OCM Certifications: Yea or Nay?

Have you ever thought about getting certified in organizational change management (OCM)? There is no doubt that an OCM certificate would provide a boost of credibility in the increasingly competitive field of change management, but at what cost? We met with Margaret Burk, co-founder of The Change Pros and an OCM leader with 20+ years of experience, to learn more about the top OCM certification programs, which one is best, and why even seasoned OCM professionals should consider adding a change management certification to their resume.  

Top OCM certification programs 

While formalizing a change management team at a global non-profit, Margaret decided to encourage change management team members to get certified in OCM, but which certification program was best? They investigated a few of the top programs—Kotter, Prosci, and CCMP—and this is what they found: 

Prosci  

• Cost: $4,500 (three-day program) 

• Pros: Includes a lot of tools, resources, and is a recognizable certification program 

• Cons: Somewhat of a “pay to play” business model; cost is high; after you pay over $4K for certification, you still have to pay for an annual subscription to keep access to the resources; not change methodology agnostic 

Kotter 

• Cost: $6,000 (five days in person or two weeks virtual) 

• Pros: Based on five decades of research; cost includes access to online Kotter community to connect with fellow OCM professionals, content, and resources 

• Cons: Expensive certification; may not be as recognizable as other certification programs; not change methodology agnostic 

CCMP (Certified Change Management Professional) 

• Cost: $745 plus the cost of 21 hours of CM training by a QEP (Qualified Education Provider). Prosci, Change Pros, Kotter are all QEPs for the CCMP.  

• Pros: Highly recognized, prestigious, and global; cost is affordable and if you opt for $595 rate, it includes ACMP membership, resources, and content; agnostic of change methodology so you’re able to choose what works best 

• Cons: Certification in effect for three years and then you must renew credentials through activities and a small fee 

Which certification is best?   

Margaret and team ultimately chose CCMP because CCMP is:  

• A globally recognized certification 

• The most comprehensive certification that requires real-world experience 

• Way less expensive yet likely more respected and recognized than other OCM certification programs 

• Change agnostic so you can choose Kotter, LaMarsh, Prosci’s ADKAR, or any other change management models 

• Unique in that they’re a nonprofit organization and not trying to sell you a toolkit or tools 

Simply put: CCMP isn’t out to make the big bucks but rather elevate the change management profession by defining the proper way to do organizational change management. Also worth noting is that the CCMP certification is gaining traction. When reviewing the past 12 months, CCMP certification is up 30%.  

What does it take to get CCMP certified? 

• You need three to five years at experience, depending on education level, or 4,200 hours of experience 

• You need 21 hours of training from a Qualified Education Provider (QEP) 

• You must pass an exam that's 150 questions and complete an application that includes three essays  

This process may sound familiar to Project Managers who have gone through PMP certification which or organized in the same way – experience, training from a QEP and exam.  

As a seasoned change practitioner, Margaret couldn’t imagine getting certified would increase her 20+ year experience (which includes experience at a top consulting firm) but since she was encouraging her team to get certified, she decided to lead by example. While Margaret was attending the required training from a Qualified Education Provider, she texted a colleague and said “we could do this better.” Soon after came the introduction of Change Pros. 

What is Change Pros?  

Margaret and her colleague started Change Pros because they were confident that they could offer a better training than other Qualified Education Providers. Change Pros caps the class size at 15 participants to allow experienced change professionals to learn from one another. During the Change Pros training, they share best practices and templates and work through real-life projects. They believe that there’s value in sharing ideal OCM best practices while bearing in mind that we don’t live in an ideal world and sometimes we need to serve the client regardless of circumstances. In fact, the more that Margaret has studied and taught the Change Pros training, the more that she’s been convicted about her own change management practices. She began asking herself, “Am I really calling out the change goals?” “Does my sponsor believe my change goals are as important as the project outcomes?” Starting Change Pros has made Margaret a better change practitioner by elevating the way she identifies challenges and obstacles in more of a universal way. 

It turns out that it IS possible to earn an organizational change management certification with reasonable time, money, and effort. In an ever-changing and increasingly competitive workplace, surely we could all use a competitive advantage. Whether you’re a junior OCM practitioner or a seasoned change management veteran, consider earning a change management certification to elevate your credibility.  

Contact ChangeStaffing to learn more about elevating OCM credibility at your organization!  

A very special thank you to Margaret Burk for her thought leadership and for collaborating with us on this blog. Visit Change Pros to learn more about their CCMP Certification Training and for a limited time, use code ChangeStaffing24 for a $90 (USD) discount at checkout.  

Written by Kylette Harrison