Foundations Certification
The purpose of the Foundation certification is to confirm that a candidate has sufficient knowledge and understanding of Change Management to work as an informal member of a team working on an organizational change initiative.
Specifically, candidates should be able to demonstrate Change Management understanding by being able to:
- Explain how individuals are impacted by change, different ways they may respond to change situations and how learning processes help them adapt
- Contribute to development of strategies to help individuals through change, increasing motivation for change and overcoming resistance in order to achieve desired outcomes
- Offer insights on how organizations work, how the process of organizational change occurs and the typical roles that collaborate to deliver successful change
- Identify key drivers of an organization’s culture, and recognize different types of change process (e.g. planned and emergent change)
- Describe significant elements of the stakeholder engagement process in a change initiative, and relate this to appropriate communications strategies
- Discuss with colleagues the different areas of impact of a change initiative, and how momentum for that change can be built and sustained
- Outline important aspects of how to build an effective change team, and to contribute to discussions about how to improve the effectiveness of a team
The Foundation certification is also a pre-requisite for the APMG Practitioner certification.
Exam Format
- Multiple choice
- Four sections, total of 50 questions
- 25 marks required to pass (out of 50 available) – 50%
- 40 minutes duration
- Closed-book.
Practitioner Certification:
The purpose of the Practitioner certification is to confirm whether the candidate has achieved sufficient know-how to apply and tailor Change Management guidance in a given organizational change situation.
A successful Practitioner candidate should, with suitable direction, be able to start applying the Change Management approaches and techniques to a real change initiative – but may not be sufficiently skilled to do this appropriately for all situations. Their individual Change Management expertise, complexity of the change initiative and the support provided for the use of Change Management approaches in their work environment will all be factors that impact what the Practitioner can achieve.
Successful candidates will have fulfilled the knowledge requirements for Change Management Institute accreditation. Specifically, Practitioners should be able to use the models and concepts outlined in the Course Text to understand ‘real world’ change processes, to offer relevant insights and ideas which can aid decision-making, and assist in evaluating options.
- Identify the organizational drivers of a change initiative and the links that initiative has with any governance structures (e.g. strategic, program or project governance)
- Use a range of organization paradigms to understand, support and sustain change processes, taking account of the culture of the organization
- Apply an appropriate process framework to help plan or understand any particular organizational change
- Establish a clear framework of roles, skills, and activities through which leaders from different levels can support and sustain the change process
- Contribute effectively to preparation for a change initiative, including building the change team, offering insights which improve team effectiveness
- Offer relevant insights in discussions about how to prepare people for change, including planning for learning and motivational issues relevant to different roles and types of people
- Help colleagues understand the difference between organization change and the human impact of transition and suggest practical leadership actions at different stages of a change
- Support the identification and mapping of stakeholders in a change process and help develop approaches to build and maintain stakeholder engagement
- Draft the communications plan for a change initiative, taking proper account of the various stakeholders and of an appropriate range of communication channels
- Recognize signs of resistance to change and propose actions to mitigate it
- Propose a range of levers by which a change can be sustained and become embedded in the organization
Exam Format
- Objective testing based on a case study scenario
- Four questions of 20 marks each
- 40 marks required to pass (out of 80 available) – 50%
- 2.5 hours duration
- Restricted open book – The Effective Change Manager’s Handbook may be used in the exam.
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