Implementing Change in Difficult Times

 

Please take a moment to read about the workshop now offered by PSC:

ABSTRACT of WORKSHOP

The hard reality of today is that individuals and organizations of all types are expected to provide better and more detailed services with fewer human and fiscal resources.  When fiscal resources become constrained, agencies naturally move to identify areas for cost savings, and professionals are confronted with the possibility of losing their jobs.  For example, organizations nationwide have been forced to re-design their programs and reduce staff while simultaneously adopting Evidence Based Practices (EBP), or a “doing what works” initiative aimed to maintain or increase the bottom line.  The remaining staff are given extra duties and may experience increased stress, decreased motivation, and reduced performance.  Despite being an almost every day occurrence in personal and professional lives, change also evokes anxiety and stress reactions in those impacted directly or indirectly.  Change, when proposed and implemented, can bring about new workplace conflict or exacerbate conflict already occurring.  All of this can contribute to decreased job performance, health issues among the staff, lower job satisfaction, and higher employee turnover, among other things.

What is the purpose of the proposed workshop for leaders and managers?  It provides an environment which explores ways to implement change while reducing conflict and stress that may enable the organization to implement change while maintaining employee wellness and motivation, thus positively impacting the organization’s bottom line.

In the workshop the participants will be asked to see how change is an everyday occurrence in both their personal and professional lives.  In addition, a goal of this training is to help reduce the stress associated with change and to reduce the potential for workplace conflict by assisting participants in correctly identifying the source of the conflict and developing realistic approaches to resolving it.  In essence, leaders and managers will see how conflict mediation can be used to help reduce stress and anxiety within the workplace.  In the discussions the participants will seek a greater understanding of what conflict mediation approaches might best suit their personal leadership or management style.

Participants will engage in discussions concerning the importance of effective communication.  Characteristics of effective communicators will be shared and participants will be encouraged to practice the techniques to enhance their conflict mediation skills while also developing realistic implementation programs for change.

Principles of effective change management will be presented, along with discussions on how to incorporate those skills into personal leadership styles.  Effective implementation of change comes about because leaders are willing to manage the changes, not be managed by them.

The workshop discussion will be guided by the principles of both critical and creative thinking.  These skills will be called upon as we engage in our discussions and activities for this workshop.

The objectives of this workshop are:

  • Describe the stress reaction and its impact upon our personal and professional lives.
  • Determine effective approaches to dealing with workplace conflict.
  • Apply appropriate conflict mediation skills to help resolve conflict.
  • Examine the characteristics of effective communicators.
  • Develop an understanding of some core principles of change management.

Interested:  Contact us to schedule a presentation of this workshop for your organization.

 

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