No matter the size of a change initiative, those affected are likely to face uncertainty and stress. Thus, every business must have the answer to the burning question, “What is included in a good change management coaching plan?”
According to the Human Capital Institute (HCI), people become resistant to organizational change when they experience it as “something that is happening to them rather than something are integral to.” This is where coaching comes in. Coaching can help deal with resistance by promoting communication and resilience.
Since resistance is one of the biggest obstacles to successful change implementation, coaching remains an essential part of overcoming this. Navigating organizational change is challenging, but it’s made easier through strategies such as coaching and mentoring.
According to Prosci, coaching is the change management activity that can have the biggest impact on “breaking down barriers and moving [an] organization successfully through the ADKAR Model.”
This brings us back to, “What is included in a good change management coaching plan?”
What Is a Change Management Coaching Plan?
A change management coaching plan is an organized approach a business takes to guide its employees and other stakeholders through organizational change.
During times of change, uncertainty and anxiousness flourish, and employees and other stakeholders are often left wondering how the change will impact them. Coaching is one of the many ways change leaders can guide managers and employees through change.
A change management coaching plan is a set of guidelines, strategies, and steps that can help facilitate this process. This article will answer the question, “What is included in a good change management coaching plan?” so you know how to guide your employees through change.
What Is Included in a Good Change Management Coaching Plan?
A good change management coaching plan consists of effective strategies and steps to guide affected parties through change. The following are some components of an effective change management coaching plan.
Coaching People Managers
Coaching isn’t restricted to team members. It’s also necessary for people managers. Since people managers are the ones who support their teams through change, they must be equipped to sponsor the change and welcome employees to the environment.
Equipping supervisors and managers to be coaches includes coaching them on their involvement, how to talk to employees about change, how to coach teams and individuals through change, and the expectations for coaching.
Using the Right Change Management Coaching Activities
No answer to “What is included in a good change management coaching plan?” is complete if it doesn’t mention coaching activities.
According to the HCI, the most commonly used change management coaching activities are e-learning, face time with senior leaders, and classroom training. However, these aren’t the most effective change management coaching activities.
Activities that aid in achieving change management goals include team coaching, one-on-one coaching, and work group coaching with professional coach practitioners. Ensuring organizations use the right change management coaching activities is one way to improve their change management coaching strategy.
Providing Opportunities for Asking Questions and Gathering Feedback
Most business leaders that ask, “What is included in a good change management coaching plan?” don’t realize how important two-way interaction is.
For employees to be on board with the change, it’s not enough to simply provide them with coaching. It’s essential to use these opportunities to provide clarification, explain the changes, delve into how the change will affect employees, and address their concerns and questions.
Additionally, since two-way communication is the key to a good change management coaching plan, it’s critical to gather feedback and improve your change management coaching strategy.
Using Change Management Coaching Throughout the Process
Yet another part of a good change management coaching plan is to rely on coaching throughout the process instead of simply at the end. Many organizations only start wondering what is included in a good change management coaching plan when it seems that their projects are failing.
The key to successful change management is being proactive and using change management coaching at every level of the organization, including for senior managers, line managers, and teams.
Having Both Individual and Group Coaching Activities
Good change management coaching plans include both individual and group coaching activities. Group coaching activities allow for the effective distribution of information. Additionally, since the coaching is taking place with multiple people, easing concern and resistance is easier.
On the other hand, individual coaching activities are useful for working with specific employees and determining their stage in the change process. In doing so, managers can help individual employees through the change process.
Prosci’s ADKAR Model is especially useful in answering “What is included in a good change management coaching plan?” since managers can determine the stage of the ADKAR Model employees are at and facilitate the change accordingly.
Creating a Coaching Culture
Organizations that create a coaching culture are more likely to face better outcomes. According to the HCI, only 15% of the organizations they surveyed had a strong coaching culture. Of these, 61% were high-performing organizations.
Thus, a strong coaching culture is linked to high performance in organizations, making it a valuable part of a good change management coaching plan. This reiterates the importance of knowing what is included in a good change management coaching plan for all companies.
Summary and Conclusion
According to one report, 77% of HR practitioners say their organizations are in “a constant state of change.” 85% have had unsuccessful change management initiatives in the past two years. By investing in change management coaching and implementing a good change management coaching plan, you can ensure you’re not part of the 85% whose change initiatives fail.
We hope this article helped answer the question, “What is included in a good change management coaching plan?” and gave you ideas on improving your change management coaching strategy.