The whitepaper explores

• the impact of middle managers
• seven steps middle managers can take to manage employee reaction to change
• how organisations can help to accelerate and develop change-management skills within the middle management layers
• how to address possible barriers to change
• some practical tips to secure a more successful outcome.

Russell Kenrick, Managing Director of ILX, explains, "Change initiatives such as mergers, acquisitions, relocations, redundancies, a new product, or a service launch can be a stressful time for any organisation and its staff. Hence, it makes sense to make middle management the change agents. Some organisations might consider running a change-agent network of people who assist and facilitate middle managers. Rather than creating a separate, artificial network of change agents, tap into your existing resource of middle management and go with the network you already have in place."

Kenrick adds, “To introduce change and manage change effectively, organisations need to ask themselves the following questions: What are we doing to reduce the shock? How can we keep the message consistent, manage the anger, and support staff through the bargaining and depression stages to reach acceptance? Do we understand how people are likely to react and why?”

To help businesses better support change-management initiatives, ILX offers change-management training suitable for middle management. Examinations institute APMG has developed Change Management Certification in partnership with the Change Management Institute (CMI). Together they have developed a professional “body of knowledge” for the discipline of change management. This body of knowledge now provides an independent benchmark for the professional knowledge expected of an effective change manager.

For businesses, the qualifications will help to minimise risks such as overspend, delays, and loss of employee engagement, which - in turn - determine a successful business transformation. For individuals, the courses will provide a solid complement to process-driven methods like PRINCE2® and MSP ® to help assess and manage change effectively.

The ILX Change Management courses include

• APMG-International Change Management ^TM Foundation Online:  This qualification is based on the theory and application of change for individuals and organisations, plus stakeholder engagement. It is ideal for change leaders, portfolio managers, senior managers, and those managing change within an organisation.  There is no prerequisite for taking the Foundation course, which involves 10 – 12 hours of online learning to complete.
   
• APMG-International Change Management ^TM Foundation & Practitioner Blended: This course is ideal for those looking to take a blended approach to learning.  It takes 10 – 12 hours to complete the Foundation online learning course followed by a two-day Practitioner classroom course.  There is no prerequisite for taking take the Foundation course, but a pass is required at Foundation level to undertake the Practitioner workshop.