "Change Process" means managing
stress that goes along with any change.
Before looking for programs ask: What happened the last time we changed or (tried to) anything around here? How did the stress manifest itself and where/who did it emerge from and WHY?
Before any change program it is always useful to ask. Suppose if we did nothing? Are we doing more harm than good? What is the best outcome can we hope ?
Until about 10 years ago stress in change has been overlooked and unappreciated in its influence.

Nero

Where you can help people the most is providing them with some skills and tools to help them manage the "transition period" from the time the change is introduced to when it is implemented. If you have waited until implementation time it is too late they have either engaged or disengaged. I can provide further information if your people are in the transition period or are about to enter the transition period, let me know if this is the case.