“They appeared to know enough to justify their jobs, and nothing more.” — Michael Lewis, The Big Short

Michael Lewis described financial experts who missed the signs of the housing crash—but his words resonate just as strongly when describing ineffective change management experts. Many arrive armed with impressive frameworks yet lack the real insight needed to drive meaningful change.

If you’re selecting an organizational change management (OCM) vendor, you’re likely facing significant challenges. Here’s what makes choosing the right partner difficult—and how you can overcome these obstacles.

Why Selecting an OCM Vendor is Tough

The field is still evolving.

Change management began emerging in the early 20th century with the development of organization psychology, and Kurt Lewin’s three stage model (unfreeze-change-refreeze). It wasn’t until the 1980s and 1990s, with the rise of enterprise software like Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, that structured change management became critical.

Because ERP touches nearly every function of a business, from finance and human resources to supply chain and operations, these sweeping implementations required disciplined, organization-wide change management that aligned with each phase of the software rollout.

Only recently have organizations seriously invested in internal OCM capabilities.

Change management is intangible.

Unlike technology implementations or capital expenditures, defining success in change management can be elusive. Should employees be happy? Should everyone agree? How do you measure employee acceptance or behavioral shifts? This intangible nature makes proving direct causation challenging.

Like branding, change management invests in outcomes that aren’t always immediately measurable. Both require belief, patience, and strategic commitment to reveal their true impact over time.

The stakes are high.

Poor change management can have severe financial and reputational consequences.

In 2024, a record 2,221 CEOs exited their roles, often due to failed strategic changes and technology misfires.

Notable examples include Unilever and Intel, both experiencing leadership turmoil and layoffs due to inadequate change management.

Common Pitfalls with Change Management Vendors

To uncover what differentiates effective OCM vendors from ineffective ones, I spoke with Patrick Gong, Senior Director of Digital Finance Transformation at The Campbell’s Company, and Cara Bilinski, a global transformation leader with over 20 years experience. They highlighted four critical pitfalls:

1. Consultant Bait-and-Switch: Firms often win contracts with senior teams but delegate actual work to inexperienced consultants. “You can get an A player or a C player from the same company, ” advises Bilinski. “You need to meet the person doing the work, not just the sales team.”
2. Technical Skills Without Behavioral Aptitude: Many consultants possess strong technical knowledge but lack essential skills in psychology, communication, and instructional design. “Most people don’t know everything—and they don’t need to,” Bilinski said. “What matters is bringing together people with deep skills who can partner, listen with empathy, and build a shared understanding.”
3. Excessive Focus on Frameworks: Firms that prioritize theoretical models without practical execution risk failing to achieve real-world readiness. Gong emphasizes, “OCM is about empathy, communication, and cultural understanding – not just methodology.”
4. Executive-Only Engagement: Effective OCM requires engaging employees at every level, not just with senior management. Gong points out, “The best consultants connect quickly and easily with the entire audience.”

Five Questions to Identify the Right Vendor

Selecting the ideal OCM vendor involves asking insightful questions—and carefully listening for red flags and reassuring signs.

1. How do you handle employee resistance?

Red flags: Focusing solely on leadership to cascade changes.

Green flags: Direct employee engagement through working sessions, feedback opportunities, and partnerships with those impacted by the change.

2. Who will actually work on our project?

Red flags: Vague assurances about senior leadership involvement.

Green flags: Specific identification of project team members and clear examples of past work.

3. How do you adapt change management frameworks?

Red flags: Rigid adherence to standard models.

Green flags: Real examples of how they have adapted to suit different industries, cultures, or leadership styles.

4. How do you ensure employee engagement?

Red flags: Over-reliance on leaders presenting messages.

Green flags: Diverse communication methods tailored to various employee groups, with tailored timing, messaging, and methods.

5. How do you assess and adapt to our company culture?

Red flags: Disregard for cultural nuances.

Green flags: Active efforts to address the organization’s unique culture, subcultures, and norms within the change strategies.

The Core Competency Check

Lastly, ask whether OCM is central to their practice or merely an add-on. A vendor serious about change management treats it as a strategic competency—not an afterthought or a loss leader.

As Patrick Gong explains, “You can’t bolt change onto a project midstream. It has to be baked in early – ideally before kickoff – because that’s when people start forming first impressions of the project.”

The Bottom Line

Effective change management isn’t about polished frameworks or flashy presentations—it’s about genuinely connecting with people. The right vendor will partner with you to win hearts and minds, driving sustainable change. Asking the right questions early ensures you find a vendor ready to do exactly that.

Engage your non-tech-savvy workers during a supply chain transformation.

In today’s digital landscape, supply chain transformation isn’t just a tech upgrade—it’s a people-centric revolution. As companies modernize their operations and integrate state-of-the-art systems, they often face a challenge: how do we empower seasoned employees who might not be as comfortable with technology? Here are some essentials to reduce digital friction and enhance adoption.

Honor their expertise.

Non-tech-savvy workers are the backbone of your organization. They often understand the intricacies of operations better than anyone else.

Frame their engagement in your digital transformation as tapping into a well of their practical insights.

Because that’s what it is. You need the input and adoption of employees – especially those “on the ground.” So, rather than framing digital transformation as a stark departure from the ways they’ve made your company successful, position it as an evolution that builds on their expertise. This is a collaboration, so it must be based on mutual respect and shared goals.

Tell the right stories.

Sometimes, the best way to inspire involvement is by sharing success stories. Highlight case studies—both from within your organization and from others in your industry—where similar transformations have boosted efficiency and enriched the work experiences of team members.

Tell the story of a journey toward group success rather than an imposition of new rules and technology.

For example, when a manufacturing unit introduced an intuitive inventory management system, their veteran workers hesitated, but they eventually became the system’s biggest champions. How? Their real-world insights led to iterative improvements that made the tool more user-friendly for everyone. Telling real stories like that gives hope and validates the efforts of every worker involved.

Speak their language.

One of the most daunting aspects for employees who are not digital natives is the jargon. A lot of the complex language is just unnecessary. Transforming this narrative starts with simplicity:

Use relatable language. Avoid overly technical terms. Instead, explain connections between new systems and familiar tools or everyday processes.

Create visuals and demonstrations. Use diagrams, flowcharts, or even analogies from everyday life to illustrate how a digital tool will fit into their normal workday.

Break it down. Provide clear mini-guides or ‘cheat sheets’ that walk users through system functionality in bite-sized pieces. Work with the employees on the ground to develop make sure the cheat sheets use the right language.

Don’t forget the WIIFM. When you’re talking about the “why” of the new system, think from the employee’s point of view. Of course, the organizational strategy will be served, but how will the change make the work better – easier, more interesting, more impactful, or safer? Safety is a big part of the culture in industries like Manufacturing and Energy. Talk about how the new technology mitigates inherent risks like driving, working at heights, or working with heavy machinery.

By demystifying the technology, you turn it into a tool for empowerment instead of a barrier to engagement.

Train them effectively.

Non-tech-savvy workers don’t need a one-shot, super technical, intense session. They need a longer runway and an experience that makes sense to them. They need custom, personalized training and continuous learning opportunities.

Use trainers who know the work. Ask your functional subject matter expertise to identify employees who would make great trainers. People appreciate learning from their colleagues, not consultants. Spend adequate time training the trainers.

Build training around their job roles. Learning should happen in the context of their real job functions, so use realistic scenarios to set up demonstrations and practice activities. And teach only what they need. For instance, while managerial staff might need to understand analytics dashboards, shop-floor employees need to learn the functionality they need to keep the operation running.

Give learners a taste of success. Let users “play in the system” during training, using realistic scenarios and activities. Then, use a “sandbox” environment to allow them to practice after training and before go-live; they’ll get a better feel for the new ways of working.

Foster mentorship. Pair less digitally inclined workers with tech-savvy peers. This not only accelerates the learning curve but also builds camaraderie across generations and skill sets. And it gives the worker an on-demand source of support. Speaking of which…

Create on-demand resources. Workers can’t easily get to the performance levels you need inside a training session. They will continue learning on the job. So, give them easily accessible video tutorials, FAQs, job aids, and peer experts they can use and revisit at their own pace.

Support the real work after go-live. Make sure you have a support process in place. Where do folks go when they need help? Are they reaching out to the project team? Should they go to the helpdesk? What’s the process for submitting issues? Build the support system and answer all these types of questions.

By continuously supporting learning and offering multiple avenues of engagement, transformation becomes accessible—and even exciting.

Keep talking.

A successful transformation is built on two-way communication. Encourage your team to share their experiences, challenges, and their small wins with the new system. Here are some ideas.

Schedule regular check-ins. Schedule informal roundtable sessions or “digital clinics” where employees can voice concerns, practice new skills, and even suggest improvements. Set up lessons learned sessions or retrospectives to allow users to talk about things they’ve learned OR ways to do things better the next time. This is especially important when you’re doing multiple phases or rollouts.

Reinforce their progress. Celebrate milestones, whether it’s trying an online activity for the first time, completing training, mastering a new feature, or hitting a team performance metric. Every organization “celebrates” differently. Find out the best way to recognize your employees. For some organizations, it could be a certificate. Other organizations appreciate cold, hard cash! What works in your organization? The right recognition can transform apprehension into pride.

Use feedback loops. Solicit employee input to refine functionality, communications, training, and support resources. When workers see tangible changes stemming from their feedback, it reinforces their sense of ownership and trust.

Create an environment for your next success.

At its core, a supply chain transformation is about synergy. Create an environment where every employee, regardless of their technological proficiency, feels included in innovation.

Encourage cross-functional teams. Blend experienced non-techie workers with digital experts to work on projects together. That kind of diversity promotes broader perspectives and better problem-solving.

Invest in change leadership. Identify and empower internal ambassadors or “change champions”: who believe in the digital vision and can help bridge the gap. These leaders will naturally grow into mentors and drive motivation across the ranks. As you do, be mindful of culture and pick the right influencers. For example, first-line supervisors are the key to getting the masses on board in some organizations. Be realistic; sometimes the shop floor needs to hear a message from their direct supervisor, not someone from corporate HQ or even a respected peer.

Foster a culture of collaboration. Beyond formal training sessions, organize informal events or ‘lunch-and-learn’ sessions that naturally encourage sharing and learning.

A collaborative environment transforms the transformation project from a top-down mandate into a collective, inclusive mission.

Supply chain transformation is an opportunity to reimagine not only your processes but also the very fabric of your organization. By engaging non-tech-savvy workers and valuing their experiences, you can make your digital evolution inclusive, effective, and sustainable. Remember, transformation is not merely about installing new software; it’s about enabling the entire organization: people, process, and technology. Let’s bridge that digital divide and make sure everyone is part of the digital future.

Want to explore this topic in more detail or learn more about Emerson? Hop on his calendar: Book a meeting with Rich

Communicating to non-corporate workers about your change initiative means taking their point of view.

You know the feeling. Another email, another meeting, another agenda with follow-ups and action items. For corporate workers, this is all part of everyday life. We live and breathe Outlook.

But for non-corporate workers, daily life feels very different. The work doesn’t start and stop based on an Outlook calendar. The most important element of their job might be a piece of machinery, a truck, a product, or a live interaction with a customer.

These employees’ contributions don’t happen at a desk.

They’re not logging into company meetings or accessing SharePoint sites, but they are delivering on the mission of the company.

When you have a change impacting non-corporate employees, how do you reach them? Typical channels like email, meetings, or town halls aren’t going to cut it.

Think of a nurse working on the hospital floor. They’ve just finished an exhausting 12-hour shift, mostly on their feet. The last thing they want to do before they head home is read a long email with a list of bullet points about a new HR process. Consider the truck driver, about to start a shift of deliveries, being asked if they’ve watched the new video on the department SharePoint site. Even the sales professional, who might well be sitting at a computer, will see any time spent on internal company activities as time that could have been spent with customers.

Conventional methods may not work, but that doesn’t mean these groups are unreachable – it just means we need to meet them where they are. There are two good ways to do that. Both involve taking the employee’s point of view.

Talk about what matters to them.

When you work in the field, you care about the field. What happens in headquarters can feel a million miles away; that can make non-corporate workers resist internal communications.

So, show how the initiative is going to impact what they care about.

• A nurse is much more likely to tune in to a new initiative if it helps provide patients with better care. For example, talk about how the new technology is going to deliver a better patient experience. Motivate through altruism or the greater good.
• Truck drivers pay attention to anything about safety, compliance, or efficiency. Will the change make them safer, cut down on paperwork, or enable them to finish a route faster? If so, lead with that!
• Sales professionals want to stay sharp on product updates that could increase sales and help them meet their quota. Be direct. Show how the product updates differentiate your company from others on the market. Give them the talking points in a clear and concise way, so they can use them right away.

Deliver it in a way that makes sense for them.

In other words, stop thinking about how you would want to receive the information.

• The nurse might not want to read an email at the end of a shift but would be happy to listen to a short presentation during a morning huddle.
• The truck driver doesn’t want to login to a SharePoint site but would be happy to watch the video if it were delivered straight to their iPad during a short break.
• The sales professional might want one email a month — with all corporate updates – timed to align with when their sales forecast is due.

These non-corporate field teams are critical. They are the ones who make the magic happen – who surprise and delight the customer, maintain and improve the process, and get the product into the hands of those who need it. If we treat them with respect, understand that their world is different, and meet them where they truly are, then we can figure out how to make change work – for them and for the organization.

Want to explore the topic in more detail? We’d love to chat: Book a meeting

Use these tips to get people ready for what’s ahead.

I recently read Talent EQ’s 2025 STATE OF EQ REPORT: Balancing Efficiency, Engagement, and Adaptability in a Rapidly Evolving World. They shared insights from survey data across five themes:

I immediately jumped to Theme #5 “Navigating Change Amidst Limited Preparedness” to read their insights. Their advice on filling gaps in organizational preparedness was tactical, and maybe even predictable:

1. Communicate with transparency.
2. Involve impacted employees early in change.
3. Equip leaders to manage resistance and uncertainty.

I agree with these points, but what’s missing is the long game. The pace of change and transformational initiatives is only going to accelerate.

So, what can an organization do to build their “change muscle” and be prepared? Here are two ideas:

1. Make sure your change consultants leave you in a better place than when you started. (And that means the entire team, not just those impacted by your change initiative.) In other words, require the consultants to transfer change capability to your team as part of every change project. For example:

Tell your change management consulting partner which members of your team are in development roles for change management. Make it clear that you expect your partner to work closely with these individuals to build internal change capability.

Ask your consulting partner to package all the key change management deliverables into a playbook, so you have something to use for future initiatives.

Ask “why.” Make sure you seek to understand each change activity so education and insight is baked into the work.

2. Equip everyone in your organization to manage change, not just your leaders. Change is now business as usual, and it will take people at all levels to realize the value of your initiatives. Focus on developing new behaviors that will help everyone lead the organization through change.

Executives and sponsors should clear the way to victory for their teams. These behaviors include:

• Setting clear outcomes and measurements to define winning.
• Championing new ways of working.
• Getting the right team with the capabilities and capacity to execute and sustain the change.
• Ensuring the right decisions get made to deliver value.

People leaders should enable the change. These behaviors include:

• Helping the program team to get the right people with the right insights on the project.
• Cascading and leading change activities so they understand the needs of their people, gain their support, and address any concerns.
• Being the voice of their people, communicating to the initiative team people’s sentiments and readiness for the change.

Team members should develop their change mindsets. Behaviors to develop the right mindset include:

• Engaging in change activities to make their new ways of working more familiar.
• Escalating needs and concerns so they feel they’re part of a solution that works for them.

My change management delivery teams are in the trenches with their digital and technology program implementation teams. Their remit is to put people first in planning for change and transformation. I am grateful to Talent EQ for shining a spotlight and providing insights that start conversations that will drive value.

For more on organizational change readiness, see our posts on the three principles of successful behavior change and turning new behaviors into habits.

Want to explore the topic in more detail? We’d love to chat: Book a meeting

It’s everything that prepares employees to adapt and thrive.

Picture this: you’re about to build your dream house. How do you make sure it turns out just right? Presumably you start with the structure, not plumbing or paint colors.

Faced with a big organizational change, many project teams jump to communication as the cure-all.

They think that if they just tell employees the what, when, why, and how, that will be enough to smooth the transition and make the project a success.

Just as building a house has many parts, change management includes all the elements you need to help people adopt and sustain a change. Communication is one of those elements, but it’s not the only one. Effective communication alone won’t ensure the success of your initiative, just as a coat of paint alone won’t create your dream home—you need the walls in place first!

Let’s walk through the steps of constructing your project’s success.

The Change Management Plan is your blueprint

The blueprint is the start of your perfect house. This is your detailed roadmap, ensuring that each part of your house is designed to fit together perfectly. A solid change management plan aligns your efforts, identifies risks, and keeps everything on track. No one wants a last-minute disaster during construction, and the same goes for change management.

If you’ve ever tried building something without a plan, you know the result can be chaos. Change management is no different. So, before you start building, make sure you have a solid blueprint.

Leadership commitment and alignment form your foundation

Every house needs a solid foundation to stand on. Enter strong and committed leadership. Leaders should be the bedrock that supports everything else—guiding teams, lifting morale, and ensuring everyone is aligned with the organization’s vision and strategy. Without this strong foundation, your change initiative might collapse.

Example:

The leadership team of a large retail company played a crucial role in the successful implementation of a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. The CEO and senior executives were actively involved in the change process, regularly communicating the vision and benefits of the new system to employees. Their commitment and alignment ensured that the project stayed on track and that employees were motivated to embrace the change.

Impact Assessment is your plumbing and electrical

Before you help people through a change, you need to understand them. You must discover each stakeholder group’s predisposition and experience of the change. Who are they? What is their attitude toward change? What will impact them? How do they feel about those impacts? What are their fears and hopes? What do they need to get through to the other side? This phase is like laying down the plumbing and wiring—it’s hidden, but critical for the house to function smoothly. This is the way to make sure everything flows just right.

Example:

In a healthcare organization, a change management team conducted extensive interviews and surveys with impacted employees to understand their concerns about a new electronic health record (EHR) system. By addressing these concerns and involving employees in the design and implementation process, the organization was able to reduce resistance and ensure a smoother transition to the new system.

Training is your interior design

This is where the magic happens. Training is like designing the interior of your home. Equip your people with the tools they need to thrive in the new world you’re building. Don’t just use standard built-ins, appliances, and furniture and hope for the best; make sure everything is thoughtfully designed and aligned with their needs, so they can really use the house to its potential. A great training program is like a custom interior—well thought-out, practical, and essential for making the space a home.

Example:

A small nonprofit implemented a comprehensive training program to support the rollout of a new customer relationship management (CRM) system. The training included hands-on workshops, online tutorials, and one-on-one coaching sessions—all customized to address the specific needs of each stakeholder group. This ensured employees felt confident using the new system, leading to increased productivity, happier employees, and improved customer service.

Communication is your paint

Now, here’s the fun part: communication. Yes, it’s crucial, but it’s only effective once the rest of your house is in place. Communication is the paint that ties everything together, giving your project personality and vibrance. Be clear, consistent, and—here’s the twist—personalize it. Each stakeholder is like a different room, so make sure your methods and messages reflect their unique needs.

And remember, one communication is not enough to tell the full story. Just like each room will only look complete without multiple coats of paint, multiple communications will be your stakeholders’ visual and emotional reminder that things are happening. Keep them informed with updates, timelines, milestones, and the wins along the way. After all, a well-painted house makes each room feel right.

Example:

A nonprofit was adopting a new payroll system. The impact assessment revealed that the motivation to adopt the change varied by stakeholder group. Managers liked the new payroll system’s ability to track their team’s availability, making scheduling a breeze. Executives were excited to track how each team member was spending their workday, making it easier to recognize overlaps and redistribute work, thereby saving money. Employees were motivated by the new system’s ability to track their time more easily, saving them time and frustration.

Communication was tailored to each stakeholder group, highlighting their biggest motivation to adopt the change. This approach built excitement amongst the staff because they were regularly reminded of what was in it for them, specifically. The result? The staff was ready and eager to dive in when the new system was launched.

Feedback and adaptation are your landscaping

No house is complete without a bit of landscaping, right? Feedback is your landscaping—bright, surprising, and essential for keeping things fresh. Regular check-ins and remediations will ensure that your change initiative stays on track and continues to meet the needs of your stakeholders.

Example:

During the implementation of a new project management tool at a tech company, the change management team established regular feedback loops with employees. They conducted weekly surveys and held focus group sessions to gather input and make necessary adjustments. This iterative approach helped address and prioritize issues promptly and ensured that the tool met the needs of all users.

Sustainability plans are the maintenance

What happens after your house is built? Well, just like any great home, change initiatives require upkeep. What’s the plan for new team members who join down the road? What about the inevitable system or process updates?

Plan routine maintenance. Make sure there are people standing by to make and implement changes to the training and communications you’ve built. Make sure your training and resources are adaptable, and your success metrics are focused on the long-term health of the organization. Keep checking in, adjusting as needed, and stay engaged long after the dust settles.

The goal isn’t just to build a house—it’s to create a home that thrives for years to come.

Change management is much more than communication. It’s the thoughtful blend of planning, leadership, assessment, communication, feedback, training, and sustainability. Just like building a house, it requires patience, coordination, and a clear sense of purpose. If you focus on all these elements, you’ll end up with a change management strategy that achieves lasting results.

AI Tools and Tips for Beginners.

The beauty of AI is that it can be used by anyone, but its potential is realized only by those very skilled in it. In other words, most AI tools have a low barrier to entry and a steady learning curve. Invest a lot of time learning AI, and its benefits will feel limitless.

To illustrate this point, let’s look at the learning curve of another common tool; Excel. Let’s use Excel as an example. Excel has a low barrier to entry; entering data into a row and column, calculating sums is a skill that most folks can learn quickly. The ratio of time investment to effectiveness is low. Excel also has a gradual learning curve, and those who invest a lot of time are rewarded with a gorgeous, color-coded bundle of formulas that produce veritable wizardry.

(Shoutout to Mike Cassady and Micah Green, our resident Excel wizards.)

AI works like that. Low barrier to entry; steady learning curve; investment = greatness. So, how do you start? Specifically, how can learning and development practitioners unlock the power of AI when creating their next project or course? Let’s break it down into a few key tools and explore how we’ve used them on our projects.

The three tools we will explore are:

• ChatGPT
• Synthesia
• Midjourney

ChatGPT

Ya know it, ya love it. ChatGPT is an AI program, created by OpenAI, that can understand and write human-like text. It helps users by answering questions and having conversations on various topics.

I like to think of ChatGPT as my own personal (and very knowledgeable) assistant. As of August 2024, it is likely the best AI tool available today in terms of versatility, accuracy, capability, and usability.

Level-up your verbal content.

I see ChatGPT as an accelerator. Use ChatGPT to improve the syntax and verbiage of content you’ve already written. It will give you many options – alternate ways to say what you’re trying to say.

Have you ever looked at a sentence and felt there’s a better way to express it, but you’re drawing a blank? ChatGPT to the rescue!

My Prompt

Hey ChatGPT, here’s a sentence that I’m trying to improve the flow of. Can you give me 3 options for this?

“When implementing a software change that will influence every employee, these three most common causes for frustration must be considered.”

ChatGPT’s Answer

Sure! Here are three options to improve the flow of your sentence:

1. “When implementing a software change that affects every employee, it is essential to consider these three common causes of frustration.”
2. “As you implement a software change that impacts all employees, it’s important to take into account these three prevalent sources of frustration.”
3. “In the process of implementing a software change that will affect every employee, you should consider the following three common causes of frustration.”

My Prompt

I like option 3, but let’s shift a little bit and pose it in the form of a question. It will be a click-to-reveal slide and prompt the learner to discover these three causes on their own.

ChatGPT’s Answer

Great choice! Here’s a revised version of option 3 posed as a question for your click-to-reveal slide:

• “What are the three common causes of frustration to consider when implementing a software change that will affect every employee?”

At this point, I modify it to suit my preferences. In this case, I found it a bit too wordy, and the part about “every employee” felt redundant since it was mentioned earlier in the course. Therefore, I adjusted it to…

What Are the Three Leading Causes for Frustration When Initiating a Software Change?

Write learning objectives.

Sample Prompt

I am developing a course, and the learning objectives must align with these points. Provide me five options and please use terminology from Bloom’s Taxonomy: Level 2 when creating them.

Takeaway

The points you provide ChatGPT can be crude and segmented; you can “think out loud” as you provide it with enough content to generate an answer.

Write knowledge checks.

Sample Prompt

Help me create a knowledge check question with the following parameters:

• This must be a single-selection, multiple-choice question.
• Two of the distractors must align closely with the correct answer; one of them can be a bit further off.
• Answering the question correctly will demonstrate that the learner has achieved this learning objective.
• Provide customized feedback on why each choice is correct/incorrect.
• Here is the content: When initiating a change in software throughout the entire organization, things that must be considered are response effort, training needs, and providing ongoing support.”

Write a script.

Sample Prompt

Here is a paragraph of on-screen content I have written. Can you create a script for a narrator that will be in the second person? Use a tone that is informative and nurturing. Examples of this can be “It is normal to encounter resistance to technological changes in your workplace, so you’re not alone.”

Takeaway

When it comes to generative AI tools like ChatGPT, the limitations are often determined by the user. If you’re wondering whether ChatGPT can perform a specific task for you, it never hurts to ask!

Here’s what ChatGPT helped me do.

Synthesia

Access it here.

On one of our learning projects, we had some initial discussions with the client and discovered that they really wanted video narration from a facilitator or mentor throughout the series of courses.

They were considering hiring voice talent to do this, but there were logistical and cost concerns. First, the course content would be dynamic. Second, stakeholders would approve only deliverables that were close to the finished product, narration included. That would mean re-recording narration after every review cycle.

Because of these factors, we proposed using Synthesia. It provided video narration while also mitigating the logistical concerns.

After working with our SMEs, we created scripts for the first course with some input from ChatGPT. Then, we brought the scripts over to Synthesia.

Our initial thoughts about Synthesia were:

• The interface is straightforward and felt familiar, especially if you have experience working with video editors and other AI narration tools like WellSaidLabs.
• The inflection and presentation of the avatars, though clearly AI-generated, were in line with what we were looking for.

To reduce that “AI look,” we shrunk the MP4 output and placed it behind a frame that really tied everything together.

Here’s what Synthesia helped me do.

If my situation sounds familiar to you, consider looking into Synthesia. We found that it checked all the boxes.

Midjourney

Access it here.

Like ChatGPT, Midjourney is a generative AI tool that requires the user to provide a prompt. Midjourney uses your prompts to create imagery.

After a few working sessions with our client, we established a general theme for the courses. We were aiming for a sleek feel with a dark palette. Midjourney allowed us to generate imagery that fit within the theme and branding guidelines.

This tool has been a major timesaver when prototyping and creating visual mockups (Have you ever spent hours creating a concept only to have it declined within seconds?)

• In working sessions with our client, we established a general theme for the courses.
• We used Midjourney to create several options that fit the theme and their branding guidelines.
• After they selected their favorite option, we continued using Midjourney to develop more polished images until everyone was happy with the result.

Here’s what Midjourney helped me do.

Using AI on a learning and development project doesn’t have to be hard. The barrier is low, so get started! With creative prompting and a dedication to quality for learners, an instructional designer can produce great content efficiently.

Tips for post-go-live change management support.

System implementation projects are difficult. They are tedious. They are stressful. And yes, they are costly. Often, we just want to get to the end. Many people think the “end” is go-live, but it is not. Everything you did to get to that imaginary finish line we call go-live just gets you to the starting line of the new way of working for your team. In other words, go-live is the start of the change.

Large-scale change initiatives do take a toll on everyone involved, so it’s understandable that we just want to be done. Many times, organizations begin reducing the project team to save on the remaining budget.

It’s common for the Change Management team to be the first ones asked to leave — immediately following go-live, if not before. After all, the training is done, and you have been “communicating” for months. Why keep the Change Management team?

If you don’t know the answer to this question, talk to projects that released their Change resources at or before go-live. You may get varying responses, but the gist will be, “Don’t release your Change Management support too soon!”

There are critical tasks that should be supported by your Change Management team AFTER go-live. Things like:

• Post-Go-live Communications
• Post-Go-live Readiness Assessments
• Lessons Learned
• Key Performance Indicators
• Continuous Education / Training

Remember: Don’t release your Change Management support too soon.

Post-Go-live Communications

Hypercare typically runs for a month after go-live. During this time, users are working in the new system. Occasionally, they might reach out for help. Your Change Management team can help to coordinate the onsite Hypercare resources, monitor project mailboxes for questions, and provide any on-going ad hoc communication requests. They can also help by creating weekly updates to keep the senior leaders engaged as the organization takes its first steps with the new ways of working.

Post-Go-live Readiness Assessments

The most critical goal for change management is employee readiness. To that end, we conduct readiness assessments, both pre- and post-go-live.

• The results of pre-go-live assessments help you understand what to change before you proceed to go-live to give you the best chance of success. They can be used as a final stage gate; a green light on readiness means you go live.
• The results of post-go-live assessments tell you how to correct course on your current launch, and how to conduct future releases or phases.

In either case, your Change Management team will be best suited to facilitate the readiness process.

Lessons Learned

Your Change Management team can pull together your core project team, key leaders, and select individuals from your stakeholder community, to discuss lessons learned throughout the project.

This is a critical activity. Not only will these lessons help you in future releases and phases of the same project, but these knowledge nuggets will help you and your organization during future initiatives. It’s the way you retain institutional wisdom, getting smarter and sharper with each project.

The most critical goal for change management is employee readiness.

Key Performance Indicators

It is likely that your Change Management team helped to identify the key performance indicators (KPIs) for your project. Facilitating KPI tracking is a good role for Change Management, while other core team members ensure the system is functioning properly and keep the business running.

Continuous Education / Training

Training is usually conducted a few weeks prior to go-live. Once all users have been trained, your Change Management team will support the trainers as users practice in the sandbox leading up to go-live.

• After go-live, someone must figure out how brand-new users will be trained. What are the courses (related to this new system) new employees should take? Who will function as trainers after the project has ended? What role will HR (Human Resources) play in helping to onboard new employees with this new technology? Your Change Management team can help to develop the approach for post-go-live training.
• The Change Management team should also identify and support remedial training. Post-go-live is when you really find out how the new systems, processes, and people are functioning together. If something is wrong, indicated by project KPIs, post-go-live assessments, or employee concerns, additional training might be the solution.

So, as you can see, keeping your Change Management team on board for some time AFTER go-live can be beneficial. What you need depends on your project, your organization’s capabilities, and the scope of the change. You might not need to retain your entire team, but having at least one solid Change Management resource on your team after you go live can make a significant difference in your results as your company begins its new chapter.

Enterprise Resource Planning. The software that touches every single part of your business takes, on average, 18.4 months and roughly 3-5% of your revenue to implement.

Companies make these big investments because ERP can deliver efficiency, productivity, visibility, better forecasting, and data security, all while reducing costs. In fact, many companies consider ERP essential to their future. Nem Fontanilla, who has spent 27 years enabling global transformations, recommends that organizations “Design the ERP with the vision in mind and leverage it to accelerate the achievement of your team’s vision, not to enable the current reality.”

Unfortunately, most companies experience a rough ride on the way to those benefits. A friend of mine is CEO of a midsized company, and is in the the second year of a promised six-month cutover. When he described the team’s difficulties closing the books due to the cutover, and the accounting teams increasing frustration, another friend chimed in. His team had a similar issue with their ERP implementation. He described their reaction as “organ rejection.”

Is your organization fighting off the ERP implementation? Here are some of the reasons.

“No time for that.” It’s more than enough to get the day-to-day work done. Adopting a new system demands attention and energy that equates to another full-time job.

“The best person for this project already has a job.” If you want the new system to work well, you need your best people on the ERP team – the folks who know your business best. So who is running day-to-day operations while they’re focused on your company’s future? The irony is that they’re so essential to the business that they can’t be spared, yet they’re probably worried they won’t have a job when the project ends. You have two obstacles to staffing your ERP team right.

“It’s good enough.” The old system and process works well enough. The team works on auto-pilot – they know what to input and where to send it. They find it hard to imagine the benefits of an operational overhaul outweighing the urgency of the moment. And frankly, some departments might be right about that. They might find the new system is worse for them even though it benefits the company as a whole.

Feeling a little defeated? You’re not alone. It’s chaotic enough to run a business. Now you’re intentionally introducing something that might break it.

Here’s what to do.

Embrace the suck. Assume employees will hate it. It’s a big change. Every living person is here because our ancestors were paranoid enough to anticipate danger and survive. Your new system is an intruder.

Resist cliché communications. Do not create a basic elevator speech. Do not create “talking head” videos of your executives saying how important this is. You will reinforce every cynical assumption your people have about this effort. Instead, create a consistent message frame that is customized by the speaker based on the audience. For more on how to communicate, go here.

Communicate based on impact. Employees care about when they will be affected and how. If you communicate too much, people tune out. You’re just teaching people to ignore you. For each person or team, communicate just what matters, just enough, and just in time.

Say the thing. There’s a natural tendency to hold back information that’s unpleasant or undefined. But fight that urge; the more more explicit you are, the more you dispel confusion and build trust. Spell out your scope and your timelines. If there will be layoffs, say so. Identify who is impacted and how.

Show them this time is different. Sometimes employees resist a change because they equate it to another change that “failed.” So highlight the differences between this project and others in the past. Differences might include:

• New Approach
• Different Team
• Different Budget
• Tighter or Expanded Scope
• Different Focus
• New Code
• Different Timing

Create fresh starts. A long ERP initiative can feel like a slog. Psychologically, we respond better to beginnings and ends. Seize on any arbitrary beginning that feels real: a new quarter, a new phase, hitting a milestone, or new metrics (like testing or training numbers). Help the team and the organization feel the progress and success by celebrating those starts and ends.

Focus on one small win. For each job role, think of only one thing an employee can do to use the new system, even if it’s as trival as logging in. Have them do it, and have them do it often. Make sure it’s easy, and that the experience is positive – for example, that the screen they’re on actually works. This gives them a sense that they can be successful and it makes the new system feel more familiar.

Double-down on From-To. Nem Fontanilla, who has spent 27 years in change and transformation, recommends that teams “(design) end-user readiness activities with (the user’s) day in the life in mind. Help them contextualize and see the change from their vantage point.” Where do your current fields appear in the new system? It’s that level of detail employees will want. Where is the data people used to use – where is it now? Document that, and train that. The more specific you are, the easier you make it for your people.

Prepare to invest in cutover twice. You’re working toward an end state. But in between here and there is a transition state. The support materials you develop differ for each state. You need temporary processes and training for employees who have the context of how they work now. These transition materials will be irrelevant once you complete the cutover. The second set, your steady state materials, are for new employees who have never known your old processes. They live on going forward. Some people try to skip the transition investment and only invest in the end state. However, that forces employees to figure it out on their own, which is a bit like interrupting a line of ants – they find a new path, but you have no way to control or predict it.

Nem Fontanilla says, “Turning on the ERP is the beginning…The functional teams need support to fully realize the value. It does not just happen because the new capabilities are available.”

Getting past the organ rejection takes focus and preparation, but it can be done. The huge investment in your ERP requires no less.

Our advice: consider welcoming back this old new trend.

In just the last week, I’ve read several articles heralding the arrival of a new trend among office workers: Chronoworking. The term refers to the practice of adjusting your work schedule to align with those times of the day you’re most productive.

The only problem with this new trend? It’s not new.

In ages past, individual workers naturally gravitated toward work schedules that were most productive.  It was only as we entered the Industrial Revolution (with synchronized looms and mills) followed by the Information Age (with its cube farm/corner office dichotomy) that rigid scheduling became the norm.

But even then, there were notable exceptions. Thomas Edison famously took up to three naps a day; he found that the breaks in work allowed for new thoughts or solutions to a problem, and he had a pen nearby to capture thoughts upon waking.

Chronoworking: the practice of adjusting your work schedule to align with the times you’re most productive.

Growing up, I often watched my mom unpack files and manuals on government procurement from her bag and set them on our kitchen table to work on; she tended to do her best work in the evening hours. (With three boys at home, I can’t imagine how our house was conducive to work, but she found a way).

When I worked in an office, I would arrive an hour or more before the workday began; I found that I could accomplish more focused work in those first two hours of deep concentration than I could in the next nine hours.  Working from home, it’s not unusual for me to tackle one or two tasks between 4:30 and 5:30 am, go to the gym, and then return home to “begin” my workday.

Chronoworking is at a new point of inflection. Though working outside traditional office hours has been a “trend” for as long as people could carry home a briefcase, it’s gotten a boost from recent world events and innovations. VPN connections and cloud platforms make it easier. Covid made it normal; the abrupt work-from-home transition necessitated some work hour flexibility that people aren’t keen to relinquish during the return-to-office wave.

It’s now so ubiquitous that we feel we can say it out loud: We don’t all work well at the same times. That’s okay.

So, if you are a leader in your organization and you see this “trend” on the horizon, what do you do?

• Think about your own work patterns. I struggle to think of one executive or entrepreneur who does not (instinctively or intentionally) structure their work patterns to leverage their most productive times of the day. In fact, most leaders get to where they are in large part because they optimize their work patterns. If you have benefited from work flexibility, shouldn’t your employees?
• Foster trust and ownership. You hired great people, right? So let them be great. Give them some choice in the way they deliver on their mission. Working at the right times doesn’t just make people more productive, offering choices makes them feel in control and trusted, which is motivating. If you really need team members to hold down the pneumatic lift on an office chair between 8 AM and 5 PM to feel they’re productive, are they really the best people for your organization anyway?

We don’t all work well at the same times. That’s okay.

• Communicate clearly and intentionally. Employees using flexible work schedules must have stated expectations and accountability. And they need to understand the purposes and benefits of work flexibility. Be intentional in the balance between flexibility and cohesion. For example, create common times when the team comes together, virtually or physically. This sends an important message: While we all work differently, we are one team working toward a goal together.

Allowing chronoworking is a change for many teams, and we know that change is hard. We also know that the most successful organizations embrace change.

Executive Facilitation

Part 5: Use the Emerson difference as inspiration for your sessions.

The team at Emerson Human Capital have constructed and facilitated thousands of executive sessions. In this time we think we’ve learned a thing or two. Here’s how we do executive facilitation differently.

We say the thing.

Before the session, we uncover big issues and potential effects of the decisions coming out of the session. The first step is a conversation with the sponsor or lead executive. We ask things like, “If this meeting goes sideways, why might that happen? Personalities? Politics? Sensitive initiatives? What will the consequences be? This gets us ready to address any elephants that might wander into the room.

Before the session, we uncover big issues and potential effects of the decisions coming out of the session.

Then, as we conduct the session, we set up discussions and activities to remove obstacles and get the tough decisions made. We remind participants that they are the leaders of the organization, and if it were easy, anyone could do it. They won’t be successful unless they lean in and get through the hard stuff.

We make them better decision-makers.

Whenever possible, we combine team effectiveness and business strategy. While execs are together, why not get better at moving the ball forward? Synergy is the word. Sometimes, what comes between a leadership team and its business goals isn’t about facts and figures, it’s about emotional attachment to ideas, or bad team dynamics.

We design on the fly.

If you keep your eye on the prize, and your current agenda isn’t moving it closer, what do you do? You recalibrate and shift, live.

Nothing is more important than getting the group to its outcomes

As facilitators, we take in the vibe, synthesize what we’re getting from the group, and reassess the trajectory of the session Many times, we have redesigned an agenda or activities on a lunch break or after day one of a two-day session. Nothing is more important than getting the group to its outcomes – certainly not our precious agenda and pretty slides. We’re happy to revise them or ditch them and go to the whiteboard to get the right work done.

We don’t deliver a lecture.

A facilitator is not a presenter. He or she facilitates the group’s work. Our job is to manage the process, offer concepts and information, set up scenarios, facilitate discussion and work, get consensus on decisions, and prepare the team for the next steps.

We facilitate in the context of change.

Every executive working session is intended to make a difference, so we view it through the lens of change. We don’t see the working session as an event, but as part of a change process. So, as we plan the session, we plot a course by asking key questions: What Is the ultimate business result we need? What has to happen before, during, and after the session to make sure we get to that goal? And how do we make those results sustainable? Once we answer those questions, we conduct the session. We show participants the whole journey. We make sure we get the outcomes we intend out of the session. Then we define next steps, responsibilities, milestones, and metrics.

We bring our change experience into the room.

We’re not facilitators who happen to know something about organizational change. We’re change practitioners with decades of experience. That means we bring in real-life examples that illuminate the problem executives are trying to solve. We can also identify pitfalls, in the room, and help the group avoid them. And, of course, we set the group up to make real change from the outcomes of the session.

We’re not facilitators who happen to know something about organizational change. We’re change practitioners with decades of experience.

We use behavioral science to help the session count.

We don’t “deck and dash.” Coming out of the session, we are ready to help executives implement their decisions. We do that with the help of science-based methodology. For example, we create motivation profiles that help each group of stakeholders adopt the change. We use three levers that make change stick: making the change feel familiar, controlled, and successful. And we use the power of the organization’s “early adopters” to create momentum toward the goal.

Put another way, we don’t want to leave our clients with a really expensive three-ring binder. We leave them with real, sustainable change that has business impact. You can use these ideas to improve your outcomes too.

ICYMI: Executive Facilitation Series Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 & Part 6