Full course description
Date: 23 April, 2026
Modality: In-person
Duration: 9am – 4pm
Price: $1,259 incl. GST
The pace of change keeps accelerating, driven by Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, and the shift to remote work amongst other changes. These developments are fundamentally reshaping our lifestyles, our perception of work, and our roles in the "post-digital era." The focus has shifted from cautious, slow, and risk-averse approaches to innovation-led, agile, and adaptable strategies. Organisations need to continuously evolve to remain competitive, leaving little time for planning ahead. New skills and mindsets are required to effectively navigate these transitions in a disciplined yet flexible, principle-centered approach that facilitates organisational transformation while overcoming bureaucratic obstacles that hinder innovation.
Change has a technical component that is covered by project management and a people-centric aspect that is covered by change management. Clearly the two overlap, and it is essential that they are coherent. This introductory course will enhance your understanding of the change process, providing you with proven frameworks, tools, and strategies to develop a change plan and increase the likelihood of successful implementation. Change needs to happen in collaboration with people, not to them, and draw on their diversity, skills, and experience to minimise the risk of failure.
The course can be tailored to any organisational context, from small teams to a mixture of participants from across large enterprises. It will equip you to address critical questions such as:
- What is driving this change initiative?
- Why should we care about it?
- How will this change affect our teams and stakeholders?
- How do we implement the change ?
Short course structure and topics covered:
Morning session
Introduction to change
- Defining the change
- Types of change
- Dimensions of change
- Scale of change
- Anticipating responses
Planning the transition
- Planned vs unplanned and disruptive change
- Environmental factors affecting the approach
- Change models (including ADKAR and Kotter)
- Systems Thinking and adapting the approach for maximum effectiveness
- Golden Circle approach
Afternoon session
Tools and techniques
- Stakeholder analysis
- Impact analysis
- Heat maps
- Communication plans
- Adapting high-level plans to suit the local situation
- Controls & reports
Implementing change
- Stakeholder management
- Lewins Force Field
- Next steps
Short course benefits and learning outcomes:
You will:
- Assess and select the most effective change management approach based on your organisation's specific needs and challenges
- Develop the confidence and capability to lead, initiate, and manage change successfully in dynamic environments
- Design and implement flexible, adaptive processes that empower teams and stakeholders to navigate and sustain change effectively.
Your organisation:
- Employees with increased agility and adaptability
- Stronger innovation and problem-solving capabilities
- More effective change management
- Enhanced collaboration and stakeholder engagement
- Reduced risk and increased success rates for change initiatives
- Greater alignment between organisational strategy and execution.
Who should attend? / any entry requirements?
- Individuals interested in gaining a better understanding of the change process, regardless of their level in an organisation
- Working professionals who need to develop an understanding of the models, tools and frameworks of change management processes I
- Individuals and teams involved in the implementation of change processes
- Project managers needing to broaden their knowledge of the people-centric aspects of transformation projects
- Change champions identified within an organisation
If you would like to inquire about this course being run inhouse, please email shortcourses@auckland.ac.nz
Payment for short courses is normally by credit card. If you need to pay by invoice or require assistance, please email shortcourses@auckland.ac.nz. Please note that the University does not issue individual invoices for amounts less than $500 New Zealand dollars.