Introduction

Humanitarian organizations must be adaptable to respond effectively to dynamic and unpredictable emergencies. The process of change management is crucial in ensuring that these organizations remain flexible, resilient, and effective as they navigate through changing contexts, evolving needs, and new challenges. Whether the changes are technological, structural, or strategic, the ability to manage these transitions with clarity and purpose is essential to sustain impactful humanitarian programs. This 5-day course will provide participants with practical tools, frameworks, and insights to successfully manage change within humanitarian settings, from conceptualization through to execution and evaluation.

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, participants will:

1. Understand the Principles of Change Management: Gain a solid foundation in the theories, models, and principles of change management.
2. Diagnose Organizational Change Needs: Learn how to assess internal and external drivers for change, and identify when and why change is needed within a humanitarian organization.
3. Develop a Change Management Strategy: Understand how to design a strategic approach for managing and implementing change processes.
4. Lead and Engage Teams Through Change: Learn how to lead people through change, ensuring their engagement, commitment, and buy-in.
5. Mitigate Resistance to Change: Acquire techniques for identifying and overcoming resistance to change, and maintaining momentum through challenging transitions.
6. Communicate Change Effectively: Master the art of clear, transparent, and empathetic communication throughout the change process.
7. Evaluate the Impact of Change: Develop tools for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness and sustainability of change initiatives within humanitarian operations.
8. Foster a Change-Ready Culture: Understand how to embed a culture of change within an organization, ensuring that change becomes an ongoing, adaptive process.

Who Should Attend?

This course is ideal for:

• Humanitarian Program Managers, Coordinators, and Field Staff responsible for leading or managing change initiatives within their organizations.
• Senior Leadership Teams (e.g., CEOs, Executive Directors, Country Directors) seeking to understand how to guide their organizations through periods of change.
• Change Management Professionals working in the humanitarian sector.
• Human Resources (HR) and Organizational Development (OD) personnel involved in managing organizational transformation.
• Donor Relations Officers and Fundraising Professionals needing to adapt their fundraising strategies in response to changes in humanitarian contexts.
• Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Officers involved in assessing the impact of organizational changes on program outcomes.
• Communications Officers responsible for managing messaging and internal/external communications during periods of transition.

Course Outline

Day 1: Introduction to Change Management in Humanitarian Organizations

• Morning Session: The Need for Change in Humanitarian Organizations
  • The dynamic nature of humanitarian crises: Understanding the constant flux in the operating environment.
  • Internal and external drivers for change: Technological advancements, policy shifts, donor requirements, organizational growth, staff dynamics, and emerging needs.
  • The challenges of managing change in resource-constrained environments and emergency settings.
  • Case study: The response to the Syrian refugee crisis – Lessons learned from the rapid organizational and operational changes required.
• Afternoon Session: Overview of Change Management Theories and Models
  • Introduction to classic change management models: Lewin’s Change Model, Kotter’s 8-Step Process, and ADKAR (Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, Reinforcement).
  • Applying change management theories to humanitarian organizations: Adapting these models for a sector defined by urgency, flexibility, and unpredictability.
  • Group discussion: Challenges specific to change in humanitarian contexts and how theories can be adapted for real-world application.

Day 2: Diagnosing the Need for Change and Developing a Strategy

• Morning Session: Assessing the Need for Change
  • Tools for diagnosing the current state of the organization: Organizational audits, SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats), and stakeholder mapping.
  • Identifying triggers for change: Evaluating external forces (e.g., government regulations, donor preferences) and internal factors (e.g., organizational performance, staff engagement).
  • Using data and insights to identify gaps and opportunities for change.
  • Case study: The humanitarian shift towards cash-based interventions – How the changing donor landscape and operational needs led to significant organizational changes.
• Afternoon Session: Designing a Change Management Strategy
  • Components of a change management strategy: Vision, goals, timelines, resources, and stakeholder engagement.
  • Setting clear, measurable objectives for the change process: SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals.
  • Identifying the scope and scale of the change: Is it transformational or incremental?
  • Group activity: Develop a change strategy for a specific organizational change, such as adopting a new digital tool or restructuring the team.

Day 3: Leading Change and Engaging Stakeholders

• Morning Session: Leading People Through Change
  • Understanding the human side of change: Psychological stages of change (Denial, Resistance, Exploration, Commitment).
  • Leadership styles for change management: How different leadership approaches (e.g., transformational, transactional) influence change processes.
  • Creating a compelling narrative for change: How to communicate the vision for change and inspire confidence among staff and stakeholders.
  • Case study: Leading the organizational change in Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF): How leadership navigated the adaptation to new international health standards in field operations.
• Afternoon Session: Engaging Teams and Overcoming Resistance
  • Strategies for engaging teams and ensuring participation in the change process.
  • Identifying and addressing resistance to change: Common reasons for resistance in humanitarian settings and ways to mitigate them.
  • Building ownership of the change process at all levels of the organization.
  • Group exercise: Role-playing scenarios of team resistance and how to handle it with empathy and professionalism.

Day 4: Effective Communication During Change

• Morning Session: Communicating Change
  • The role of communication in change management: Ensuring transparency, clarity, and openness during every phase of the change process.
  • Developing a communication plan: How to tailor messages for different stakeholders (e.g., internal staff, donors, partners, affected communities).
  • Communication channels and tools: Email, social media, intranet, meetings, and workshops.
  • Case study: Oxfam’s response to internal organizational restructuring: Analyzing how communication was managed with staff and partners.
• Afternoon Session: Tailoring Communication to Different Audiences
  • Crafting messages for specific audiences: Leadership, staff, partners, local communities, media.
  • Crisis communication: Handling misinformation and external scrutiny during organizational change.
  • Interactive session: Craft and deliver a change communication plan for a real-world scenario.

Day 5: Evaluating and Sustaining Change

• Morning Session: Monitoring and Evaluating Change
  • Techniques for evaluating the effectiveness of the change process: KPIs, feedback surveys, and focus groups.
  • Tools for monitoring change outcomes: How to track progress, identify barriers, and make adjustments.
  • Case study: Evaluating the success of UNICEF’s organizational restructuring: Lessons in maintaining effectiveness post-change.
• Afternoon Session: Fostering a Culture of Continuous Change
  • Creating an adaptive organization: How to embed change into the organizational DNA to respond to future crises.
  • Sustainability of change: Ensuring that change initiatives are long-lasting and integrated into the organization’s core practices.
  • Building a resilient culture: Encouraging innovation, flexibility, and continuous learning.
  • Final group activity: Developing an action plan for embedding a culture of continuous change within your organization.