As people professionals, we drive change for the good of the organisation and its people. Whether that’s introducing new approaches to working, developing talent, improving the culture, creating a more inclusive workplace, or managing a people project – all our work requires an understanding of change.

And people professionals are involved in all stages of change. We need business knowledge: how to build a case for change, develop costings and measures, and plan and deliver projects. But we also need an understanding of how to engage people for that change to be effective. How to choose the right approach that supports a change culture; how to involve the right people and listen to their views; how to continuously innovate and deliver change at pace, and knowing what else needs to be in place to enable that change for the long-term.

This area of the Profession Map covers the core knowledge needed for people professionals to deliver sustained change in an effective way.

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Change standards

Each standard progresses through four levels of impact. Which level do you most embody in your day-to-day work?

Foundation level Associate level Chartered Member level Chartered Fellow level
At this level you'll understand: At this level you'll understand: At this level you'll understand: At this level you'll understand:
Business cases What a business case is and its purpose How to use data to create a case for change How to use a broad range of evidence (eg external insight, benchmarking) How to evidence the value of change for a range of stakeholder groups
Managing change The importance of planning and managing change Different change management approaches and their advantages and disadvantages from a people perspective How to develop change management approaches that align with culture and objectives How to embed a people- centred approach to change management and governance across the organisation
Continuous improvement and innovation What continuous improvement is and why it’s important How to apply continuous improvement tools (eg customer journey mapping and test and learn) How to adapt and apply a range of innovation methods (eg user research, prototyping and iteration) How to build capability to design and innovate at pace to create organisational value
Change experience and engagement That people are an important part of any change, and that change can impact people in different ways How to explain why change is happening, and basic models for how people experience change How to listen to, engage and mobilise a range of stakeholders to enable a change and build capability How to create an organisation environment and culture that is change-ready and change-capable
Change levers N/A N/A How to assess the best ways to achieve and sustain change How to assess which levers will achieve and sustain change across an organisation, and create long term value
Project management What a good project plan looks like in your organisation, and its key elements How to plan and deliver an activity or event including outcomes, tasks, resources, risks and costs How to plan and deliver a project, and manage risk, resources and interdependencies to deliver outcomes How to plan, manage and de-risk broad programmes or portfolios of change to deliver organisational benefits

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