Change Management -- standards and certification

I stumbled across yet another certification while reviewing one of the ARMA standards.

The Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP) offers the Certified Change Management Professional (CCMP) credential (http://www.acmpglobal.org/?ccmp). It requires 21 hours of formal education aligned with "the standard", a review of change management experience, and completion of an examination.

The standard is quite interesting. It sets up like a convention standard with definitions, concepts, etc. It could serve as a valuable exemplar for standard creation. Like a typical standard, it provides Process Groups:

• 5.1 evaluate change impact and organizational readiness
• 5.2 formulate the change management strategy
• 5.3 develop the change management plan
• 5.4 execute the change management plan
• 5.5 complete the change management effort

It then breaks down sub-steps for each element of the standard and introduces inputs and outputs.

Overall, it's great.

NOTE: There is, apparently, something called the Guide to National Professional Certification Programs, from HRD Products. The 3rd edition was authored by Philip M. Harris. Gale also offers something called the "Certification and accreditation programs directory".

Change Management: ProSci ADKAR

Perhaps the most common framework for change management is ADKAR:

• Awareness of the nedd for change
• Person's view of the current state
• Perception of problem
• Credibility of the sender of messages
• Circulation of misinformation or rumors
• Contestability of the reasons for change
• Desire to support and participate in the change
• Nature of the change (what it is/impact)
• Context of the change (enviro/organizational)
• Individual's situation
• What motivates a person
• Knowledge of how to change
• Current knowledge base
• Capability to gain additional knowledge
• Resources available for education and training
• Access to or existence of the required knowledge
• Ability to implement skills and behaviour
• Psychological blocks
• Physical capabilities
• Intellectual capabilities
• Time available to develop skills
• Availability of resources to support development of new abilities
• Reinforcement to sustain the change
• Degree to which reinforcement is meaningful and specific
• Reinforcement associated with progress or accomplishment
• Absence of negative consequences
• Accountability system to create ongoing mechanism to reinforce change

There's probably also something to be said about stakeholder analysis.