Plan change in your work environment

This standard is about the planning change in your work environment. You engage employees and other stakeholders and assess the gap between current and future states. You identify obstacles to change and plan approaches to overcome them. The standard includes planning business continuity activities and communication strategies to keep stakeholders informed. You also identify change in roles and responsibilities and the training and support requirements of employees and colleagues. You communicate your change plans to explain how different stakeholders are affected and overcome difficulties during planning. You also monitor engagement with the change programme and recognise the contributions and cooperation of those involved. You evaluate the process to identify improvements to future organisational changes.

This standard is for all managers and leaders.

1. engage employees and other stakeholders in planning changes
2. outline the processes, systems, structures, roles or cultures that need to be changed with stakeholders
3. assess the gap between the current state and the required future state
4. identify obstacles to changes
5. develop a plan to achieve the required changes agreed
6. agree evaluation criteria to measure the success of change processes with stakeholders
7. identify the roles and responsibilities of colleagues involved in or affected by the changes
8. plan for the continuity of business activities during the period of changes
9. evaluate the risks associated with plans and develop contingency arrangements
10. identify how and when progress will be monitored against the plans
11. develop communication strategies to keep colleagues and stakeholders informed about the progress
12. present plans for change using appropriate tools to evaluate its impact
13. ask employees and stakeholders to give feedback on changes
14. ask employees and stakeholders to suggest innovations and improvements to products, services, processes, systems, structures, roles and cultures
15. communicate the business case for changes, specifying both the benefits, costs and risks
16. provide opportunities for employees and other stakeholders to discuss business cases for change, provide feedback, express any concerns and make suggestions
17. plan changes, identifying roles and responsibilities
18. evaluate how the changes will affect employees and other stakeholders
19. mitigate for change and understand the differences between change and crisis management
20. identify training or support that employees and stakeholders need and how and when these will be provided
21. communicate with employees and other stakeholders about change processes, specifying how it affects them and any actions required of them
22. discuss planning progress, overcoming difficulties and inviting suggestions for improvements
23. monitor engagement with and responses to the change planning processes
24. provide training, support and encouragement to colleagues
25. recognise the contributions and cooperation of those involved and affected by the change
26. evaluate employees experience of the change planning process and use the lessons learned to improve future change processes
27. follow the legal, organisational, codes of practice and policies relevant to your role and the activities being carried out to plan organisational change

General knowledge and understanding

1.      the main models and methods for managing organisational change, and their strengths and weaknesses, and how to select an approach that matches a defined organisational change

2.      the theory of teams, including team-building techniques and how to apply them when engaging employees and stakeholders to plan and deliver organisational change

3.      how to develop and gain consensus on criteria for evaluating the success of the change process with stakeholders

4.      how to assess the risks and benefits associated with change strategies and plans

5.      the importance of contingency planning and how to do so effectively

6.      the obstacles to change, and the techniques that deal with these

7.      the range of stakeholder expectations and how they influence the process

8.      how to engage employees and other stakeholders in change processes

9.      the principles and methods of effective communication and how to apply them

10.   how to encourage people to provide feedback and respond appropriately to feedback

11.   how to identify individual training needs and provide the support people need to cope with change

12.   the monitoring and evaluation principles, methods, tools and techniques

13.   how to evaluate people's experience of change and identify the lessons to be learned

Industry and sector specific knowledge and understanding

14.   your organisation's current position in its sector and operating environment, compared with its main competitors, relevant to change programmes

15.   the range of information sources that are relevant to the sector, and related sectors, in which your organisation operates

16.   the current and emerging trends and developments in your sector

17.   the legal, organisational, codes of practice and policies relevant to your role and the activities being carried out

Context specific knowledge and understanding

18.   the individuals within your area of work, their roles, responsibilities, competences and potential

19.   your organisation's culture, the vision for the future, reasons for change, consultation processes, the risks and expected benefits

20.   the business-critical activities, interdependencies, factors that need to be changed, and the associated priorities and reasons

21.   your organisation's communication channels, both formal and informal

22.   the change management frameworks and methods used in your organisation

23.   how to mitigate for change and the differences between change and crisis management

24.   the business case for change in your organisation, including cost-benefit analysis techniques

25.   the different obstacles to change within your organisation

26.   your organisation's stakeholders, their interests and expectations

1. Analysing
2. Assessing
3. Communicating
4. Consulting
5. Contingency planning
6. Decision-making
7. Empathising
8. Empowering
9. Evaluating
10. Influencing
11. Information management
12. Innovating
13. Involving others
14. Monitoring
15. Negotiating
16. Obtaining feedback
17. Persuading
18. Presenting information
19. Planning
20. Problem solving
21. Reflecting
22. Reporting
23. Risk management
24. Stress management
25. Team building
26. Thinking systematically
27. Valuing and supporting others