My change management certification experience
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Prosci began offering open-enrollment change management
certification programs in October of 2003. Since then, we
have delivered over 80 of these sessions - with 18 alone in
the first half of 2008. We are constantly striving to
receive "this is the best training program I've ever been
to" as the feedback from each and every session. This
tutorial presents a "journal" style account of the three day
certification program. Find out more about earning your
change management certification.
Monday – 2:00 PM – getting off the plane
 So, I was assigned “Change Management Lead” on our new
Alpha project. I don’t even know what change management
really means/what a change manager is expected to do. After
researching on the internet and talking to some colleagues,
I decided to go to the Prosci Change Management
certification program. I called in, got signed up and
received my “preparation/pre-course packet” within a few
days…
I’ve read the ADKAR book – very impactful. As I was
reading through it, I realized that ADKAR could become a way
of life for me personally, as well as professionally.
Monday – 5:00 PM – arriving at Peaceful Valley
After a short flight to Denver, I climbed into the
shuttle for a beautiful, climbing drive through the Rocky
Mountains. As we pulled into Peaceful Valley guest ranch, I
was struck by the, well, utter peacefulness of the place.
Horses fed lazily in the late afternoon sun and a cowboy in
a 10-gallon hat waved a greeting as he loped past. I felt a
little hitch in my breath, due to the altitude, as I climbed
out and inhaled the fresh, mountain air. Now, to check in…
Peaceful Valley Ranch
Monday – 10:00 PM – heading to bed
Our first dinner was a lot of fun! We had a hearty meal,
not your usual “cowboy fare”, and went around with
introductions. This ought to be a great group. We have
participants from all different countries and cultures.
Should be fun getting to know each other around the fire and
the promised “marshmallow roasting” tomorrow night.
Tuesday – 12:00 PM
Slept like a baby last night – must be that fresh
mountain air and the sound of the stream right outside my
window. Class so far this morning has been very interesting.
Our instructor seems to have a real handle on this CM
methodology, peppering the learning with a great sense of
humor that keeps us on our toes! He said it would be like
being “fed with a water hose” and it’s true – but I already
feel like I’m building a foundation for the change
management work I’ve been assigned to do. The morning really
gave me some food for thought about why change management
is important to my project and my company. When we were reviewing the ROI of
change management model, I couldn’t help but think about
Project Beta that we had to scrap last year – now I know
why! I’m thinking about sharing the “why change management”
work with my director when I get back, and there is a great
presentation on the online tool I can use when I get home -
the Change
Management Pilot - for making the case for change
management that I’ll be using.
ROI of Change Management
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Prosci's change management certification program is
the most comprehensive offering available to learn change
management principles, methodologies and tools. In
this highly interactive session, you bring a project
you are currently working on and apply the tools and
assessments as you learn them.
| "Very easily the
best, most educational learning
experience in which I have ever
participated." - Chris T. |
Venues across the US:
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Peaceful Valley Ranch
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a working dude ranch in the beautiful Colorado
Rocky Mountains
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Airlie Center - an "island of thought" in the rolling
countryside near Washington DC
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Mission Inn - a golf resort and club in the gentle hills of
Lake County north of Orlando
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Plantation Inn - an outdoor enthusiast dream on
Central Florida's Natural Coast north of Tampa
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Seascape Resort - a beachfront resort on the bluffs
overlooking Monterey Bay south of San Francisco
Upcoming sessions:
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July 22 - 27, Seascape Resort
San Francisco, CA area
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July 29 - 31, Mission Inn
Orlando, FL area
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August 12 - 14, Airlie Center
Washington DC area
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August 19 - 21, Seascape Resort
San Francisco, CA area
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Sept 16 - 18, Airlie Center
Washington DC area
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Sept 23 - 25, Peaceful Valley Ranch
Colorado Rocky Mountains
Find out more
Call 970-203-9332 to register
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Tuesday – 5:00 PM
We had a fun CM principles activity this afternoon – able
to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather, bond with our
new “teammates” and still be working! This is great! Once
back in the classroom we started to apply the tools to the actual projects
that we brought with us from work. I’m surprised to actually
be applying what I’m learning as we go along – I can learn
so much better with hands-on work like this. We went through
a change characteristics exercise where we dug into how
change-ready our organization is – very eye-opening to look
at the pros and cons of my organization with a “change
microscope”. I’m seeing strengths and weaknesses in areas I
never thought about before. I’m also realizing that this
change initiative is going to affect far more areas of the
organization than I previously thought. Sounds like tonight
we are in for another fun activity for dinner… they won’t
tell us what it is, only that they are certain we’ll love
it.
Risk assessment output
Wednesday – 7:00 AM
Well, last night was so much fun! We keep having opportunities to
bond with and learn from all our classmates. I feel like I’ve known
these guys forever and it’s only been one day!
Wednesday – 12:30 PM
We’re continuing to work on our project throughout today and the
pressure is on – we have a project/presentation to work toward tonight.
They want us to put together a PowerPoint presentation that will make
the case for change management. We’ll take this back to show our senior
level people. The presentation takes a look at where our organization is
now with change management, where we need to be and how we’re going to
get there. It’s starting to get intense – we get together, learn a
section for 15 minutes, then break out to work on our project and
presentation for 30 minutes. I can really feel that “water hose” now!
But, at least the work I’m doing is on the project I'm supporting – I hate those
trainings that are just academic and can’t be applied to what I really
do.
Wednesday – 9:30 PM
Wow, we are finally done with our presentations and what an
experience! I feel like I’ve learned so much in two days, and the
feedback from my classmates tonight was so helpful. What a way to learn,
in this kind of environment with everyone cheering you on. We were able
to watch other participants' presentations and gain valuable insight
from their successes and mistakes. Now we get to celebrate! We’ve been
promised some serious fun tonight for all the hard work today. Party, here I come!
Thursday – 7:30 AM
Well if we weren’t all bonded yesterday, we definitely are this
morning! One big, rowdy family last night! None of us wanted to go to
bed once we got started with the celebrations. Fun times! But this
morning, there is much more to learn… and our certification test is
looming at the end of the day…
Mapping change management tools to ADKAR
Thursday – 2:00 PM
We went through a great coaching section this morning, using some real
hands-on tools for helping employees through change and managing
resistance. We did a fun reinforcement activity to wrap up the day. I’ve
got some great ideas on how to make sure that my change really sticks.
Now… the dreaded test!
Thursday – 3:30 PM
Turns out the test wasn’t that bad – I surprised myself at how much I
learned this week. That feels pretty good. And now I am a bona-fide,
certified practitioner of Prosci’s Change Management methodology. I
even get Professional Development Units from PMI and Continuing
Education Credits from Colorado State University for this class.
Can’t wait to get home and start putting my CM plan into action. But
I don’t want to leave my “Prosci family” from this week! Luckily,
Prosci will put together an email list for all of us so we can stay in touch on
how our CM plans are going and use each other as invaluable CM
resources moving forward.
Find out
more about the program and see the schedule of
upcoming sessions or
download the training brochure
Tools for applying change management:
- Change
management certification ($2100) - 3-day program where you bring
a project you are working on and apply all of the assessments and
tools as you learn them - taught by former Fortune 500 executives at
locations across the U.S.
- 2007 Best Practices in Change Management
benchmarking report ($249) - journal-style report with lessons learned and best practices
from 426 participants, presented in an easy-to-use format - reads as
a checklist of what to do and what not to do
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Change Management Toolkit ($349) - hardcopy 3-ring binder presenting
Prosci's change management methodology; includes templates, checklists
and assessments for managing the people side of change (includes USB drive)
- Change
Management Guide for Managers ($189) -
tools to help supervisors engage and coach their direct reports
through change (includes ADKAR book, Employee's Survival Guide and
10 ADKAR worksheets)
- Change
Management Pilot 2008 ($449) - online tool including Prosci's change
management methodology, eLearning modules and downloadable templates,
assessments, presentations and checklists
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Change Management Pilot Professional 2008 ($559) - the content of the
Change Management Pilot plus additional benchmarking data and an
online version of the Change Management Guide for Managers and
Supervisors
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Change Management: the people side of change ($18.95) - a primer that addresses why manage change,
individual change management and organizational change management for
anyone involved in organizational change
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Employee's Survival Guide to Change ($14.95) - a handbook to help
employees survive and thrive during change; answers frequently asked
questions and empowers employees to take charge of change
*** Prosci also offers
leadership packages - groupings of products at discounts that
offer you some of the most helpful and common combinations of Prosci
change management resources
Email this page to a friend
Email a Prosci analyst or
call 970-203-9332 with questions about the methodology, its application, or finding the
right resources to support your change management activities.
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