Push Organizational Change To The Front Lines

Push Organizational Change to the Front Lines
Engage managers and supervisors in organizational change management success.
Info-Tech Research Group Inc. is a global leader in providing IT research and advice.
Info-Tech’s products and services combine actionable insight and relevant advice with
ready-to-use tools and templates that cover the full spectrum of IT concerns.
© 1997-2019 Info-Tech Research Group Inc. Info-Tech Research Group 1
Table of contents
1. Project Rationale
2. Execute the Project/DIY Guide
Phase 1: Enhance the Change Management Competencies of Frontline Managers

1.1: Adopt a tactical approach to employee coaching plans
1.2: Engage managers and supervisors in the change management process
3. Appendices
Info-Tech Research Group 2

ANALYST PERSPECTIVE
Don’t overlook your most valuable organizational change management
resources.
If organizational change management efforts don’t reach staff on the front

lines – or fall flat when they hit the front lines – then change initiatives are
bound to fail.
To effectively reach staff, managers and supervisors can be an

indispensable resource in the implementation of change. They are the ones
directly dealing with staff daily, on the ground. The sad thing is most
organizations fail to properly engage and employ frontline managers in
change management efforts, leaving managers ill-equipped to deal with
frontline uncertainty and resistance.
Improve frontline morale and change management outcomes by providing

your frontline managers with the competencies they need to be
organizational change leaders.
Matt Burton,
Research Director, Project Portfolio Management
Info-Tech Research Group

Our understanding of the problem
This Research Is
is Designed For: This Research Will Help You:
 Organizational change managers or project  Equip frontline managers with a toolkit and a
managers who need to engage business set of activities to play a more active role in
representatives and functional managers to the organizational change management
foster change acceptance and adoption process.
among frontline employees.  Prepare end users for change impacts in
order to improve adoption rates.
This Research Will Also

Assist:
Assist: This Research Will Help You:
Them:
 CIOs who need to foster better business  Develop a change management process with
accountability for change management clear responsibilities and accountabilities for
success. business sponsors and business units.
 PMO directors who need to develop or round  Customize a change management workbook
out an organizational change management to deploy to line managers.
toolkit.

Executive summary
Situation
1. Equip managers and supervisors to
• As an organizational change manager, you need to plan project-related lead change.
changes and help communicate change impacts to end users in order to
Statistics show that employees will better
facilitate acceptance and adoption.
receive change messages if they come
• To effectively reach end users, you need to engage frontline managers from their direct supervisor. Equip those
to help coach and transition their staff through to the future state. supervisors with the tools they need to
lead the change for their staff.
Complication
2. Root organizational change
• Business sponsors don’t take accountability for the project changes they management (OCM) in impact
initiate, leaving IT and/or the PMO to serve as the de facto face of the
analysis.
change to the rest of the organization.
Ensure that your approach to change is
• Leading staff through change requires a comfort and competency with grounded in an empathetic approach that
uncertainty, ambiguity, and conflict that not all line managers possess. considers how individuals will experience
As such, many are reluctant to coach their staff through change. the change.
Resolution
• Get managers on board with the change. Managers are both impacted by changes and they impact those changes.
Before managers and supervisors can lead a change, they first need to come to terms with the change impacts them. Use
the template activities in this research to help managers accept the change and lead it.
• Provide managers with the tools they need to deal with frontline resistance and communicate change progress.
This research comes with a purpose-built change management tool to help frontline managers proactively plan change
impacts to their teams and prepare communication and coaching plans accordingly.
• Create a symbiotic relationship between change managers and frontline managers. To reach individuals on the front
lines, change management benefits from open lines of communication between change managers and people managers.
The tools and templates in this research will help foster these lines of communication.

Organizational change happens on the frontlines
To reach individuals on the front lines, change managers need to engage the
organization’s managers and supervisors in the change management process.
Change management success occurs in the hearts and

minds of frontline employees. 84%
Blanket approaches to rolling out change miss the fact that When asked about the importance of
organizations are the sum of their parts. Organizational change frontline managers to the success of change
efforts, 84% of 575 Prosci survey
management (OCM) practices need to consider how a change
respondents answered “extremely
will be felt by specific units, departments, and individuals in important” or “very important.”
order to tailor an empathetic approach.
Source: Prosci, “Manager/Supervisor’s
Because a single change manager can’t realistically reach every Role in Change Management”
individual, it is essential to engage the organization’s frontline
managers and supervisors in the change management process.
• Managers and supervisors are best situated to communicate 3%
changes from above and help transition their teams through
Only 3% of transformations were
to the future state. successful when line managers and
supervisors weren’t actively involved.
• They are also best situated to communicate resistance and
uncertainty from below to change managers and senior Source: McKinsey, 2017
management to ensure change management plans and

strategy remain dynamic and flexible.

Managers are not as prepared for change leadership as they
should be
The statistics show that organizations are largely failing to effectively engage their
people managers as change leaders.
While managers and supervisors are best situated to This failure to prepare managers has larger potential
lead frontline employees through change, the consequences than simply a missed opportunity.
statistics show organizations are largely failing to use
Prosci data also shows that middle managers and
them as change management resources.
frontline supervisors are the group from which
As the statistics from a study conducted by Prosci organizations expect the most change resistance.
show, only 28% of survey participants felt as though
In a survey of 650 participants, 53% identified
their organization effectively prepared their frontline
managers as the top demographic of resistance.
managers to lead change.
– Prosci, “Why You Need to Start Leveraging Front-Line Managers” – Prosci, “Why You Need to Start Leveraging Front-Line Managers”

Failing to use managers and supervisors as change agents
can be costly
Change failure is not cheap: it costs the organization, your employees, and future
change initiatives.

Follow Info-Tech’s methodology to untap your organization’s
most valuable change management resource
This blueprint will equip you with the tools you need to make your frontline managers
and supervisors part of your change management process.
The tools and templates in this research provide a toolkit and training materials to
provide your frontline managers with optimized change management
competencies.
Info-Tech’s approach to OCM on the frontlines is centered on three core activities for
frontline managers:
• a tailored impact analysis to ensure OCM
practices are relevant;
• a deliberate coaching to help deal with resistance
and frontline emotions;
• And gathering training requirements to ensure
staff have the necessary skills and knowledge.
Adopt
Adoptaatactical
tacticalapproach
approachto Engage
1 to 2 Engagemanagers
managersand
andsupervisors
supervisors
employee coaching plans ininthe
employee coaching plans the change managementprocess
change management process
Step 1.1 covers core competencies and a change management toolkit, while step 1.2 provides a
customizable training deck that a change manager or PMO director can use to help get frontline
managers on board and engaged in the process.

Adoption can be difficult for some, but the cause is often
confusion and misunderstanding
CASE STUDY Industry

Source
Manufacturing
Info-Tech Client
Challenge Solution Results
• The strategy team responsible • The strategy team representative • The representative from the
for the implementation of a new for the subsidiary firm went to the strategy team was surprised to
operation manual for the manager leading the department find that the manager was having
subsidiaries of a global firm was that was slow to adopt the such trouble fitting the changes
monitoring the progress of newly changes. into daily operations as the
acquired firms as the • When asked, the manager changes were the daily
implementation of the manual operations.
insisted that he did not have the
began. • The representative took the time
time or resources to implement
• They noticed that one all of these changes while to go through the new operation
department in a distant location maintaining the operation of the manual with the manager and
was not meeting the new targets department. explain that the changes
or fulfilling the reporting • With true business value in mind, replaced daily operations and
requirements on staff progress. were not additions to them.
the manager said, they chose to
keep the plant running.
The cause of slow adoption is often not anger or denial, but a genuine lack of understanding and need
for clarification. Avoid snap decisions about a lack of adoption until staff understand the details.
– IT Manager

Use these icons to help direct you as you navigate this
research
Use these icons to help guide you through each step of the blueprint and direct you to content related to
the recommended activities.
This icon denotes a slide where a supporting Info-Tech tool or template will help you perform
the activity or step associated with the slide. Refer to the supporting tool or template to get
the best results and proceed to the next step of the project.
This icon denotes a slide with an associated activity. The activity can be performed either as
part of your project or with the support of Info-Tech team members, who will come onsite to
facilitate a workshop for your organization.

Info-Tech offers various levels of support to best suit your
needs
Guided
DIY Toolkit Implementation Workshop Consulting
“Our team has already “Our team knows that “We need to hit the “Our team does not
made this critical we need to fix a ground running and have the time or the
project a priority, and process, but we need get this project kicked knowledge to take this
we have the time and assistance to off immediately. Our project on. We need
capability, but some determine where to team has the ability to assistance through the
guidance along the focus. Some check-ins take this over once we entirety of this project.”
way would be helpful.” along the way would get a framework and
help keep us on track.” strategy in place.”
Diagnostics and consistent frameworks used throughout all four options

Push Organizational Change to the Front Lines – project
overview
1. Enhance the change management competencies of frontline managers
1.1 Adopt a tactical approach to employee coaching plans 1.2 Engage managers and supervisors in the change
management process
Best-Practice
Toolkit
Scoping call to determine the organization’s current state Design the guiding principles for a change initiative.
and to review Info-Tech’s Frontline Manager Coaching Plan
Customize Info-Tech’s Frontline Manager Change
Workbook.
Management Training Template and prepare to
Develop change impact analysis and communication communicate to managers.
processes using the workbook.
Cultivate coaching plan and training plan practices for your
frontline managers using the workbook.
Guided
Implementations
Module 1: Module 2:
Adopt a tactical approach to employee coaching plans Engage managers and supervisors in the change management
process
Onsite
Workshop
Step 1 Outcome: Step 2 Outcome:
• An organizational change management spreadsheet-based • Customized organizational change management training
tool for frontline managers. materials targeted at frontline managers.

Workshop overview
Contact your account representative or email Workshops@InfoTech.com for more information.
Module 1 Module 2 Module 3 Module 4 Module 5

Assess OCM Analyze Impact of the Develop Employee Prepare Employee Prepare Frontline
Capabilities Change Coaching Plans Training Plans Managers
1.1 Assess current 2.1 Analyze the impact of 3.1 Review change 4.1 Map out future state 5.1 Communication best
organizational change the change across reaction model activities for team practices
management multiple dimensions 3.2 Design situational roles 5.2 Dealing with emotional
Activities
capabilities and team members awareness activities 4.2 Assess skills and responses to change
1.2 Conduct change 2.2 Create an impact for frontline knowledge 5.3 Perform role playing
management SWOT management plan employees requirements and activity
3.3 Document change analyze gaps
analysis 2.3 Develop stakeholder-
engagement activities
specific
3.4 Design a process to
communication plans monitor change
adoption
1. Organizational 1. Impact analysis 1. Coaching plan 1. Training plan 1. Resistance

change capabilities 2. Communication plans requirements management plans
assessment 2. Training management 2. Change Management
2. SWOT assessment plan tool Role Play Scenarios
Deliverables

PHASE 1
Enhance the Change Management
Competencies of Frontline Managers
Push Organizational Change to the Front Lines

Info-Tech Research Group, Inc. is a global leader in providing IT research and advice.
Info-Tech’s products and services combine actionable insight and relevant advice with
ready-to-use tools and templates that cover the full spectrum of IT concerns.
© 1997-2019 Info-Tech Research Group Inc. Info-Tech Research Group 15
Phase 1 outline
Call 1-888-670-8889 or email GuidedImplementations@InfoTech.com for more information.
Complete these steps on your own, or call us to complete a guided implementation. A guided implementation is a series of
2-3 advisory calls that help you execute each phase of a project. They are included in most advisory memberships.
Guided Implementation 1: Enhance the change management competencies of frontline managers

Proposed Time to Completion: 1 week
Step 1.1: Adopt a tactical approach to employee Step 1.2: Engage managers and supervisors in the
coaching plans change management process
Start with an analyst kick-off call: Review findings with analyst:

• Scoping call to discuss the current state of organizational • Assess current competencies of frontline managers in
change management and the role of frontline managers. dealing with change.
Then complete these activities… Then complete these activities…

• Configure an organizational change management tool for • Customize training materials.
frontline managers.
With these tools & templates: With these tools & templates:
Frontline Manager Coaching Plan Workbook Frontline Manager Change Management Training Template
Change Management Role Play Scenarios

Step 1.1: Adopt a tactical approach to employee coaching
plans
Engage managers and

Adopt a tactical approach to
1.1 1.2 supervisors in the change
employee coaching plans
management process
This step will walk you through the following activities: This step involves the following participants:
• Navigate and customize a change management toolkit for • Change manager
frontline managers
Outcomes of this step

• A change management workbook to help frontline managers prepare their staff for change and coach them through the
transition.

Organization change management needs to get personal
In order to be effective, organizational change management (OCM) practices need to

engage individual staff members.
Change management success occurs in the hearts and

minds of frontline employees.
If individual staff members do not believe in the value of
project outcomes, and/or are negatively impacted by them,
they may fail to adapt to the future state. As such, they risk
becoming sources of uncertainty or resistance that could not
only derail project outcomes, but also jeopardize
organizational morale and productivity.
For a single change manager, anticipating individual
responses in a change management plan is near impossible
for a variety of reason, including:
• Change impacts vary from person to person.
• Readiness for change varies from person to person. Change is a group event, but an individual
experience.
• Individual responses to change are rarely ever static and
can vary over a transition period. – Paula Ashler
Make
Make change
change about
about the
the parts,
parts, not
not the
the whole.
whole. Blanket
Blanket approaches
approaches to to rolling
rolling out
out change
change miss
miss the
the
fact
fact that
that organizations
organizations are
are systems
systems and
and the
the sum
sum of
of their
their parts.
parts. OCM
OCM practices
practices need
need to
to incorporate
incorporate
individual
individual change
change management
management practices
practices that
that consider
consider specific
specific units
units and
and departments.
departments.

Managers and supervisors are best situated to lead their
individual staff members through change
To reach individuals on the frontlines, change managers need to engage the
organization’s people managers in the change management process.
As an organizational change manager, you’ll be better
equipped to reach individual staff members if you engage The challenge is that many organizations do not
the organization’s frontline managers and supervisors to effectively use their frontline managers as change
play a role in change management. leaders.
Managers and supervisors are best situated to facilitate As the statistics from a study conducted by Prosci
communications from change managers or the PMO to show, only 28% of survey participants felt as
frontline workers; in turn, they are best situated to relay though their organization effectively prepared their
stakeholder sentiment, adoption metrics, and training needs frontline managers to lead change.
back to those planning and implementing the change.
– Prosci, “Manager/Supervisor’s Role in Change Management” – Prosci, “Why You Need to Start Leveraging Front-Line Managers”

Equip your managers with a coaching aid to provide more
consistent change management results
Use Info-Tech’s Frontline Manager Change Management Workbook to engage the
organization’s people management in the organizational change management process.
Give your managers and supervisors the change management

tools they need to become more effective change leaders. Download Info-Tech’s
Frontline Manager Coaching Plan
Info-Tech’s Frontline Manager Coaching Plan Workbook can help Workbook
structure the role of line managers and supervisors in the change
management process and open a pathway of communication and
information between the change manager and frontline employees.
The Workbook consists of three major sections:
• Tabs 3 and 4: A team impact analysis and output to help
frontline managers gauge how individual staff will be impacted
by the change.
• Tabs 5 to 7: A communication and coaching plan section to help
plan change communications and track team member
sentiment.
• Tabs 8 and 9: A training requirements section to help document
the skills gaps and training needs of individual team members.
The
The slides
slides ahead
ahead walk
walk through
through each
each tab
tab in
in the
the Frontline
Frontline Manager
Manager Coaching
Coaching Plan
Plan Workbook
Workbook in
in more
more detail.
detail.

Configure the Coaching Plan Workbook for your project
1.1 Frontline Manager Coaching Plan Workbook, Tab 2, “Set Up”
Tab 2 is a setup tab that determines the individual manager’s experience in the rest of the tool.
When the Workbook is deployed to the manager, they can document the project name, the team or department
name, and the individual members on their team within tab 2. Additionally, there is a change impact checklist that
the manager can take to help determine the number of questions in the impact analysis on the next tab.
Screenshot of the “Stakeholder List” table Screenshot of the “Change Impact Checklist” table
from tab 2. from tab 2.
Frontline managers can record the name of The change impact analysis on tab 3 covers four
individual team members and their job titles. overarching areas: work relationships, work environment,
work content, and skills and competencies.
There is room to manage 15 individuals within the
tool. The change impact checklist on tab 2 helps determine
which of those areas are relevant for the specific change
initiative in order to limit the analysis on tab 3.

Assess change impacts on individual team members
1.2 Frontline Manager Coaching Plan Workbook, Tab 3, “Individual Impact Analysis”
Tab 3 is where managers can analyze specific change impacts on their staff.
Depending on the inputs to the change impact checklist on the previous tab, tab 3 provides a 5 to 20 question
survey across four overarching areas: work relationships, work environment, work content, and skills and competencies.
The change impact survey will The individual team members from the stakeholder list on tab 2 will appear
appear in column C. It will be horizontally, in the order they were entered, in row 4.
5, 10, 15, or 20 questions in
length depending on the
inputs to the change impact
checklist in the previous tab.
The impact area for each

survey question will appear in
column D.
Rows where no input is

required will be shaded grey.
Use the first column under each Use the second column under each stakeholder to document the degree
stakeholder to document if the to which the impact will be a pain, a gain, or a neutral change. Leave blank
impact will be felt by the stakeholder. if the cell is shaded grey.

Use change impacts to inform communication and coaching
plans
1.3 Frontline Manager Coaching Plan Workbook, Tab 4, “Impact Analysis Results”
Tab 4 provides an analysis of the change impact inputs from the previous tab.
There are two major outputs on tab 4.
The first is an individual impact

overview show a prioritized ranking (in
column C) of individual team members
from most negatively impacted to least
negatively impacted.
The overall impact scores for individual team members will display in the Columns E and beyond
corresponding cells in column D. -3 is the lowest score for those most negatively document how each impact
impacted. +3 is the highest score for those positively impacted by the change. will affect each stakeholder.
The second major output on tab 4 is

a breakdown of which impacts will
be most impactful across all
stakeholders.
This is a prioritized list that displays

from most negatively impactful to
least negatively impactful.

Prepare a messaging strategy to help communicate specific
change impacts to employees
1.4 Frontline Manager Coaching Plan Workbook, Tab 5, “Message Canvas”
Use tab 5 to help prepare and document change messaging and a communication plan for individual team
members. The same impact may require unique messaging for different individuals and groups. Managers
and supervisors can use the tables on tab 5 to help develop a tailored message campaign for their teams.
Screenshot showing one of The “potential stakeholder

the 15 message canvas experience of change” will
tables on tab 5. auto-populate based upon
pain vs. gain data in tab 3.
Stakeholder names will auto-
populate at the top of each Options here include “Major
table in the order they appear Pains,” “Minor Pains,”
in tab 4 (from most negatively “Neutral,” “Minor Gains,” and
impacted to least negatively “Major Gains.”
impacted).
Use the questions in each Depending on the stakeholder experience, you may
table to prepare a tailored choose not to complete a message canvas for each
message canvas for each staff team member. Use the “Yes/No” drop-down menu to
to inform coaching activities. grey out unused tables.
The
The message
message canvas
canvas tables
tables can
can be
be used
used by
by frontline
frontline managers
managers and
and change
change managers
managers to
to inform
inform
written
written communications (i.e., emails, etc.) or verbal communications (one-on-ones, meetings, etc.).
communications (i.e., emails, etc.) or verbal communications (one-on-ones, meetings, etc.).

Develop coaching plans to drive individual change
management
Use Info-Tech’s three-phase framework to help ensure individuals are aware of the
change, what it means to them, and what they’ll need to do to transition.
Foster
FosterSituational
Situational Encourage
EncourageChange
Change Drive
DriveChange
Change
Awareness
Awareness Acceptance
Acceptance Adoption
Adoption
What is it? Awareness building and Activities and communications Training activities to ensure staff
education activities and that build the desire to support are ready for the future state and
communication to help prepare and accept the change. reinforcement activities to ensure
staff for changes. the change sticks.
When does it Early in the project lifecycle, Throughout the project lifecycle Throughout the project lifecycle
occur? during project planning and post-project
What types of • Why are we doing this • What's in it for me? • What supports will I receive to
questions change? • What's in it for the help me during the transition?
• Why are we doing this organization? • What do I need to know once
does it change now? • How will my performance be the transition is over and the
address? • What if we didn't implement measured? change is implemented?
this change? • What if I can't adapt (e.g. • Am I doing a good job? Have I
• What do I need to know timing, capacity reasons)? adequately adapted?
during the transition?
• What's the transition
timeline?
Tab
Tab 66 of the Functional Manager
of the Manager Change Management
Management Workbook
Workbook (covered
(covered on
on next
next slide)
slide) is
is structured
structured
around these
these categories.

Document a coaching plan
1.5 Frontline Manager Coaching Plan Workbook, Tab 6, “Coaching Plan”
Tab 6 can be used to by frontline managers to plan, track, and monitor coaching activities to encourage
individual change management and provide the change manager with coaching metrics.
Screenshot showing one section of tab 6. The three phases of Info-Tech’s
Team member names will appear in the
coaching framework (see previous slide) appear in the grey heading in
tables from columns E and beyond in the
column B. Under each heading, managers and supervisors can plan and
prioritized order from the impact analysis.
track employee engagement activities that correspond to each of the
phases.
For each activity or

communication event recorded in Similarly, in the second column
column B, have frontline Managers can keep track of the
status of coaching events in the first they can track the responses of
managers consider and individuals to the activity or
document the questions or column of each stakeholder table
(options include “Not Started,” “In communication across Info-
concerns it addresses; they can Tech’s change reaction scale:
lean on the list of questions Progress,” “Complete,” and “N/A”).
This will determine the metrics output Acceptance, Questioning,
covered in comments inserted in Detachment, or Resistance.
cells C6, C18, and C30 on the next tab.

Use the coaching plan metrics to help monitor and measure
change management progress
1.6 Frontline Manager Coaching Plan Workbook, Tab 7, “Team Change Metrics”
Tab 7 can be used to by frontline managers and change managers to track and report on change
management metrics.
For a change manager, a key part of monitoring and achieving future state adoption in change
management is tied to change metrics. Tab 7 of the Coaching Plan Workbook is an output of tab 6 that
shows the planned coaching activities and those that have been completed in order to help inform
transition planning and change adoption metrics.
Tab 7 contains reporting for each team member that shows Based upon an aggregate of all of the disposition/response
the planned and completed coaching activities. data from the previous tab, the dashboard will reflect an
overall current state disposition for each team member.
This can be used by change managers to know when they

are hitting – or in danger of not hitting – critical mass
adoption.

Document the knowledge and skills staff will need to support
the future state
1.7 Frontline Manager Coaching Plan Workbook, Tab 8, “Knowledge and Skills Analysis”
Use tab 8 to capture skills and knowledge requirements and gaps for each employee to help inform training
requirements.
Screenshot of 1 of the 15 In the third column, use

In the second In the fourth column choose
knowledge and skills tables on tab the drop-down menus to
column, list the the minimum level of
8. categorize each item in
knowledge and proficiency that will be
the previous items.
skills that will be required to execute the
For each person or role on the team, Options include “Core
required to task. In the fifth column,
use the first column in each table to Knowledge” (information
successfully rate the staff member’s
document the major future state that much be possessed
complete each current level of proficiency
activities that will need to be performed or known), “Technical
activity. with that skill or knowledge.
for the change to be successful. Skill,” or “Soft Skill.

Use the training requirements tab to inform the overall
training plan
1.8 Frontline Manager Coaching Plan Workbook, Tab 9, “Training Requirements”
The final tab in the Functional Manager Coaching Plan Workbook documents the training requirements of
each team member.
Tab 9 should be used as an input into the overall training plan being compiled by the change manager. Leading up
to the transition phase, the change manager should coordinate with managers and supervisors to review the list of
training requirements for each staff member and create an overall training plan based upon this.
Columns two and four capture the current state proficiency and
Screenshot of 1 of the 15 training requirements
required proficiency for each person and skill. Column three calls out
tables on tab 9. Skills will be broken down by
the gap between the current and future state and highlight if training
“Core Knowledge,” “Technical Skills,” and “Soft
requirements are “Small,” “Moderate,” or “Significant” – or not
Skills” on the first column in each table.
required.

Activity: Configure and distribute the Frontline Manager
Coaching Plan Workbook
1.1.1 45 to 60 minutes
The Frontline Manager Coaching Plan Workbook should be distributed to INPUT

INPUT
relevant frontline managers during the planning phase of change initiatives. • Current change
management
Before it is distributed, the change manager should perform some set-up activities on requirements
tab 2 to ensure it is deployed in a standardized way across different managers. • Tool slides 1.1 to 1.8
in this step
1. The official name for the project should be pre-entered for users in cell E4 of tab 2.
Team/department names can be entered by users themselves. OUTPUT
2. The change impact checklist should be completed by the change manager before • Configured and
tested Workbook
being deployed to end users to ensure consistency across the different change
impact analysis.
Materials
Materials
• Once the change manager has completed the survey, it is highly • Frontline Manager
recommended they hide those rows before distributing to end users. To hide Coaching Plan
the relevant rows, highlight rows 25 to 29. Right-click the mouse and select Workbook
“Hide” from the menu option.
Participants
Participants
3. The Workbook is now ready to deploy to end users. As change manager you
• Change manager
should set up regular touch points (bi-weekly or monthly, depending on the scope
and timeline of the project) with managers and supervisors (whether as a group or
one-on-ones) to discuss the contents of the coaching plan and to monitor change
progress.

Step 1.2: Engage managers and supervisors in the change
management process
Engage managers and

Adopt a tactical approach to
1.1 1.2 supervisors in the change
employee coaching plans
management process
This step will walk you through the following activities: This step involves the following participants:
• Customize training materials for managers and • Change manager
supervisors
Outcomes of this step

• A customized training deck (PowerPoint) to help build up change management competencies of frontline managers and
communicate their roles in the change management process.

To act as change leaders, managers and supervisors need to be
on board with the change
As change manager, you not only need to prepare managers to become change leaders,
you also need to prepare them for the change.
Managers and supervisors can’t lead a change if they’re

busy trying to resist it.
In the previous step we reviewed a tool that can help better
prepare managers to coach staff through change. While
tools are important, they’re not the only factor in making
managers and supervisors more effective change leaders.
As the statistics from Prosci show, middle managers and
frontline supervisors combined constitute the demographic
from which the highest amount of change resistance is
found.
• In this step we will work to overcome potential
resistance by customizing training and communication
materials. – Prosci, “Why You Need to Start Leveraging Front-Line Managers”
• By the end of this step, you will be prepared to lead a

half-day training session for your organization’s frontline
managers.
Managers
Managers needneed to
to both
both process
process and
and lead
lead change.
change. Managers
Managers don’t
don’t just
just have
have to
to lead
lead the
the change;
change;
they
they also
also need
need to
to process
process the
the change
change themselves.
themselves. Focus
Focus your
your initial
initial change
change management
management activities
activities
on
on frontline
frontline managers
managers toto ensure
ensure they’re
they’re onboard
onboard and
and become
become capable
capable change
change leaders
leaders themselves.
themselves.

Get frontline managers onboard with the change and their
roles as change agents
Use Info-Tech’s Frontline Manager Change Management Training Template to engage
the organization’s managers in the change management process.
Give your managers and supervisors the change

management background and competencies they need to Download Info-Tech’s
Frontline Manager Change Management
become change leaders. Training Template
Info-Tech’s Frontline Manager Change Management Training
Template can help you plan and deploy a half-day training
session to ensure managers are prepared for the change
and to lead their teams through it.
• The Training Template consists of four sections: a
training overview section that provides a background
on OCM; a section that helps managers deal with
resistance; a section on best practices around
change communication; and finally a section on
leading a change once it is in progress.
• In the steps ahead we will customize the template for
a specific project. Have a specific change initiative in
mind before proceeding.

Activity: Design the guiding principles for a change initiative
A guiding principle or vision statement should be developed for the change that reflects key INPUT
stakeholders’ idea of the project end state, the background for why the change is taking place,
and identified high-level project milestones. • Completed project
charter or business
Activity case for a change
initiative
1. Book a session with the project sponsor and other project leaders
2. In the session, lean on a completed project charter or business case to help inform the OUTPUT
OUTPUT
vision statement. The vision statement should: • A guiding principle or
 Simplify and clarify the ultimate purpose of the change. vision statement to
 Outline expected behaviors that are required in the end state. help inform
 Act as a guide post to help keep the team focused on key objectives. perceptions of the
 Be specific. It should be referred back to throughout the process. change
 Provide a call to action that establishes a sense of urgency.
Materials
 Be relevant to the entire group impacted.
3. It may be helpful to lean on the VOCATE mnemonic to help structure the activity and the • Slide 12 in Info-
articulation of the guiding principles. Tech’s Frontline
Manager Change
Once the guiding principles have been drafted: Management Training
• Share with project leadership to make sure that it aligns with their expectations, and Template
continue to develop buy-in.
• Identify if they will be shared with the larger organization. Even if not shared, the language Participants
developed can be used in the larger communications plan. • Change manager
• Throughout the change, regularly refer back to the guiding principles. Double check that • Project sponsor
actions and communications align with guiding principles. • Project manager

Activity: Customize Info-Tech’s Frontline Manager Change
Management Training Template
Follow the points below to customize the Training Template and prepare the INPUT
INPUT
content for a training session.
• Activity 1.1.1
• • Logistical details for
Slides 2-4 are introductory slides for the training facilitator. Lean on them to help
training
organize your session and delete or hide them before presenting.
• Update the agenda times on slide 5. OUTPUT
• Update slide 11 to make roles and terminology more relevant to your organization. • Change manager
training content
• Customize slides 12, 28, and 31 with the output from Activity 1.1.1.
•
Materials
Materials
Print out as many copies of slides 17-20 (Info-Tech’s change reaction model) as
required. • Info-Tech’s Frontline
Manager Change
• Update slide 35 with more-specific examples to the change initiative. Management Training
Template
• Print out Info-Tech’s Change Management Role Play Scenarios to help facilitate the
group activity covered on slide 39. Participants
Participants
• Review the “Facilitator’s Notes” and “Speaker’s Notes” comments in the notes section • Change manager
(i.e. at the bottom) of each slide before presenting for further customizations and for
further assistance in facilitating the training.
Update Info-Tech’s Frontline Manager Change Management Training Template.

If you want additional support, have our analysts guide
you through this phase as part of an Info-Tech workshop
Book a workshop with our Info-Tech analysts:
• To accelerate this project, engage your IT team in an Info-Tech workshop with an Info-
Tech analyst team.
• Info-Tech analysts will join you and your team onsite at your location or welcome you to
Info-Tech’s historic Toronto office to participate in an innovative onsite workshop.
• Contact your account manager (www.infotech.com/account), or email
Workshops@InfoTech.com for more information.
The following are sample activities that will be conducted by Info-Tech analysts with your team:
Configure a coaching plan tool

Work with Info-Tech’s team to develop a purpose-built OCM tool for frontline
1.1.1 managers on your transformational projects.
Train the trainers

Have Info-Tech’s team help customize your training materials and work with your
1.2.2 trainers to deliver optimized change management training to the organization.

Summary of accomplishment
Knowledge Gained Processes Optimized

• Blanket approaches to rolling out change miss the fact • Organizational Change Management
that organizations are systems and the sum of their
parts. OCM practices should consider specific units and
departments.
• Managers don’t just have to lead the change; they also
need to process the change themselves. Focus your
initial change management activities on frontline
managers to ensure they’re onboard and become
capable change leaders themselves.
Deliverables Completed
• Functional Manager Coaching Plan Workbook
• Frontline Manager Change Management Training Template

Bibliography
Ashler, Paula. “Change Management Training: Personal vs. Organizational Change.” IMA. Feb 2014. Web. 5 May 2019.
Cullen-Lester, Kristin and Bryan Edwards. “Change Comes at a Cumulative Cost: Make it Worth the Investment.” October
2015. Web. 5 May 2019.
Goman, Carol Kinsey. “10 Change-Management Strategies That Are Backed By Science.” 12 August 2016. Web. 5 May
2019.
Jones, Stephen and Andrew Van de Ven. “The Changing Nature of Change Resistance: An Examination of the Moderating
Impact of Time.” The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science (2016): 482-506. Web. 5 May 2019.
Kotter, John. Leading Change. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1996.
McKinsey and Company. “The people power of transformations.” Feb 2017. Web. 5 May 2019.
Prosci. “Manager/Supervisor’s Role in Change Management.” Web. 5 May 2019.
Procsi. “Why You Need to Start Leveraging Front Line Managers.” Web. 5 May 2019.
Retfalvi, L. A. (2014). “Project success using proven stakeholder management techniques.” Paper presented at PMI® Global
Congress 2014—North America, Phoenix, AZ. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute. 5 May 2019.
Turner, Dawn-Marie. “Prepare Your Middle Managers to Lead and Manage Change.” Turner Change Management. April
2018. Web. 5 May 2019.
Wittig, Cynthia. “Employees' Reactions to Organizational Change.” 2010. Web. December 2017.

Push Organizational Change To The Front Lines

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Push Organizational Change to the Front Lines

Engage managers and supervisors in organizational change management success.

Phase 1: Enhance the Change Management Competencies of Frontline Managers

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If organizational change management efforts don’t reach staff on the front

To effectively reach staff, managers and supervisors can be an

Improve frontline morale and change management outcomes by providing

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This Research Will Also

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Change management success occurs in the hearts and

management to ensure change management plans and

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CASE STUDY Industry

Challenge Solution Results

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Diagnostics and consistent frameworks used throughout all four options

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Module 1 Module 2 Module 3 Module 4 Module 5

1. Organizational 1. Impact analysis 1. Coaching plan 1. Training plan 1. Resistance

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Push Organizational Change to the Front Lines

Guided Implementation 1: Enhance the change management competencies of frontline managers

Start with an analyst kick-off call: Review findings with analyst:

Then complete these activities… Then complete these activities…

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Engage managers and

Outcomes of this step

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In order to be effective, organizational change management (OCM) practices need to

Change management success occurs in the hearts and

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Give your managers and supervisors the change management

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1.1 Frontline Manager Coaching Plan Workbook, Tab 2, “Set Up”

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The impact area for each

Rows where no input is

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There are two major outputs on tab 4.

The first is an individual impact

The second major output on tab 4 is

This is a prioritized list that displays

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Screenshot showing one of The “potential stakeholder

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1.5 Frontline Manager Coaching Plan Workbook, Tab 6, “Coaching Plan”

For each activity or

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This can be used by change managers to know when they

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Screenshot of 1 of the 15 In the third column, use

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The Frontline Manager Coaching Plan Workbook should be distributed to INPUT