What are the pros and cons of different change management accreditation types?

I'm a big fan of Prosci ADKAR as its a very practical people focussed methodology. The training course is excellent too. No reason why you can't use it in combination with other methodologies though.

Prosci’s certificate and credential is certain to be more pervasive and requested by an increasing number of organizations in Tech, Financial Services, Healthcare, & Higher Ed. And it is known as a research and marketing entity with the market relevance and recognition. It also has a simplified framework that makes it easy to follow, yet hard to deploy and depend on. Change is anything but linear. So, the move from one stage to the next is rarely smooth, nor sustained. ADKAR doesn’t scale well. I also say a 3 day training does NOT a change expert make. Organizations are handing complex change efforts to newly certified practitioners who possess no lived experience nor wisdom leading people through change. That’s dangerous. And foolish.

Every model or framework has its own set of pros and cons. Prosci ADKAR is a popular change management model used by organizations to manage individual transitions during a change initiative. ADKAR is a user-focused model that emphasizes understanding the needs and concerns of individuals going through change. It helps change managers identify individuals' barriers and provides a structured approach to addressing them. But as the model focuses primarily on individual transitions, it means that it may not be suitable for managing larger organizational changes that impact multiple departments or teams.

APMG Change Management is a framework that provides a structured approach for managing change within organizations.It is a comprehensive framework that covers all aspects of change management, from planning and implementation to evaluation and maintenance. It also focuses on benefits realization, ensuring that the desired outcomes of the change initiative are achieved. But, like many models this too has some cons! While the framework includes stakeholder engagement, it may not focus enough on the individual experience of change or organizational culture. This could result in a lack of engagement or resistance from individuals going through the change.

Obtaining CCMP first requires proven change management experience, as noted in eligibility requirements: - A 4-year degree (or international equivalent) & 4,200 hours (3 years) of change management experience, or - Secondary education (high school or international equivalent) & 7,000 hours (5 years) of change management experience Also required additional training of 21 hours, instructor-led in a program aligned with the Standard. Eligibility to even sit for the exam means you must provide proof of your work performed in change management, with hours adding up to the minimum requirements. Applications are audited. The exam itself contained grammar & spelling errors in the questions. Poorly written and designed. ACMP must do better here.

Instead of chasing accreditation like a squirrel on a caffeine high, consider seeking the wise guidance of a seasoned change management guru, a mythical creature with the power to tame the wildest organizational beasts while sipping tea brewed from unicorn tears and sprinkling pixie dust to fix glitches in the matrix. Trust me, a mentor will make your journey through the labyrinth of change smoother than a rollercoaster ride on a rainbow.

Change is an inevitable part of organizational life, and companies that manage change effectively are more likely to achieve higher levels of business performance. A study by Towers Watson, a leading global professional services firm, found that companies with effective change management practices are more likely to have higher levels of employee engagement, which can lead to improved business performance.

In my change advisory practice, I openly acknowledge after working on hundreds of organizational change efforts that every model for change is great for the context it was created for. Every change practitioner -CMs, PMs, Change Comms, HR Business Partners who are learning should pursue a methodology to help them learn to navigate change and know that being a successful practitioner is about critical thinking, solution-orientation, systems/process thinking, innovation, and human dynamics. It also includes being a trusted advisor to leaders. So, develop your understanding of these competencies, practice and THINK about what is needed to create results. Following a framework or model blindly will not get your desired results for complex chg

Change is change so there is space for all of these approaches used in combination or individually. I have always seen all Change Management as being about flattening out the Kubler-Ross Curve in whatever way works best for those involved. Some of the best people I have seen doing that haven't been accredited Change Managers, but are just naturals at working with people and helping them through change. These methodologies are all great tools to help manage change, but you are the ones delivering the change management so pick the ones that work for you.

For professionals looking for an alternative to Prosci for change management training and certification, I'd recommend Apogy (www.apogy.biz). It's affordable, fully on-demand, and you get lifetime access to the course and materials. We teach the "ART and Science of Change Leadership", which includes two key change models. The first, ART stands for Aware, Ready, and Trained, outlines the goals and objectives for individual change. The second, 3D, stands for Define, Design, Deploy. This is the process change leaders follow to realize the goals and objectives for ART. Apogy is not a QEP (we are online only and ACMP requires live training to become a QEP), but our models align with the ACMP Standard, which is thorough and a great resource.