Introducing Change Management for HR: HCI’s Newest Certification Program

In our most recent HCI Member Survey, we learned that developing change management skills is the top priority for HR professionals seeking to align their professional development goals with supporting their organization’s strategic priorities. This comes as no surprise, considering 80% of HR professionals say their organizations are in a constant state of change. Yet the statistics on successful change leave plenty of room for improvement. When we asked HR practitioners about their change efforts, only 15% reported that 76% to 100% of their change efforts were successful.

Change is hard. The challenges of change management have been a recurring topic of research and discussion for business leaders for years—from percentage of change failure to growing rates of change fatigue. The growing popularity of habit research shows that not only is it hard to cope with change at work, it’s just as difficult to change our own behaviors in our personal lives.

Yet, change is mandatory. Despite our resistance to change, we are driving change on a daily basis. At work, organizational strategies and priorities are constantly shifting in response to market fluctuations, changing technologies, and even the arrival or departure of critical talent. Change is necessary, but only 29% of HR practitioners say major change initiatives are well-received by their people. Many organizations turn to third party consultants to help manage change, but our research shows that the involvement of outside parties has no statistically significant impact on change management success.

Change is more successful when driven in-house.

To meet this critical need, HCI has launched a brand new certification program: Change Management for HR. HCI believes that change is fundamentally a people process, and HR is uniquely positioned to build change management skills in people and teams, allowing HR to lead change at the business level as a strategic partner. Because our approach to change management focuses on people, not processes, our model can complement the use of other change management process models such as ADKAR, Kotter, or others.

What are the roles HR can play in Change Management?

The Architect uses design thinking to construct and experiment with change, and makes sure resources and key players are secured.

The Broadcaster communicates the change with stories and data, opens dialogue between all parties, and emotionally connects people to the intention behind the work.

The Coach addresses personal resistance to change and holds people accountable for doing their part, while rewarding achievements along the way.

Is CMHR Right for Me?

Companies rely on HR to support successful change efforts more than any other business area, except senior leadership. If leading a successful change project that has meaningful impact on the business would help you drive your HR career forward, CMHR can help you get there. If your organization is working toward (or in the middle of!) a major change such as a merger, acquisition, restructuring, senior leadership change, or even technology implementation, you will benefit from CMHR.

Our program is offered online and in-person in major metro areas. We also offer on-site, in-house training for groups of ten or more through our HCI Corporate Training.

Click here to learn more about CMHR, download the course brochure, and register online.