Fluffy approach equals fluffy outcome
??Barb Grant??
Change Management Mentor | Author of the Amazon #1 bestseller ‘Change Management that Sticks’??| I mentor change agents so they can deliver high change adoption and meaningful results ?????
This week, a mentee and I talked about the difference between a change approach and a change plan.
My slightly facetious answer to this question was that a change approach is what gets written and talked about when you need a change strategy, but 'strategy' is a dirty word in the organisation!??
'Approach' is a more nebulous document descriptor than 'strategy' or 'plan'.
It has become more prevalent over the last ten years, and I've always thought it fluffy and unhelpful.
It seems to me it's the go to document when you need help deciding what to write and are concerned that what you write will offend - so you get fluffy!
Sometimes, it's a symptom of organisational culture, i.e., 'approach' is in, but 'strategy' is out.
To make it crystal clear, in my book -
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I check my book ranking on Amazon each week by running a search on 'change management'.
It also helps me spot any new releases on the topic.
This week, it's 'Change Killers - Managing Resistance so People and Organizations Thrive' by Jan Kaderley.
It has a great title, a great cover, and a great price: NZ$1.14 for the Kindle (hope it's still at this price when you read this).
I immediately bought it and will let you know what I think.
People get squeamish about the phrase 'change resistance'.
It's a favourite whipping boy to debunk on LinkedIn (like the Kubler-Ross change curve).
In the book, I preferred the phrase 'change reaction' as 'resistance' presupposes a negative connotation. What if it's just a sensible reaction to 'dumb change'? Thanks, Gilbert Krudenier, for that classic phrase.
But it's a common term, and people 'get it' when you talk about 'resistance', so more power to the author to explore this.
I discussed the book 'The Future of Change Management' a while back.
I'm halfway through that, and so far, it's been a great read.
I'll give my final thoughts once I've completed it.
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Have you considered the difference between a learning needs analysis and a learning plan?
I can get a bit on my soapbox on this topic as I started as an instructional designer for eLearning (although it was just plain old 'Computer-Based Training' when I started!).
They are different documents, both necessary for a learning effort of any size.
Lately, I have felt that the purpose of a learning needs analysis is less well understood.
So - what is the difference?
Learning Needs Analysis
An LNA is a diagnostic tool used to identify gaps between an organisation's current and desired performance levels. It answers the questions: "What do our employees need to learn to meet our organisational goals?" and 'What is the current gap between our employees' current skills and competencies and the ones they now require?'
Learning Plan
A Learning Plan is a strategic roadmap that outlines how the identified learning needs will be addressed. It answers the question: "How will we deliver the required learning to close the performance gaps?"
Here's a story to illustrate why a Learning Needs Analysis matters and how it's different from a Learning Plan.
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I was brought in at the last minute to work on change deliverables for an overhaul of an Accounts Receivable process.
This was for a company like Downers, which does earthworks, general construction (particularly roading and infrastructure), and public services like cleaning toilets in parks and recreational facilities.
I was brought in only a few weeks before delivery, and there was no learning needs analysis, learning plan, or time for it.
I thought I was being quite clever when I had the idea to write down the steps in the account receivable process on rugby balls and throw them out to participants to 'get the ball rolling' (ahem!).??
As a short LNA, yes, employees were all male New Zealanders, blue-collar workers between 20 and 50 years old, and no doubt big All Blacks rugby team supporters.
In the first learning session I chucked out the first ball.
The gentleman in the blue overalls who caught it got a look like a possum in the headlights as he eye-balled the writing on the ball.
Haltingly, and after a big pause, he began to sound out the first word.
OMG - realisation dawned!??
This learning cohort had very low literacy. Reading out a sentence clearly and accurately on a rugby ball was a big ask and grounds for potential public humiliation.
The save was to take a short break, find out from the systems accountant who was co-facilitating with me who had literacy, and map their position in the room so I could throw it to them.
But I never forgot the lesson!
Before you conceive what learning looks like, understand your learners!
You should at least understand their gender, age range, educational level, literacy level, digital literacy, race, culture, and ethnicity mix.
How do you gather that information? Focus groups, employee records, workplace observation and learning records are good starts.
If you've got time, budget, and hopefully a crack Learning Lead, here's the Rolls Royce list of what could be covered in a Learning Needs Analysis.
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Finally, here's last week's newsletter, 'When Words Collide' as a podcast.
Until next time, keep changing for the better!
Your change fairy godmother, Barb ??♀??
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