Succeeding in the Maelstrom of Change

• Jan Wilson, M. Ed., SHRM-SCP, SPHR, Principal at Wilson And Associates Consulting Services

What is Change Management?

You can’t teach someone to swim when they are drowning. [11:00] Great blog post by Rajiv Jhangiani called Pivots, Pirouettes, and Piques: Gracefully Managing the Anxieties of Remote Teaching and Learning. Interesting commentary on the similarity of dance and teaching online. 

Faculty anxiety is a range of lower and higher amounts based on type of delivery and familiarity with the technology, how much of the course and content needs to be re-designed, how much time you have to prepare, and how much support you have. 

You are not alone. Change is moving through so many different industries. 

Higher Education Changes Prior to COVID-19

Student Centered Learning – [20:30] New institutional forms will take shape from new knowledge, new tools, how much we use those tools, how we better understand learning, and how we learn to manage change.

Digital Transformation – Demographics are changing, too. Students can be a veteran, single parent, or displaced workers. (Here is a link to the white paper on this topic.)

Workplace Readiness – [22:00] Shifting mindset to “what do you know” becomes more important than “where did you go”. Interesting innovation around stackable credentials to offer better visibility of work-ready skills. Students will need to demonstrate their capacity and capability for adaptation.

Why is Change So Hard? 

• Is this the right way to go? 
• Did we think of everything?
• We have to do something!
• Bottom line: Think about the people.

5 Things You Should Know about Change Management

Overview of change management with topics that work in business and higher education. [25:40]

1. Get smarter about what change management is and is not. 
2. Change management really can work. 
3. All constituencies must be secured. 
4. Don’t outsource your responsibility for managing change. 
5. Adopt a “bucket approach” way of thinking.

Where Can We Get Help? 

There are different types of change models, depending on your budget and needs. 

• Kotter Eight Step Change Model
• ADKAR Model
• ACMP’s Standard for Change Management

• Succeeding in the Maelstrom of Change Slides
• Succeeding in the Maelstrom of Change: Unique Challenges in Higher Education
• Planning for Resilience, Not Resistance (Phil on EdTech)
• Pivots, Pirouettes, and Piques: Gracefully Managing the Anxieties of Remote Teaching and Learning (KPU Teaching & Learning Commons)
• John Kotter (Change Expert)
• Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP)
• 4 Ways to Stay Sane During the Pandemic
• COVID-19 Recovery and Planning Must Include Student Perspectives (Phil on EdTech)
• Power of Breath (TED Talk)

Note: This summary is live-blogged from the session so you can quickly scan the content. The time stamp for the video is included in parenthesis to help you get to  specific quickly.z