How YOU can transform into a change management consultant!
Companies seek it, top universities teach it, and people want to develop it: organizational change management skills. Organizational Change Management is defined as a systematic approach to dealing with the transition or transformation of an organization's goals, processes, or technologies. How can an aspiring organizational change management practitioner—who’s approaching the workforce or in the workforce—gain the skills and experience that they need to succeed? We met with Dr. Keely Killpack—author, executive consultant, and professor, with 17+ years of experience in change management—to hear her thoughts on how people can develop a change management skillset.
Whether you’re in college or have entered the workforce, there are a multitude of ways to develop change management skills. Change management courses and degrees are ideal for undergraduate or graduate students and hands-on exposure is great for those who are in the workforce. Here are eight ways that you can gain change management skills and experience:
1. Get a degree in change management
For people who have a passion for leading change, getting a change management degree or taking a change management course is a great place to start. Top universities such as Wharton, Berkley, Vanderbilt, Cornell, and Northwestern offer change management courses. Many MBA programs embed change management component as well.
2. Seek a change management certification
While several certifications exist, likely the most renowned certification in the change management world is the Prosci Change Management Certification Program. According to their website, ‘this three-day engaging, interactive, learning experience gives you the knowledge, skills, and tools to drive successful change.’ While participants walk through a case study during the Prosci certification, Dr. Killpack points out that participants are not gaining the real-life experience that companies demand. However, getting a Prosci certification is a noteworthy achievement, and you get to flaunt the distinction of being a Prosci Certified Change Practitioner—a great add to any resume!
3. Pursue an informal opportunity
Creating an opportunity to provide change management to a company or individual is a win-win. Let's say you have a job and you're not a change management practitioner, but you want to be. You could approach your boss or the HR department and say, “I think xyz process could be improved. I’d like to do a change management initiative to improve the xyz process. Can you support me leading this?” There’s a good chance that your boss or the HR department will be willing to help you refine your skills while receiving change management consulting at no extra cost. This is a great resume builder.
4. Network with experienced OCMers
Expanding your change management network can be as simple as reaching out to an experienced change management practitioner on LinkedIn. People have messaged Dr. Killpack and said, “You do exactly the job I want to do. Can I pick your brain to learn how you got where you are?” In general, people love to talk about themselves and are often willing to help. Additionally, Dr. Killpack takes note of the junior change management practitioners and passes their name on to recruiters and leaders who are in search of entry-level candidates. She is not alone. Many expert level CMs are eager and willing to mentor or shepherd colleagues into the industry.
5. Shadow an experienced change management practitioner
To gain real-life change management exposure, shadowing an experienced change management practitioner is a clever way to increase your OCM skillset. Perhaps it’s a paid position, or maybe it’s not. Either way, it’s a great way for an aspiring OCMer to dip their toes in the change management pool—simply ask and opportunities can be created!
6. Seek an internship
Seeking a paid or unpaid internship is an excellent way to beef up your change resume. Oftentimes, companies want to see at least one year of experience to get a full-time paid position in change management. One way to achieve this is by having a paid or unpaid change management internship.
7. Support a pro bono project
Finding a pro bono project to assist with is an ideal way to help someone else, while helping yourself. For example, the ACMP (Association of Change Management Professionals) has chapters all over the world and many of them try to do pro bono projects with nonprofits or with smaller companies. These companies would normally not be able to afford change management help. To increase your change management skills, try to get involved in one of the ACMP chapters and inquire what kind of pro bono work they have available to support.
8. Consider relevant experience
Just like receiving college credit for a high school AP class, you may have relevant change management experience as part of your existing job. If you’ve supported an initiative in a change management capacity, take advantage of that exposure and add it to your professional resume. As an example, Dr. Killpack shared that a former student worked at a window installation company. This company upgraded their estimation process from paper to software. The student took initiative to start a change management project to prepare field estimators for the change in the estimation process. The student went on to propose his change management strategy to the software company! Consider the relevant change management skills that you have and make your experience known.
Hopeful change management practitioners should take note of these tried-and-true ways to deepen their change management skillset. Getting a degree or certification, seeking informal or formal opportunities, and networking with experienced change management practitioners are a few of the ways to gain the skills to succeed. The first step to developing a change management skillset is to simply decide that you want to make it happen!
Contact ChangeStaffing to discuss how to develop or increase a change management skillset!
A very special thank you to Keely Killpack—author, executive consultant, and professor, with over 17 years of experience in Change Management—for her thought leadership and for collaborating with us on this blog.
Written by Kylette Harrison