Learning to Change: Is Change Management Certification Worth It?

Is change management certification worth it? Yes: In training to change, we learn best practices to navigate the ever-fluid transformation process.

Is change management certification worth it? The answer is yes. 

Change management certification offers the most relevant and timely strategies to face change. By training to change we learn best practices to navigate the ever-fluid transformation process. 

In this article, we’ll explore the value of change management certification in the following topics:

• Training to Change
• Is Change Management Certification Worth It?
• The Human Element in Change

Training to Change

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.”

Charles Darwin

The aftermath of change brings a new normal and shift in the status quo with many ever-changing variables. Learning to navigate such a transitory process requires a deep dive into change management. Change management certification allows for a more extensive look into the dynamic process of organizational transformation. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to change, change management courses lays the foundation for transformation, equipping leaders with the best tools and methods to implement change on their own. 

Change management courses teach leaders the best approach to successful organizational transformation. While many leaders already possess the skills necessary to guide a team through change, effectively navigating change management requires a more refined skill set. Certification courses help bolster participants’ communication skills,  strategic thinking abilities, and active listening capabilities. 

Is Change Management Certification Worth It?

If you’re wondering, “Is change management certification worth it?”, the numbers don’t lie. GlassDoor shows the average change management salary to be just over $100,000. 

Beyond the monetary value, change management training has a significant impact on an organization as a whole. Certified leaders can create an ideal process for implementing, managing, and cementing change. Moreover, this practice can become part of the company ethos as the team develops an affinity for cultivating innovative change. 

Additionally,  30% of clients that hire change management specialists ask for certification. While 30% may seem inconsequential, this certification plays a distinct role in implementing lasting change. 

As you assess the value of investing in certification, consider the following benefits of change management certification:

1. Validate Skill Development

Change management is considered a very fluid practice, making this certification a valuable way to validate your skills as a specialist in organizational transformation. Ultimately, concrete proof of your skill development proves certification to be a worthy investment. 

2. Boost Your Salary 

Professional certification has a significant impact on your earning potential as a change agent. With a certification in change management, you stand to earn more and set your rates as you see fit. 

3. Improve Morale

Facilitators that are trained in change management methodology understand best practices to lead their teams to success. As a result, these leaders prioritize their team’s needs, leading to an increased sense of loyalty and improved morale.

4. Reduce the Cost

Implementing a successful change management framework can reduce the overall costs related to organizational transformation. Moreover, a commitment to a successful change strategy can increase ROI.

5. Risk Reduction 

In determining, “Is change management certification worth it?”, consider its impact on risk reduction. The reality is that change can’t take place without risk. Investing in certification helps to mitigate these risks as much as possible. Through training, facilitators learn new frameworks for change. 

Change Management as a Practice 

Change management methodologies are varied. From change agent courses to the CCMP, there are multiple options for change management certification. At Voltage Control, we are committed to showing others how to embrace change. As change brings a fair amount of uncertainty, the true value of certification is learning how to navigate the pitfalls of change with an arsenal of tried and true tactics to champion transformation. 

Our change management courses teach leaders to implement change. Participants in certification courses can expect to:

• Illuminate a path for ideation
• Transform their organization with design thinking
• Build and retain collaborative teams during growth
• Excel in remote and hybrid work through immersive collaboration
• Shift organizational culture and facilitate systemic change

In these facilitation courses, we use Liberating Structures as a framework to help leaders mitigate the challenges of change and adopt a posture of curiosity for the unknown. Liberating Structures act as a change management framework through a series of 33 methods to help organizations initiate small shifts. These tiny changes alter protocols of how team members meet, decide, learn, plan, and relate to one another. 

“Liberating Structures are participatory methods that disrupt conventional patterns in how we work together. One Liberating Structure changes a meeting; the repertoire can change an organization.”

Is change management certification worth it? Beyond teaching Liberating Structures, change management courses provide facilitators with multiple ways to navigate change. In change management training, you’ll be equipped with a variety of models and methods to manage sustainable organizational transformation successfully. 

The Human Element in Change

Change management training goes far beyond the technical aspects of change management. Successful transformation requires leaders to win the hearts and minds of the people most affected by the change.

True change management encourages us to humanize the transformation process by centering the needs of others and inviting them to design a new normal alongside us. In centering others in this collaborative approach, leaders can promote the most innovative ideas from a diverse group of contributors. 

The truth behind change management methodology is that lasting change is person-first and people-driven. While a human-centered approach to change is highly effective, it isn’t the most intuitive response to change management. Ultimately, we must be taught to change.

Is change management certification worth it? Of course! With training, we learn to put others first in our efforts to design a new way of working. 

Voltage Control’s facilitation courses offer participants a clear idea of how to lead human-centered change through design thinking. Enlisting design thinking for change management encourages us to change on purpose, as team leaders and members alike follow a procedural process in implementing change. 

In addition to harnessing the creative aspects of collaborative change, design thinking for change management allows us to lead with emotion. Emotions are at the heart of human-centered change management.

Navigating a human-first approach to change encourages leaders to build a stronger sense of emotional intelligence. As a result, facilitators learn how to identify unspoken feelings, communicate with team members effectively and empathetically, and collaborate with all stakeholders to co-create change. 

Is change management certification worth it? Yes! Voltage Control can help you in your change management journey through a variety of workshops. Contact us to learn more about change management and best practices for human-centered change.