Making the Case for Workplace Change-Course Outline

It’s fundamental human nature to resist change. Whether you are creating workplace transformation through shared workspaces, worker mobility, flexible work arrangements, or all the above, the daily lives of nearly every individual in the enterprise will be disrupted.

Abandoning the old ways and replacing them with new ways is something people typically don’t do well. Driving workplace change is especially difficult with its many moving parts, ingrained habits and traditions…and it’s personal.

 –Disrupting the workforce by changing old habits will be difficult, but not impossible. You begin by making a strong case for change.–

Once you’ve received approval for the new workplace and developed a great buildout plan, your attention should now focus on gaining enterprise buy-in. You ought to be asking how you will:

• Gain buy-in from thought leaders and team members across the enterprise?
• Get everyone jazzed about the new workplace experience?
• Give everyone a sense of what it will be like when they get there?
• Get a commitment from executives, managers and employees to play role in its success?

Making the case for investing in change

Powering through the change process should be quick, succinct, organized well enough to get the workforce excited about what’s to come. As a key element of your overall communication plan, the e-work.com “Making the Case for Change” e-Learning overview is a quick learn orientation that can be pushed to 200 to 20,000 team members on computers or mobile devices all at once or in phases. In less than twenty minutes, team members gain essential perspectives and knowledge presented to stimulate a mindshift toward change acceptance.

Learners select their personal path – executives, managers, and employees – to receive customized messaging tailored to their perspective.

The Case for Change overview is presented in five messaging sections that build on one another:

1. What’s driving the need for this change? To take your program seriously, each individual needs to see why this change is essential to the organization, clarity on its big picture drivers, and that it will happen with or without them. We’ll customize the your specific drivers, which might include outside forces (new technology, economic goals, profitability, labor force changes, environmental goals) and how it dovetails with current organizational priorities (growth, new markets, hiring, retention, well-being, sustainability).
2. What will the future workplace be like? Everyone in the organization is provided a preview on what the future workplace will be like, including how people will work, where people will work, and a preview of the new processes that will be needed to support it all.
3. What’s in it for me and the organization? At this point in making the case for change, it becomes personal. What’s in it for an executive is very different from a manager or a team member, so each is tailored with benefits from their perspective, each seeing the personal payoff and value proposition for getting on board.
4. What obstacles will I need to overcome? Executives, managers and team members are then presented with a reality check. This section acknowledges the many obstacles and challenges to getting to the ‘other side,’ and clear paths for getting there.
5. What do I need to do to be a part of the change? This is where the rubber meets the road. Executives and managers are guided to make a commitment, map out a change plan, develop a strategy to communicate it, empower their direct reports, and measure success. Team members are reminded they are key to program success, are encouraged to discuss what’s working and what’s not, and to work with their manager to make this the best workplace it can be.

Are team members jumping to their own conclusions about change?

The disruption of daily processes and familiar routines can cause plenty of confusion, frustration and pain. However, when the majority of the enterprise believes in the mission, much of that can go away…especially when individuals and teams share and experience the benefits of change together.

When supported by your internal communication plan, the Making the Case for Change e-Learning overview can shift organizational mindset in a matter weeks, not months or years. Let us show you how we’ve helped dozens of Fortune 500 companies and government agencies do just that.

Customizing Your Course: This e-Learning overview is easily customized with your content, messaging and images using our exclusive Rapid e-Learning Development Engine. We start you off with our fully detailed best practices content on MS Word documents. You simply edit these documents with your content and images and return them to your e-work.com production team. We then map your changes into our automated e-Learning system, and you’ll typically see your changes in the online overview within 24 hours.

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See the Evolving Workplace e-Learning Series: Technology-enabled workplace change can only be successful if the people change too. The e-work.com Evolving Workplace e-Learning Series modules accelerate workplace change through a deliberate mindshift in individuals, teams and the enterprise to work together in new ways.

Click here to learn about the Work Practice Change e-Learning Series modules.