We gladly announce that Inga Kalna and Regina Reke have joined Change Partners to promote Leadership Pipeline Institute® (LPI) solutions in Latvia 🇱🇻.

Change Partners helps companies to achieve desired results at every level of management throughout the Baltics.
The Leadership Pipeline offers first principles for mapping and building an efficient and agile leadership architecture, infrastructure, and operation model in smaller as well as in bigger businesses. LPI solutions are 56% better at creating lasting behavioural change for leaders and it’s proven by leading third-party training auditor since 2009 based on more than 10’000 measurements.

Inga and Regina are both experienced leaders and trainers.
🆕 Inga Kalna delivers Leadership Transition Programs across the Baltics and Scandinavia for the last 10 years. Before joining Leadership Pipeline Institute, Inga has more than 15 years of experience in the banking sector. Thanks to her various roles, she has gained solid expertise in business development, change management and leadership development.

🆕 Regina Reke has provided LP trainings since 2020. She speaks five languages and delivers Leadership Transition Programs in Latvian, Lithuanian and English, enabling companies in 🇱🇹 Lithuania or 🇱🇻 Latvia to organise learning process in their native tongue, while for mixed Baltic groups – in 🇬🇧 English.
Before joining Leadership Pipeline Institute, Regina has been actively involved for more than half a decade working as a business trainer and consultant. Her more than 15-year experience in diverse industries (transportation, travel, construction,) in leading positions, has built substantial know-how in leadership and business development.

Together we can really leverage your company’s competitive advantage!

We are pleased to announce that in 2021 we started cooperation with the Leadership Pipeline Institute in Denmark, which allows us to bring a globally recognized Leadership Pipeline framework to our customers.

Imagine a company that has a CFO but does not have a budget process and no accounting system. In such circumstances, it is difficult for a financial manager to succeed. Financial processes create clarity and certainty, financial matters are under control and problems are easy to talk about.

Less attention is paid to the fact that management itself is one of the functions that ensure the success of the company and needs also an internal system. Usually, management is considered a general topic, for example, it is discussed whether Rein is a good leader at large, but the data is insufficient to make such an assessment. At best, there is annual employee feedback. This is one reason, why the efficiency of management training is low, as a rule, less than 15%.

The Leadership Pipeline approach helps to create an internal management system that recognizes the value created by each level of leadership and formulates specific behavioral expectations to get the job done. This provides an opportunity to select, assess and develop performance on a specific basis. Rein can be a good leader of others but may not want to do the job of leader of leaders. Mihkel is an excellent functional leader, but in order to develop into the role of a business leader, he should work more with some skills. And no one has to feel bad about it. Because everybody knows the value that each level of management creates and what needs to be developed in order to move to the next level.

The Leadership Pipeline framework provides a common language and a common understanding of what needs to get done and by whom, helping to solve problems, make decisions, and use opportunities across the organization. The whole value chain will work more efficiently. The head of the company can deal with strategic issues and communication with various stakeholders, as the leaders in his team develop their areas, cooperate effectively with each other, and manage the implementation plans. There is an overview of succession available for each level, as managerial work and the necessary skills are regularly monitored and developed across the organization.

If you want more information on how to create an internal management support system and develop leaders, look here or book an appointment for a free consultation here.

Prosci is committed to continually searching for better ways to manage the people side of change.

Part of Prosci’s promise is ensuring that they provide the most up-to-date thinking, research and models within their programs. Each year they release updated content, program design, research and tool enhancements. This year’s updates are some of the most robust Prosci has ever produced.

They listened to the Prosci Community and, using a Design Thinking approach, began collecting information to empathize and understand the needs and problems of change practitioners. They used the data to define their focus and concentrate efforts to address the most urgent, pervasive and high-value issues for practitioners.

The core of the Prosci Methodology is still the same, but the enhancements driven by your input have created a more effective, applicable, and actionable methodology. Download this guide first for an overview of what is changing and how it impacts your role, as you interact with the content. 

Use the resources below to review the core content of the Prosci Methodology

Read these articles to learn about key concepts of the Prosci Methodology. These articles do not compare the legacy and updated models and methodology, but they will provide a clear overview of the current thinking. Once you read through the overview guide, download our FAQ document for additional information.

• The Prosci Methodology 
• Unified Value Proposition
• 5 Tenets of Change Management
• The Prosci Change Triangle (PCT) Model Overview
• The Prosci 3-Phase Process (Change Management Process)
• Core Roles
• Change Management Plans

Watch these webinars for an even more in-depth explanation of these key concepts.

• ADKAR: The Five Building Blocks of Individual Change
• The Prosci Change Triangle (PCT) Model: Tracking Project Health
• Connect and Activate Your Change Roles

If you’re ready to upgrade and want to refresh your Prosci change management knowledge and license, then our Prosci Refresher Program is exactly for you. Read more from here.

Organisations are constantly undergoing change. Whether organization is implementing a new strategy and culture or responding to market trends like digitalisation, change is a necessary and vital part of long-term organisational success.

Yet, all too often, people react to changes so differently. Have you ever wondered why? What are some of the change management strategies to handle these various reactions? One of the reasons that change efforts fail is when leaders fail to take the human side of transition into account.

In the landmark change management study of more than 100 companies over 10 years, Harvard Business School professor John Kotter, reported the incredible finding that approximately 70% of change initiatives fail. Whether it was a large scale or a smaller scale change, it often failed to achieve the necessary commitment. This is where DiSC® assessments can help.

Using DiSC psychometric model to understand these differences along with Prosci® change management tools will go a long way to facilitating change and managing people more effectively.

The DiSC model is constructed on two behavioral dimensions which form four basic profiles. Each profile, or behavioral prototype, describes preferred environments, communication styles and workplace relationships. The profiles also indicate the greatest fears, motivators, stressors and attitudes toward change.

Without thoughtful leadership to manage personalities within your team, changes can become much more difficult on people and will ask a lot from leaders.

One of the most frustrating things for leadership can be employee resistance to change. “Why can’t they just get on board and do what’s needed to get this initiative done?”. But that would be too easy…

Importance of understanding other personalities

During change, the emotional intelligence of yourself and others is critical for:

• Keeping employees engaged and productive
• Decreasing resistance, stress and conflict
• Maintaining the quality of services that customers need and expect

Using the DiSC Profile can be a very powerful tool to carefully assess people on key change competencies.  Not all people embrace change with the same level of enthusiasm. A percentage of the population will dread the prospect of change, while others cynically deny that change will actually ever happen.

By understanding what DiSC styles are more represented in the organization we can predict the potential success or failure of change initiatives and anticipate if they likely will either positively or negatively impact the change process. Ignore these issues, and the probability of delay and change failure increases.

When planning the change process, develop a richer, multidimensional picture of employees and how they view change.  Remember the adage, “We love change, as long as someone else does it!”  That simple picture speaks volumes.

DiSC helps to develop a deep understanding of each person’s motivators, their limitations and their challenges. Be realistic about what to expect from each individual dealing with the change process. Then, plan accordingly.

Change management for High D’s

High D’s make quick decisions, are on board with change easily and are happy to move forward towards a goal. They are daring and risk-takers. They can be innovators who love new ideas. On the surface, this is a wonderful asset, and momentum is needed to drive change, but they sometimes don’t wait for all the details of a plan before they act. High D’s tend to have a hard time tolerating the conversations necessary to construct the execution plan. This can negatively impact the team’s ability to reach its goals. It’s important to give them an immediate task they can accomplish right away that is part of the larger plan so they can act quickly and achieve a win early in the change process.

What does the D style need during times of change?

Progress: being able to get results quickly and efficiently

Control: having influence over decisions that affect them and their success

Justification: knowing how and why changes were made

Change management for High i’s

High I’s usually get excited about the initiative and want to talk about it. They show great enthusiasm and are early adopters of an initiative. I style openly share their ideas and are usually fun to work with. The challenge with high I’s is focusing them during the execution phase and not letting them get sidetracked chasing the next idea that excites them. Strategies for this group are games, themes and smaller goals that engage their desire for stimulation. They also make great advocates of the initiative. Use High I’s to inspire other members of the team who may need additional encouragement to get on board.

What does the i style need during times of change?

Excitement: being part of energizing new opportunities

Being heard: knowing that their opinions and feelings about the change(s) are heard

Relationships: maintaining a connection with important people in their world

Change management for High S’s

High S’s can be challenging on the surface because they don’t fundamentally like change. They like the status quo that is predictable and calm. “If it isn’t broke don’t fix it.” It’s important to involve them as early as possible in the change process to allow them time to get used to a new idea.  Although initially they can be frustratingly slow adopters, this group can become your best advocates for an initiative once they have time to understand the logic behind a change and they feel engaged in the change management process and their role in it.

What does the S style need during times of change?

Reassurance: knowing that things are under control and will turn out okay

Harmony: freedom from tension, conflict, and ongoing stress

Direction: knowing where we are headed and what is expected of them

Change management for High C’s

High C’s have excellent analytical skills, are superb at knowing the details and are very systematic and careful in their work style. They will catch mistakes and keep the team honest when reporting stats and results.  The challenge with this style is that they need all the details upfront, and their questions and feedback can come across as resistant and negative.  It’s important to learn to embrace these qualities and use them to enhance the team by asking them to help in creating a detailed execution plan. This group may need to be encouraged to move toward the bigger goal, but C’s are an invaluable resource to a team’s success.

What does the C style need during times of change?

Competence: knowing that they can do their jobs well and maintain credibility

Understanding: knowing the implications of the change(s) and maintaining their expertise

Stability: having a sense of predictability and freedom from chaos

Are these generalities? Yes. And every person and organization is unique. But the more the leaders understand behavioral styles, the more they can work within each person’s zone of strength to position the team for success in managing change.

Multidimensional communication is always the key to change project success. Business leaders cannot effectively manage and clearly communicate changes without understanding the personalities of their people and the motivators behind them. DiSC along with ADKAR creates a powerful language for change management and gives leaders a framework for helping people embrace and adopt changes through effective communication and better self-control. Embracing change means putting people first.

WHAT’S YOUR DISC PROFILE?

Reach out to us at info@changepartners.ee to get your personal DiSC profile today to learn about your own DiSC style.

Referred sources:

https://ipbpartners.eu/eng/what-is-disc/

https://www.assuredstrategy.com/change-management/

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/disc-profile-3-ways-align-people-change-process-joanne-flynn/

Changes ultimately come to life through the individuals who have to do their jobs differently as a result of a project or initiative. Whether the project involves a process impacting 15 people, new technology impacting 150, or a transformation impacting 15,000, the success of the project is inextricably linked to the success of each of those individuals. Did they get on board, or did they stay on the shore? 

To help visually depict this, imagine two ships: one where the people’s side was managed effectively, and one where it was not. In both cases, a beautiful ship was constructed, and it now needs a full working crew. However, one ship was left isolated and empty while the other ship was full of life and people who “got on board.” Below are the types of things you might hear from a project leader in each situation. 

Think about the projects and initiatives you’ve supported - 
have they been more like the comments on the left or the comments on the right? 

It is your choice: Have you done what is needed to get people on board, or have you just built a beautiful ship?

*Adapted from an original blog post by Tim Creasey, Prosci.com

The way we team is more important now than ever before.

Read the latest research report from Wiley to understand the challenges teams are facing today and how The Five Behaviors® could be the solution for building truly cohesive and effective teams.

State of Teams is a great resource regarding the need for strong teamwork skills in today’s work landscape. The report covers new research from Wiley conducted in the last two months on the dynamic nature of teams in today’s workplace, based on insights from over 20,000 employees.

Change Partners joins forces with 7 other European Prosci partners to form the network of The Change Competency Builders.

Why we think it will be beneficial to our clients?

In Europe there are many companies that have sites in multiple countries, that could be serviced more consistently in applying change management. This new partnership will enable our customers to drive change globally, while building change competency locally. The network will have ability to provide localized services to clients in 20+ European countries: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Scandinavia, Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Czech Republic, Ireland, the Baltics, Finland, the Balkans, Romania.

We will accelerate the human factors in the organisations’ change initiatives:

• Speed of adoption: we will increase the speed of adoption by providing a market-recognized global standard, together with country based consultancy
• Ultimate utilization: we will facilitate an organization to implement faster and on a larger scale consistently because we provide the same method and tools at any site of the organization
• Proficiency: not every site will have the same challenges, our network can tailor the Prosci approach site wise and when needed in local language with local flavor

Read more about CCB.network on our website.

Article by Michelle Haggerty – COO of Prosci

Sometimes we change because we want to. Sometimes we change because we have to. Due to COVID-19, people and organizations around the globe are adapting to involuntary changes of all kinds. How we choose to use this time will determine how we can grow from it.

FORCED CHANGE AS A DEFINING MOMENT

Part of my role is to connect with other leaders across industries and geographies with a goal of understanding the most pressing issues they’re addressing. Over the last two months, these leaders have shared insights about the challenges and opportunities they’re facing from the global pandemic.

The volume of change is high for nearly everyone. Many leaders are asking their people to adapt to more change in the last five months than in the last five years. Yet, forward thinking leaders are looking for opportunities to make the most of the paradigm shift that is occurring. As a change leader, I am encouraged by this. Whenever we are forced into a change, the way we approach the challenge will determine how it affects and ultimately defines our organization.

THE POWER OF CHANGE-ENABLING ROLES

One way to maximize the growth opportunity in front of us is to enable our people with the right skills. This lays the groundwork for organizations to pivot faster, achieve better outcomes, and emerge from this pandemic more change-agile than ever before.

Every individual—from front-line employees and people managers to Agile team leads and senior leaders—has a specific role to play in change. Prosci’s two decades of research offers clear insights into role-based capabilities and how developing them effectively enhances success. When people understand the importance of their roles and step into them during change, the speed and quality of change increases dramatically.

The change roles here at Prosci have been put to the test by the involuntary changes we had to make during the pandemic. We have needed to pivot in many of the same ways our clients have: moving to a remote workforce practically overnight, shifting to virtual delivery of our training programs within a couple of weeks, and maintaining our vibrant culture without being in our vibrant office. Change at this pace is never perfect and we have learned a lot along the way. But I could not be prouder. It’s a testament to the character of our firm and our shared belief in the difference we can make.

What makes a critical difference at Prosci is that everyone is very clear on their role in change. Our executive team, people managers, project managers, change managers and individual contributors are trained and coached on their specific change roles. As a result, each of us was able to quickly mobilize and orchestrate the many involuntary changes required.

Sustainable change takes a village. And change happens much faster when we have clear expectations for each change-enabling role. When we understand these roles and equip people to play them, we can turn challenging times into high-growth opportunities for ourselves as leaders and for each person in the organization.

WE ARE HERE FOR YOU

As you transition to the next reality for your organization, all of us at Prosci are listening and adapting to help you solve your change challenges. We remain committed to providing virtual, role-based resources and content to help everyone in your organization step into their change role. Together, let’s seize this opportunity to grow personally and professionally—and come out of this pandemic more change capable than ever.

Original Prosci blog post can be found here.

How to harness the full capability of a scattered (and frazzled) team

Written by Liz Wiseman
Contributors: Alyssa Gallagher, Judy Jung, Lauren Hancock, and Jayson Sevison

Also take a look at the DiSC model for guidance on how to better lead remote teams: https://www.changepartners.ee/disc/

Microsoft, Apple, Disney, IBM, Airbnb, Uber

What do these entities have in common?

They’re iconic leaders of their industries.

And they were all formed during recessions.

We’re almost certainly in a recession right now. The official scorekeepers won’t call it that until we have two quarters of negative growth, but the odds of a recession are now close to 100%.

That can be scary. The fact that recessions are inevitable does not reduce how painful they can be, especially if you’re laid off or lose your business.

But recessions do have an accelerating effect on the grit, drive, and determination of entrepreneurs to solve problems. That’s encouraging in the short run — the push to find a treatment and vaccine for the novel coronavirus might be the most determined effort to solve a scientific threat since the Manhattan Project.

But it’s encouraging in the long run, too.

Recessions can focus resources and highlight problems that need to be solved better than boom times can. They push companies to be scrappy and resilient. Look through history, and the most meaningful inventions did not come during cozy periods of growth. They are born from necessity, during times of tragedy like the Great Depression (shopping malls), wars (rockets, nuclear energy), and geopolitical threats (GPS).

This is more than anecdotal.

Necessity is the mother of invention, and there’s evidence that entrepreneurship increases during recessions. Of course, recessions occur a small minority of the time. But according to the Kaufman

Foundation, more than half of Fortune 500 companies were founded during a recession or bear market.

Hard times focus innovation. “The excess energy released from overreaction to setbacks is what innovates!” Nassim Taleb once wrote.

Recessions hurt people; saying they have a silver lining is probably a step too far. But we may look back years from now and marvel at all the innovation that took place that wouldn’t have been possible had we been living in a cozier, safer world than we are today.

Author: Motley Fool, Morgan Housel March 27, 2020