Change management is the ability to lead and manage change initiatives to drive organisational outcomes and benefits. Creating change strategies and plans is essential to this.
What is change strategy and planning?
Change strategy and planning is the ability to develop comprehensive approaches to manage and implement organisational change effectively. This involves defining the overall strategy for change, planning the specific activities and initiatives, and ensuring that the organisation can adapt successfully to the intended changes.
Essential for:
- All types of transformation
Knowledge
- Knowledge of Change Management principles and practice.
- Knowledge of learning theories and models.
- Understanding of behavioural psychology.
- Understanding of HR requirements, including the legal framework for structural changes.
- Awareness of the political context.
Skills
Able to:
- Think strategically: When determining the best approach to the management of the change/ transformation initiative in context of the wider changes in flight within the Council.
- Apply change management practices: In the development of detailed communications, engagement, training plans, ensuring they are fit for purpose and draw on relevant change models and principles to maximise impact.
- Collaborate with project delivery colleagues: To ensure change management principles and practices are embedded within transformation plans.
- Engage stakeholders and build relationships: To increase understanding of change management, ensuring Leaders lead, own and co-design the change to achieve the right outcomes collectively.
- Prioritise: Change activities to maximise value against the overall strategic outcomes and objectives to be achieved.
- Be emotionally intelligent: By recognising, understanding, and managing emotional responses effectively in the achievement of outcomes when working with stakeholders.
- Set and model positive behaviours: Leading by example, especially when faced with challenge and change resistance.
- Implement effective and robust HR practices: To ensure compliance with the law and mitigation of risk in relation to changes which impact people’s jobs.
Behaviours
- Collaborative
- Persuasive
- Positivity
- Resilience
- Inclusive
- Solution orientated.
Related roles
- Business Change Manager
- OD Specialist
- Directors
- Heads of Service
- Portfolio Manager
- Programme Director
- Programme Manager
- Project Manager
- Business Analyst
Change Management – maturity index
The index below sets out the typical Change Management characteristics demonstrated by councils at each stage of their transformation maturity.
