‘Change Is Not One-Size-Fits-All’: A Q&A With ACMP President Rich Batchelor

IABC recently announced a partnership with the Association for Change Management Professionals (ACMP), acknowledging the overlap of interest between the two organizations and important role of communication in navigating change.   

To get a better understanding of the organization and emerging trends in the practice of change management, we spoke with ACMP President Rich Batchelor. Here, he shares how his career was shaped by change management early on, ways communicators can adapt to the latest in the field, resources ACMP offers and more.

Can you share a pivotal moment from your career as a change maker and how it shaped your perspective on effective change management strategies?

There are two moments of revelation over my career. The first goes back to my first job. I had been chosen to take on a team leader role and was developing my people leadership skills for the very first time. My office manager saw the potential of my people engagement and called me in to support what became my very first change management gig. Two locations of our organization were closing in neighboring towns and a decision was made to amalgamate into our office. My manager called me in and explained the situation. They said to me (paraphrased for simplicity): “People seem to like you, so can you help them like this change too?”

I realized I was very good at helping people come to terms with change, even though at that time we didn’t know the term change management.

The second relates to the simple a-ha that change is done better with people than to people. This first came to me when I was supporting some IT work and developed a shadowing scheme for folks to understand the new system. I remember looking at one team and just recognizing that by involving them in the delivery they were committed to its success. The change didn’t feel like it was being forced upon them anymore.

In the change management field, what emerging trends do you see? How can communication professionals adapt to drive successful outcomes?

The fascinating thing about our field is that we are always evolving. If change folks can’t embrace change, then who can?

Following our recent San Diego conference I was reassured to see us embracing artificial intelligence (AI) within the work we do. Not to be used as a replacement to the professional but to be a guide, mentor, support and catalyst to help us deliver the work we do.

I see lots of folks in the communications field worried that AI is taking their jobs and purpose away. But I think it’s actually augmenting it. We no longer need to be stuck thinking how to phrase an experience or learning moment — ask AI for some language and build upon that. I do think that is one clear synergy of the work we do to explain and educate on change, and I see lots of opportunities for us to embrace the power of AI rather than resist it.

What resources or support does ACMP offer to help communication professionals enhance their skills and contribute to successful change initiatives?

ACMP has some fantastic resources available with a rich resource library and an extremely active online community of themed live engagement forums, ACMP Connect. We are also continually adding to this knowledge base with regular webinars, educational events and linked discussions in ACMP Connect. ACMP has an extensive chapter network supporting members across all geographies and encourages lots of learning events as well. Guests are welcome and of course members get access to the whole ecosystem.

Communication professionals can definitely learn from all these resources and have the opportunity to be recognized for the significant contributions that good quality communications makes to the success of any successful change.

How does the partnership between ACMP and IABC contribute to elevating the standards of communication excellence within the change management community?

I am so excited to see how this partnership evolves. I see IABC events and members providing invaluable learning to the change community. Together we can truly help elevate such an important part of the change management strategy to provide greater impact.

I also see the opportunity for highly skilled communicators to provide recognition though contributions to the learning needed for qualifications like our Certified Change Management Professional (CCMP™) and alignment with the ACMP Standard® activity journey.

For many of us in the change space, we are juggling communications as one of many balls in the air for our work, and we do need to recognize the nuance of language and style. This is where we can lean on this wonderful partnership to build the practical elements for the role that communications plays, from developing change readiness,' to fully embracing change adoption and all elements in between.

Based on your experience in the field, what best practices should communication professionals prioritize when navigating organizational change?

In my own 30+ years in the field I have seen so much develop in the practice. The opportunities for communication professionals to enhance the success of so many initiatives is phenomenal.

The most important insight I have is to remember that change is not a one-size-fits-all approach. The communication behind the change needs to be aligned to each unique instance and the groups experiencing it. We can’t cut corners on the communications front by trying to send one catchall message to everyone. It needs tailoring and adapting to each audience experience.

Remember that people get emotional about change, and that’s ok. Its easy for us to see the emotional response as a challenge to understanding or be labeled as resistance. Just because someone is questioning a change or not responding favorably, it doesn’t mean they want to stop it; they may just need to understand it better. This is where clear communication can be so important, particularly when it is developed from the view of what the recipient needs, not what the organization wants to share.

Finally, change is always evolving, so be prepared for a dynamic experience supporting any change taking place. It is likely that the change will adjust many times over because of stakeholder involvement and environmental drivers. Make sure you are personally ready and be prepared to lean in from different lenses many times over. Change is never dull!

More About Rich Batchelor

Rich Batchelor has been successfully delivering change for over 30 years across the globe. His passion for maximizing the benefits of change management is evident, every time he engages others. He has a masters in change management, and multiple other qualifications adjunct and complimentary to the change space.

Batchelor currently runs his own consulting and learning practice, and is a part-time professor and curator of the Toronto Change Days Conference. He thrives in navigating change, enabling, empowering and guiding clients to realize the possibilities of change management to find their potential.

After serving ACMP as a local chapter leader for many years, Batchelor joined the ACMP global board in 2021 and after serving as treasurer and vice president is excited to have taken on the role of president in 2023.

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