article

changemanagement

Managing Change T r a n s f e r a l l l e a r n i n g t o b e h a v i o r .

by Donald Kirkpatrick

ANACING CHANCE -effectively starts

with determining what knowledge, skills, and attitudes are needed to achieve the desired behav- ior and results. Leaders must know the concepts, principles, and tech- niques required for managing change.

Managing has a two-fold meaning: 1) to decide on the changes to be made and 2) to get the acccptmice of those involved in the change. Training pro- fessionals can control the learning con- tent. But, changing behavior is under the control of the line managers whose people are trained. So, these concepts, principles and techniques are impor- tant to trainers and managers alike.

Ten Statements Do you agree or disagree with these

10 "managing change" concepts? 1. Everyone is resistant to change. I

agree. Yes, everyone resists or resents change, but not all the time. It gets down to a simple fact: "How will it affect me?" The main reason why peo- ple resist or resent a change is because it will affect them in a negative way. For example, when in 1973, Sears' management decided to build the tallest building in the world in Chicago and have all Sears employees in the area move there, not everyone was happy. Some people resisted the change because of the additional cost of travel, parking expenses, commute time, fear of heights, the lack of space, or the separation from friends. How- ever, many welcomed the change because they would be in town for eat- ing and shopping; be in the tallest building; look out over the city; and have better working conditions.

2. People will always accept changes decided on by "experts." I disagree It makes no difference whether or not "experts" made the decision or the boss made it. Many years ago, industrial engineering consultants (experts) were hired by manufacturing organizations to make decisions on reducing costs. In most cases, some people (10 percent) lost their jobs. The attitudes and feelings

of those who lost their jobs as well as the other employees were so strong that cost reductions rarely occured because of the negative attitudes and lower pro- ductivity of their friends. Seldom will "experts" or "facts" have the desired result because the feelings and attitudes of those affected are so strong.

3. If you want people to accept or welcome a change, give them a feeling of "ownership." \ agree. When 1 taught decision-making, I used statements to describe the four choices a manager has when making a decision: 1) make a decision without any input from sub- ordinates; 2) ask subordinates for sug- gestions and consider them before you decide; 3) facilitate a problem-solving meeting to reach consensus; and 4) empower your subordinates to make

the decision. In deciding on the best approach for making the decision, con- sider two factors: quality and accep- tance. Regarding quality, which approach will reach the best decision? There is no assurance that one approach will come to a better deci- sion. But the more involvement (own- ership), the greater the acceptance.

4. People who don't understand the reason for a change unll ahvays resent or resist it. I disagree. For example, my pen- sion benefits at the University of Wis- consin were changed so I could retire at age 62 without losing any benefits. I don't know why the state made the change, but I benefited from it and did not resent it. Any change that will bene- fit employees will be welcome, whether or not they understand the reasons for it.

5. Empathy is one of the most impor-

tant concepts in managing change. I agree. Empathy is putting yourself in the shoes of others and seeing things from their point of view. Training pro- fessionals must determine the needs of the learners so that the program will be practical. Whether using E-learning or classroom approaches, they must com- municate so that the learners will understand. And managers must know how to help them apply what they learn.

6. Persons xvho have no control over the people affected by a change can have little or no effect on their acceptance. I disagree. A training manager once told me, "Don, I have no control over the learners when they leave the classroom, so it is up to their managers to see that change in behavior occurs." This per- son was right in saying "I have no con- trol" but wrong in saying it is strictly up to the managers. Trainers will have to use "influence" instead of "control" to see that change in behavior occurs.

7. Managers should encourage and accept suggestions from all employees, i agree. What can they lose? And they might gain new practical ideas as well as build relationships with the person suggesting the change. And yet few managers welcome ideas and accept suggestions from other managers because there is little if any difference between a "suggestion" and a "criti- cism," no matter how tactfully the sug- gestion is offered. To receivers, a suggestion says: either "you are doing something you should quit doing" or "do something you aren't doing." Someone came up with an interesting and "practical" idea for improvement in performance. Instead of using the typical performance appraisal approach where only the manager appraises the performance and offers suggestions on how to improve, the "360-degree" approach was introduced to include appraisals and improvement suggestion from managers, peers, and subordinates. If managers don't even accept suggestions from peers, imagine how many managers will resent sug- gestions from subordinates. Organiza- tions that use the 360-degree approach have trouble convincing managers that their people are trying to help them.

8. If changes are going to be resisted, managers should move sloivly in order to gain acceptance. I agree. Time can often change resistance to acceptance if the cbange is introduced gradually. Often people resist change out of fear of fail- ure. You might decide to train the ones who want the new opportunity and ter- minate or transfer those who do not

want to change. Or, you might decide that you don't have to make the change immediately. Time, patience, and train- ing eventually move most employees from the present state to the desired one. The question is "what is the hurry?" When you introduce change gradually, you increase acceptance, especially when you also encourage and help people adjust to the change.

9. Effective communication is an important requirement for managing change effectively. I agree. This includes upward as well as downward commu- nication. Managers must listen even if they are being criticized, which in many cases was meant to be a helpful suggestion. Instructors must be effec- tive communicators by gaining and keeping the attention of the learner, using vocabulary that the learner understands, and listening to the ques- tions and comments of the learners.

10. Managers and training profession- als need to work together for the transfer to take place from "learning" to "behavior." I agree An important principle has to do with the "climate" that the learner encounters when returning to the job. If the manager is "preventive" and operates on the attitude that "I am the boss and you will do it my way regard- less of what you have learned," no change in behavior will take place. Not only will learners be discouraged from changing, they will also be upset by all the wasted time. The ideal climate is where the manager encourages learn- ing and its application on the iob. The training professional must intluence managers by informing them of the learning objectives and involving them in the training process.

These 10 concepts, principles, and techniques are necessary for managing change effectively. Managers must encourage people to apply what they learn and to transfer learning to behav- ior. Training professionals must be sure that the curriculum will meet the needs of the learners. The training programs must be effective using competent instructors. They must use empathy to understand the climate established by the managers. Then, they must work with managers to help them establish an ciicoimigiiig climate so that the learn- ing will be transferred to behavior change and results will follow.

The three keys are empathy, com- munication and participation. LE Iliiiuilil Kirkjuihick, milhi'r of M.in.iglii); C h a n g e Effectively iiiiit dimllhtr with hh lion !im Kirkfiitriii^ (i/Tr.insk'rring Le.iming To Behavior, is prvfifSiir emeritiL-^ at tin- LInii'nsil}/ iif WiA-on»in, uii'ir.donaldkirkixitrick.ami,

ACTION: Manage change effectively.

comDeiencvmeasurement

Measure Learning What works best for you?

by Corinne Milier

E ARE INUNDATED with many differ-

ent approaches for mea- suring learning and development. Many smart people are measuring numerous aspects associated with learning, and it works for their compa- nies. But is it right for you?

Suppose you attend a conference and get excited about one method, then another. They all sound great. You can't contain your passion so tly back to the office to share all of the cool measures. But the orga- nization does not show the same enthusiasm for the new measures— and you're fired.

Let's replay this sce- nario to get a better ending. Imagine that you have some key questions to help you determine which mea- sures would most impact your company? What might those ques tions be? Try these: • What measures are used to make de-

cisions in your operation and culture? • Why does your Corporate Univer-

sity measure? Is it to improve the learner's experience? Or workforce capability? Is it to improve the Univer- sity's products? Is it to improve the logistics of electronic or classroom delivery? Is it to determine the strate- gic direction of the University? Is it to evaluate the performance of your part- ners, suppliers, vendors? Is it to develop the talent in your University? Is it to guide the financial aspect of your University? Measure ROl? Is to monitor resource loading, etc., for planning purposes? Is it to justify the University's value? Is it to provide audit evidence for ISO, TL, QS, SEI, or Baldrige? Is it to comply with what someone told you to?

• What is needed in the areas you wish to measure? What problems are

you trying to solve? Most likely you can't measure everything. Use what- ever quantitative or qualitative data you have to pick a focus. • What unit of measure and what

source of the data will be meaningful or convincing to your audience? Don't guess. Find out. • How might the audience interpret

the data that results from the measure? What results might be seen as "good" vs "bad"? • How might the audience use the

data? How do you want it to be used? How might you influence its use? • What data already exists in the com-

pany that might be leveraged? Who is using that data today? For what pur- pose are people using that data today? • How might the audience wish to see

the data presented? When? Where? • What company initiatives with

strong management support might you join in on to provide a relevant learning measure? • If the measure will require funding

(new system, IT upgrade) is there a senior sponsor who can provide such funding? • What is the appetite

of your audience for measures? You may need to throttle back or forward depending on this.

Every time some- one speaks about a measure that works for their University— that is consistent with what is important in their culture and with

their day-to-day decision-making operations, we tend to focus our questions on the mechanics of the measure. You might ask those speak- ing about measurements, "Why did you select that measure?" You might follow-up with some of the above questions or new ones. Using a ques- tion-bank will stimulate you to think of more and better questions!

Understanding the thought process behind the measures selection and implementation will help you to understand whether the measure is right measure for your University and company. With so many measures and so little time, you need to know: what are the key few measures that will provide the most impact? LE

Ci'i'/Hii' MilltT is Hw director of Global Fiindioiml Lcaniing at Motonila, hic. uiCiamotiirola.coni

ACTION: Use measures that work for you.