Change is hard! We all resist change on some level – whether it’s a change requiring us to work differently, a change in our personal lives, or simply a change in our scheduled dinner plans. Change in a business setting is hard because there are often many stakeholders involved and communications about the change are sometimes sparse, late, or don’t get to the right people at the right time.
As facilitators, we may find ourselves in between those who are initiating the change and those who are resisting the change. We may be called upon to gather requirements, develop strategic plans, conduct process improvement sessions, or facilitate dialogue to address resistance to the change.
Strategies for overcoming this resistance depend on knowing as much as you can about the stakeholders (e.g., attitudes, interests, needs, and history of past change initiatives). Sometimes, simply opening a dialogue about the issues with the folks who are pushing back is enough. Sometimes, the resistance is because they can't get anyone to listen or because they don't have enough information about the change. Other times, resisters have legitimate issues that need to be addressed.
Choosing strategies to overcome resistance often depend on the how much is known about the change, its impacts, and the motivations of particular stakeholders. During this webinar, we will explore:
1. How to recognize the signs of resistance
2. Why people resist change
3. Strategies to turn challengers into change supporters
Linda Howard specializes in helping nonprofit organizations make better use of resources so they can focus their energies and passions toward achieving better mission results. She is the principal consultant and founder of Howard Consulting, LLC. Linda is both a Project Management Professional (PMP) and a Certified Management Consultant (CMC).
Linda has helped nonprofit executive teams and Board members develop strategies for improved organizational sustainability, develop new business models, improve project and program management processes, create business capture planning and proposal development strategies, define strategic and functional requirements, and implement new information technology systems. She has also facilitated meetings with federal agencies to solicit feedback on future information technology initiatives.
Linda has over 25 years of experience in project management, change management, facilitation, strategic planning, outreach and communications, business process reengineering, and systems integration. She has led full project lifecycle project management activities in nonprofit, commercial, state, and federal government sectors. Ms. Howard is President of the Board of Directors for the National Capital Region chapter of the Institute of Management Consultants (IMC). She is also a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI), International Association of Facilitators (IAF), the Mid-Atlantic Facilitators Network (MAFN), Association for Talent Development (ATD), and Chesapeake Bay Organization Development Network (CBODN).
Linda loves living in the country and spends her spare time hiking, and gardening in Poolesville, Maryland – which is surrounded by farmland and is about an hour from everywhere in western Montgomery County.
