Jaquelina Iselli
RECENTLY I WAS INVITED TO PRESENT AT AN EVENT ORGANISED BY THE CHANGE MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE CALLED ‘DEEP DIVE’. THEY RUN THEM PERIODICALLY WITH THE FOCUS BEING TO SIT DOWN AS A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE AND DISCUSS THE LATEST TRENDS AND TOPICS RELEVANT TO THE CHANGE MANAGEMENT SECTOR. THIS DEEP DIVE WAS ABOUT ‘HIRING FOR CHANGE’ AND WE DIVIDED INTO SEPARATE TEAMS TO FURTHER ADDRESS SPECIFIC THEMES.
The group I worked with discussed whether it is necessary to establish a Code of Practice for Change Management and if needed, who would be responsible in developing it? I would like you to spend a few minutes thinking about this before you read on...
A Code of Practice is usually defined as a set of rules that explain how people in a profession should behave. Given the nature of Change Management, the group and I defined it as a set of principles that act as guidance, rather than being a prescriptive set of instructions.
There are several benefits for having a Code of Practice. Within them, assisting emerging practitioners by providing advice on ways of operating. In a way, you could approach Code of Practice as the ‘Art and Science’ of Change Management. It would help establish a ground level expectation (‘Science’), but at the end of the day it is the practitioner, their attributes, knowledge and personality who make the difference (‘Art’).
Prospective employees and everyone involved in hiring for Change will also benefit from a new objective tool to use when assessing people for a role. A Code of Practice would not only bring standards and consistent quality across the sector, but it should also provide confidence to hiring managers on the activities and ethical behaviours expected from Change practitioners. This, the group believed, would increase the awareness and reputation of Change Management and potentially result in more opportunities.
To increase the acceptance of a new ‘Code’, we thought advantageous to be driven by the community, done by Change Managers for Change Managers. Having a peer review model, should also be reflected on the language used, and therefore providing guidance and advice instead of prescriptive governance.
What do you think? Is now the right time to establish a ‘Code of Practice’? How should it be defined? And whom would benefit from it?
If the above resonates with your career ambitions or you are looking to recruit Change Management for your business or team, don’t hesitate to get in touch for a confidential discussion. At Project Resource Partners, we partner with individuals and companies to support them on their transformation and personal journeys.
Jaquelina Iselli
Consultant
Project Resource Partners
Level 29, 360 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 Australia
T +61 3 9949 8100 D +61 3 9949 8107
E jiselli@projectresourcepartners.com.au