Competency Category:

Competency Series:

26.2 – Lead Change

Purpose & Context

Career development professionals (CDPs) recognize the need for change to achieve business outcomes. CDPs build a change management strategy that engage people within the organization to ensure a successful implementation.

Effective Performance

Competent career development professionals must be able to:

P1. Identify areas for improvement, for example:
- Analyze performance measurement data
- Consult employees
- Consult stakeholders, e.g. employers, clients, community partners
P2. Look for innovative strategies to advance business objectives, solve issues, and address challenges, for example:
- Identify solution(s) to improve function, process or procedure
- Review trends in service delivery
- Consult employees to generate ideas on challenges
- Select change management approach, e.g. Kotter’s 8-Step Process for Leading Change
P3. Prepare business case for proposed change, e.g. reason for proposed change, scope and impact, costs and benefits,
desired business outcomes
P4. Secure buy-in from executive team, e.g. allocation of financial, human and material resources
P5. Establish change management team, e.g. representative group of employees at all levels and across functional areas
P6. Develop a change management implementation plan:
- Identify key project phases
- Develop action plan
- Set milestones
- Identify key resource, e.g. people, equipment, materials
- Schedule milestone project review
P7. Develop a communication strategy, for example:
- Identify key information to be shared
- Identify communication medium, e.g. newsletter, website
- Develop schedule of information messages
- Measure success of communication
P8. Meet with employees to launch the initiative:
- Present the change management team
- Explain change, e.g. need for change, extent of the change required, measures of success
- Share business case
- Describe project plan, e.g. phases, timelines, roles and responsibilities
- Engage employees in sharing concerns and ideas
P9. Monitor the implementation:
- Schedule formal review of projects, e.g. weekly for complex projects, monthly for straightforward initiatives
- Track progress
- Take corrective actions, as needed
P10. Measure the implementation success, for example:
- Increased level of client satisfaction
- Reduction of time to find work
- Increased level of stakeholder engagement
P11. Adjust implementation plan, as required

Knowledge & Understanding

Competent career development professionals must know and understand:

K1. Change management frameworks, e.g.. principles, types and stages of change
K2. Project management

Contextual Variables

Competent career development professionals must be able to perform this competency in the following range of contexts:

Nature of the change may impact the challenges of implementing change, e.g. introducing a new process, service restructuring.

Change is disruptive and may create an environment of uncertainty and fear and lead to resistance from employees, clients and other stakeholders.

Glossary & Key References

Terms

Industry-specific terms contained in the standard defined here, where applicable.

Business case: justifications and net benefits for undertaking a project, program or course of action.

Information Sources and Resources for Consideration

None

Context Rating Scales

Criticality

Q: What is the consequence of a professional being unable to perform this skill according to the standard?

High probability of risk: VERY CRITICAL

Frequency

Q: How frequent and under what conditions is this skill performed?

Circumstantially, e.g. per project, when a specific event arises

Level of Difficulty

Q: Under routine circumstances, how would you rate the level of difficulty in performing this skill?

Moderate difficulty or complexity

Time Required to Gain Proficiency

Q: What is the average length of time or number of repeated events that are minimally necessary for an individual to become proficient in performing the skill to the standard?

To be fully proficient in this competency, a career development professional should have three years experience participating in change management initiatives in a position of leadership.

Autonomy

Practitioners typically perform this competency without supervision, and as part of a team.

Automation

It is unlikely that this competency will automate.

Requisite Work Aids, Tools, Equipment or Materials

None

Our Purpose

Thank you for being a part of the Career Development Professional Centre. To ensure that all members have the best possible experience, we have a few ground rules that we ask everyone to adhere to. This code of conduct applies equally to every person in the community and is intended to foster an online space that is inclusive, safe, and welcoming to all.

Centre Rules

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