It is true, change happens at the individual level, but it requires several people to drive a transformational business change like a shift from in-office to a work-from-home model or from multiple small departmental systems to an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system implementation. One of the critical players in driving change is the subject matter expert (the SME); an individual who possesses deep knowledge or expertise about a particular part of the business or the activity taking place. They arguably play one of the most important roles in driving change for many reasons including: They are keenly aware of the impacts, challenges and obstacles that will arise as a result of the change because of their role and the expertise they possess; They are experiencing the change first-hand and; They are one of the top influencers that will drive the change within the business as they are respected, well-known, and trusted members of the team. The Value of a Subject Matter Expert Let’s use an ERP system implementation as an example. For this project, there would likely be multiple SMEs from teams such as human resources, finance, procurement, and warehouse, etc. They’re valued members of the team as they will help direct how the system is developed, ensuring that it meets the needs of their respective teams and streamlines how they work. For example, the human resources department often uses an ERP system like MS Dynamics for time tracking, payroll, or recruiting and onboarding. To ensure the ERP system works for the HR team, it is critical to include at least one SME from that department so that they can provide guidance on what functions and work processes are required. Implementing a new system without their involvement would not be favourable. They also support testing and training, and are an avenue to cascade updates and provide feedback from their colleagues back to the project team. Testing often involves many people from a business unit, but prior to various activities, the SME is responsible for taking the lead to ensure the system meets the needs and requirements for the human resources department. Training is also integral in driving change and a SME who has been involved throughout the entirety of the project, will possess the most knowledge about how the system works for their function. Because of this, they will often be tapped on to lead or support the training with their colleagues and teams. Multi-way communication is another benefit of involving the SME. Being a part of the business unit, they understand the team dynamics and are able to determine the best timing and channels to communicate important updates. They are also great sounding boards for their teams, and will raise concerns, questions, or share insights back to the project team. As demonstrated, it’s never a good idea to implement a system that has such an impact on a particular group without the support of an SME. Over time, it will not only impact the bottom-line through delays or rework, but it ultimately will not work for the business area it was intended for. Why Experiencing the Change Matters Change happens to everyone within the business, including those that are a part of the project team. In fact, it can often be more challenging for those involved so closely like the SME. Like everyone else, they will experience change at the individual level and will have their own moments where they will feel optimism or despair. If you want a reminder of the different phases of change, check out our change curve graph here. Having a valued member of the project team who is experiencing these changes first-hand provides insights on challenges and what may be required to get the team on the right path to support and reinforce the change. For example, if they are showing frustrations about the training process, then it would be important to revisit the training with the SME to ensure that it is effective, or to check if they need any additional support. On the flip side, when they are feeling excitement or accepting the change, this is equally as valuable because it creates opportunities for the project team to share successes and celebrate important milestones. Recognizing wins is one of the ways to enable a team to successfully adopt and accept change. Whatever the case may be, the value of the SME experiencing the change themselves is evident as it will enable the project team to quickly act on and adapt their approach to managing change. It’s important to note that all organizational change management plans are fluid and require continuous attention to ensure the right activities are reaching and engaging the right audience at the right time. Why Influencing is a Key Driver of Change The power of influence is one of the top leadership qualities; the ability to motivate and inspire others can effectively drive behavioural change. It’s also important to recognize that the best leaders are not always who you would expect, but instead can be individuals without title. A SME is a great example of this. They are not necessarily in leadership positions, but when selected carefully are able to influence up, down, and across the organization within other business areas. There are many tactics to influence others during periods of change. In fact, influencing in the right way can help to overcome resistance which can result in the failure of a business transformation. There are several ways to influence which will vary from individual to individual but can include speaking, writing, and networking. SMEs will have their own established ways to influence and will likely have a natural talent for doing so. Another benefit of their influencing power is that they are also very trusted amongst their peers and colleagues. Trust is very hard to earn and having this trait can move mountains when working through a large business transformation like a system's implementation. As many of us have experienced, IT changes are one of the most difficult business changes to implement because it creates uncertainty about the future. Employees have natural concerns including impacts to roles, questions about job security, and they often feel like they are losing control. Having a trusted colleague that cascades information or listens to concerns, makes a huge difference in addressing these fears and helps to minimize discomforts so that the business can move forward. SMEs are a critical success factor for a project and are instrumental in driving change because of their expertise, personal change experiences, and influencing power. Ensuring they are included and engaged in the change management activities of a project is important to achieve the desired business outcomes and successfully transform the way people work. Author Krista Schaber-Chan Managing Partner Toronto Email | LinkedIn

Transparent and Engaging Communications for Change Enablement We often consider communications as a separate pillar within change methodologies. But the truth is, we need to consider communications at every phase of a change initiative. The reason? You cannot enable people for their change journey or expect engagement without being transparent about what is happening. When we disconnect communications from the phases, we lose the true value. Let us start by looking at the difference between communication and communications. In the organizational context, the key difference between them is that communication focuses on the message itself, whereas communications studies how organizations and their people deliver these messages. To put things into perspective, think about how COVID has impacted elementary schools. Ontario's education system has experienced a lot of change. People are still navigating the transition from in-person classes to hybrid to fully remote learning. With all of these critical decisions, educators and families need to know what is happening to succeed. That is where both communication and communications demonstrate its most significant impact. Without the school boards providing transparency towards the decisions they are making or delivering this information through trusted channels, families would be confused or resistant to any changes. This same concept applies to organizational change; communication and communications are necessary to keep people informed, engaged, and accountable in an organization's change journey. People need to know why the change is happening, what is in it for them, and how it impacts their role to accept it. Today, we're focusing on effective communications and how it can be applied to help you reach the right people, at the right time, in the right way. Change can be intimidating for many people, and effective communications helps facilitate the uncertainty people experience during transformations. Achieving Effective Communications While communication involves sending and receiving messages, effective communications is more than just a single event or an exchange of information. Effective communications drives engagement, impacts change adoption, and builds personal accountability, which is essential to enabling your people for change. When done correctly, communications planning should reach the right people, at the right time, the right way. This means understanding your audience, crafting a message that resonates with them, choosing an optimal delivery method, and executing it when appropriate. Different organizations and changes will almost always have different requirements. So, it is important to ask yourselves these simple questions: What are the objectives? What are the key messages? Who are you trying to reach? When and how will information be disseminated, and what is the relevant timing? How much information will be provided, and to what level of detail? How will comments be solicited? What will be done because of receiving the feedback? Answering these questions is only the first step. Effective communications means crafting messages that are both heard and understood by your audience. The Audience Historically, we may be used to executives delivering communications to our organization through formal e-mails that simply states what is happening and why. These formal messages rarely consider the audience and are simply for the sake of "you were informed" without building any personal accountability for the audience. This leads to recipients often unsure of what to do with the information given to them. Think of the ongoing changes occurring in our schools these past few months. The audience, in this case, is the parents of the children and the faculty and staff of the schools. Informing these individuals of what is happening is not enough. Similar to an organization, the school board also has to consider how they can engage their audience by clearly highlighting expectations and soliciting feedback. Enabling your people for change means creating a sense of accountability for it through your messaging. Establishing what we want our audience to gain from communications is not the only critical component. There also needs to be a clear distinction of who the audience is. Not every message is intended for everyone in an organization. Just as parents and their children are impacted differently from faculty and staff, different people in an organization will have their own change journeys. Different audiences will have different needs, reactions, and expectations when interpreting communications. Organizations need to have a clear understanding of how various individuals, whether they are directors, managers, or employees, interpret these messages and adapt to their needs. Although the medium, message, and timing are all crucial pieces of effective communications, the audience directly affects each one and sets the foundation for the rest of your communication strategy. Choosing your Communications Channel The different types of communications include: Written Communication (i.e. e-mail or letters) Instant Message Telephone Meetings (Including Virtual Meetings) Video Webinars Chatting with Colleagues Each type has its own advantages and depends on the audience, the urgency, and the goal of the communication. Different audiences prefer to communicate in different ways. For example, executives might benefit from an e-mail because their schedules are not as flexible, and booking a meeting where they are all available could be challenging. Whereas a meeting for mid-level employees could be advantageous as it allows the individuals to pose questions for more clarification. This does not mean these are always the best mediums for these audiences. Executives also receive high volumes of e-mails, so there is a good chance any communication delivered via e-mail will get overlooked. In contrast, booking meetings for mid-level employees takes a lot of time and effort to plan and could disrupt day-to-day operations. There is no formula to tell you which messages work best in every scenario; it all comes down to understanding your organization's people and their needs. Communications practitioners are essential to Change Enablement because of their abilities to strategize and plan organizational communications. They take a tremendous amount of pressure off Change Leaders and provide a much-needed benefit to their organization. I started off by mentioning the inaccuracy many organizations have by separating communications as its own pillar. One of the most common causes for this is that there is no communications practitioner to hone in on the business' needs and apply their strategy throughout all phases. The Message Now that you know our audience and the best way to communicate to them, you need to decide what information needs to be included. Not only does the content need to be relevant, but it needs to be transparent. For example, think about if your audience needs to receive important updates or just general information at a particular stage in their change journey. Being thoughtful about your messages' content and structure will give your information the best chance at being heard and interpreted correctly. You may be asking yourself, why do I keep mentioning transparent communications? Well, that is because, in addition to the message informing the audience what is in it for them, it also needs to provide insight into why the change is necessary. When catering your message to your audience's needs and values, you create a more compelling case for the change. Timing the Delivery The last step in delivering communications is delivering the communication. This means answering the question, when does my team need to hear this information? Communications plans need to carefully consider the timeliness of information shared to find the right balance between too little and too much communication. We often lean towards saying there is no such thing as too much communication. Once a message is delivered, you may understand the content right away. However, repetition is typically encouraged because that understanding can be easily forgotten once your focus shifts to your other responsibilities. Still, we need to be careful that we are not overwhelming our audience or delivering irrelevant information that they will dismiss. A second consideration that needs to be accounted for is the action items in the message. Once communication is delivered, there will be associated action items for the audience. The delivery timing needs to account for the estimated time and effort it will take for the audience to complete those action items. Allocating too little time will create stress in the audience and resistance to understanding the benefit of the change. Meanwhile, giving too much time can lead to procrastination or a lack of importance. In summary, providing clear and consistent messages along the change journey builds personal accountability and helps the audience feel connected and responsible as true stakeholders in the process. Results When applying these four components of effective communications in your strategies and plans, you can take your organization from change-resistant to change-ready. Let us think back to our school board example one last time and put ourselves in the audience's perspective. I think we can all agree that we would want to be consistently informed regarding what is going on and what our own action items are. We want a clear understanding of why certain safety precautions are put in place regarding COVID-19 and what we can do to support the health and safety of those in our community. We want to be informed promptly so that we do not feel forgotten. We want to be told through a channel that makes it easy to understand the message and provide feedback when appropriate. Achieving these enables us to be a part of the change journey. The same mindset needs to be in place to enable our people for business changes. Author Krista Schaber-Chan Managing Partner Toronto Email | LinkedIn

After one month into 2021, I hope you're still sticking to your New Years' resolutions. I'm sure at some point, many of us have asked ourselves, "why is this so hard every year?" Well, change can be challenging, especially when there is a lack of motivation to drive it. People often identify the start of a new year as the perfect time to make a change in their lives. The calendar year represents our time as a cycle. Every January is like a restart, where you can get back on track to completing any goals that may have been lost during the year or start new ones. January 1st may just be another day from the universe's perspective, but it signifies so much more to us. We rely on the New Year to bring change in our lives, but why is it so difficult to stick to our resolutions, and why can't we have that same focus on any given day? Well, it's possible that we're not well-equipped for change, and there's no shame in that; most people aren't. I'll come back to this analogy later, but first, let's look at dealing with change from a real-world business perspective. What Kind of Organizational Projects Require Change Management? When asked this question back in July 2020, I specified the importance of people. Change is so persistent that you only have time to react. So when you plan for your technology change, you have to ensure you're planning for your people too. More often than not, people respond intrinsically and emotionally to the changes around them. Organizational Change Management (OCM) needs to be proactive in putting together the structure around the plan for the people. OCM is creating a framework to achieve this, where it enables people to change. So it's not Change Management vs. Change Enablement; it's Change Management through Change Enablement. Organizational Change Management The key element in OCM is people. The key components to supporting and enabling change are training, communications, and stakeholder engagement. Every change should have them, and they all need to be planned for. People Organizations don't change, people do. This is why it's critical to plan for them in your change project. At the end of the day, the people within your organization participate in the training and need to keep up with the communications for the project, so you must ensure these components are developed with them in mind. They are the most affected by the change and are often the training and communications recipients. Training We say training is a key component in OCM, but we really want to ensure learning. My business partner Krista wrote a great piece on the differences between the two while explaining why it's important to distinguish between them. OCM's goal is to ensure that training is designed and developed to enable people to learn because, once again, the people are the critical factor. Communications Communication, when done right, enables people. Successful OCM needs effective, transparent, and frequent communications. Managing a change without informing those who are impacted is exceptionally challenging. It leads to discouragement and creates a gap in awareness, knowledge, and desire. Communication is essential to enhancing people's awareness, but it also encourages people's engagement and enablement. Stakeholder Engagement We keep saying people are the key element to OCM. But who are these people? Stakeholders are the individuals in an organization who are impacted or responsible for making decisions and changes. We can't overlook the importance of a stakeholder's overall buy-in to the project's success. The foundational principles around stakeholder engagement that deserve attention are partnering, identifying, trusting, informing, inviting, including, delivering, and investing. Training, communications, and stakeholder engagement are all essential components of OCM. Each of these pieces plays an important role in enabling change and supporting the people. When organizations use them together, they can ensure that their people are learning, staying informed, engaged, and equipped to plan for change proactively. Every change will involve these three components one way or another. OCM's role is to build awareness, a desire for change, and a change community through them. Enablement is simply the approach to managing change. OCM delivers value, return on investment, and minimizes risk; Change Enablement should do the same. Why Stakeholder Engagement? I've mentioned the significance of enabling your people for change but only briefly mentioned engaging stakeholders. The truth is, you need stakeholder engagement to get the most out of the other OCM components. That bridge is built through transparent communications. At this point, it shouldn't be a surprise that it takes one component to reap the benefits of another. Transparency is the key in communications because it builds the trust needed for enablement. There's a lot of oversight on the importance of communications and how much weight it has on a project. In addition to effective communications, there are many other good examples of stakeholder engagement. They all revolve around the foundational components of OCM I mentioned earlier. They all deserve attention, but to highlight a few: Partner The reality is that the most successful transformations are delivered with the business rather than to the business. You should always press for participation, accountability, and engagement. Not because you aren't prepared to lift the load, but because it's better for you. Your adoption rate will be higher, your solution will be more robust, and your benefits will be realized sooner. You will have a proper shot at self-sufficiency. Identify You need to take the time to understand your stakeholders. Not just as departmental blocs of users but as individuals with unique limitations, strengths, and expectations. Inform For stakeholders to be true partners, you must keep them informed—and do so with both truth and candour. If stakeholders are aware of the challenges ahead, they can prepare and be proactive. Invest Powerful and productive engagement takes time. Like most things in life, if there are good examples of something, there are also poor examples, such as starting too late. When you don't have engaged stakeholders at the start, from front-line to Sr. Leader, you end up investing more energy and dollars bringing them along after go-live. The Power of Organizational Change Management Let's look back at the New Year's resolutions analogy I shared earlier. How do we equip ourselves to deal with change our personal lives? Well, it's the same way we do it at work. Harbinger has frequently mentioned that Change Management is evolving to Change Enablement. Whether they're major or minor, all businesses are experiencing change. As an individual, wouldn't you prefer to be prepared to handle change rather than continually being managed and told what to do? Even from the business' perspective, wouldn't you prefer having teams skilled in dealing with changes rather than always telling your employees how to do things? Now bring this back to New Years'. It's nobody's responsibility, but your own, to achieve your resolutions. So why do we still need upper management to help drive change? OCM has historically been top-down driven, whereas Change Enablement is driven by the middle and led by the top. There's a famous graphic that showcases the differences between a Boss and a Leader. As you can imagine, the leadership approach has a greater success probability. In addition to that, the leader's team is more likely to feel empowered. The same principle applies to change. We want our teams to be enabled to champion change and feel empowered and encouraged to participate in the project. The problem today is this notion that it's Change Enablement vs. Organizational Change Management. But that's a common misconception. Remember, Change Management is evolving to Change Enablement, but you still need a mixture of both to achieve success. Now suppose you can effectively enable yourself to deal with change. In that case, you wouldn't wait until January 1st to make the same resolutions year after year. Instead, you would make them regularly throughout the year and move on to new ones once you complete them. So why would an organization want to repeat the same nuisances in managing change with every new project? If they can successfully enable their people, every upcoming project will benefit from the previous one's momentum. The Evolution of Change Enablement OCM is the core of Change Enablement. When something evolves, the roots and historical development are not lost in the new form, they remain in the core. Change Enablement is the result of OCM's growth over the years, and it's been shaped by the rapid and exponential development of people. We are now, more than ever, capable of dealing with change on an ongoing basis, so let's evolve with it. Let's enable ourselves and our organizational culture to handle change effectively and efficiently so that we're equipped to manage our ever-changing work environments and those New Years' resolutions we make every year. Author Gregory Roth Managing Partner Toronto Email | LinkedIn

2020 was an interesting year to say the least, almost everyone and everything experienced change. While the year started off strong, the pandemic forced many of us into transitions we didn’t see coming. But despite the various challenges our communities have undergone this year, overcoming them has also made us stronger than ever before. For Harbinger, we’re fortunate that our team is made up of some of the most adaptable and resourceful people. We made the successful transition to a fully remote workplace, all while accomplishing some great work in supporting organizations with their change and learning goals. This wouldn’t be possible without the support of our excellent Harbinger team, colleagues, friends, and partners. To recap 2020 as it comes to a close, we’re taking a look back on the top 3 blogs we’ve written this year, ranked by readership and thought leadership. 1. What are the barriers to change? by Greg Roth, Managing Partner Greg takes a deep dive into understanding the barriers to change. He provides a unique viewpoint on using pain and reflection to identify individual barriers, as well as insights on how to overcome them in a transformation journey. Greg talks about recognizing the different stages of change and the questions people need to ask to successfully accept and adopt change. 2. How do you collect the right information when creating training content for clients? by Adam Rifai, Accounting & Business Analyst/Associate Consultant Adam shares his expertise as an instructional designer. He walks us through the important considerations of collecting information in order to design effective learning materials. From identifying the type of change people are experiencing to recognizing their learning preferences, he articulates the key role instructional designers play in helping clients reach their desired change results. 3. Are your people Change Enabled? by Krista Schaber-Chan, Managing Partner Krista focusses on the evolution of change management to change enablement. She discusses the contrast between managing and enabling change, in addition to the impact each process has on people and their transformation journeys. Krista highlights how today’s pace of change calls for more focus on individual change experiences, while also providing practical recommendations on how to begin adding change enablement to your toolkit. As we step into 2021, we’ll continue to provide new thoughts and ideas on change enablement, learning, and communications. Thank you to all of our readers for your continued support. Here’s to another exciting year ahead! Stay updated on our latest insights and thought leadership by subscribing to our blog here.

In the past few decades, (organizational or people) change management has been a hot topic and become a corporate buzzword. Everyone seems to know they need it, yet despite the buzz, organizations continue to struggle to manage change. Here are a few facts about change: Change is happening all the time. The impact of a change is different depending on what the change is, when it is happening, how it is being received, and whether it is imposed or solicited. Change occurs at the individual level, one person at a time – it’s these individuals who become the catalyst for an organization to change. The terminology, tactics, tools used, and methods employed, need to adapt. What do you think of when you hear the word manage or management? At best, it implies that something will be controlled and put into a nice, structured box or checklist. But at worst, it suggests that it is outside of one’s control or within someone else’s sphere of influence, which can breed fear, mistrust, and apathy. A definition search on the term manage, reveals the following: To deal with something The process of controlling things or people To handle, direct, govern, or control But all changes regardless of the reason for the change, impact people. However, people should not be managed, handled, or controlled. People should be inspired, feel connected, and be enabled. “To manage is to control - to enable is to provide the opportunity to make meaningful change possible.” Greg Roth, Managing Partner The Evolution of Change Management to Change Enablement The idea that change management needs to change is not new – I first started reading about it back in 2014 or 15, and it continues to be a topic of conversation in publications such as Forbes and HBR about how change management is dead. I have even written a couple of blogs on the topic. While change management isn’t actually dead (there is a lot of good work being done in this important field of work), it does need to be shaken up and rejuvenated. We should continue to use what works but discard the antiquated processes and tactics and supplement our toolkit with something more practical, more empowering, and more sustainable. This starts with how we talk about and support change. In a world where there is literally something changing in our lives every day, we can no longer try to manage it as if it is a “thing”. I am not sure it is even something that can be led. Change is fluid, relentless, and often overwhelmingly hard. It is also personal, even when it’s a work-related change. Every single person who is impacted by a change decides to change or not to change. Welcome Change Enablement. The word enable, by definition, gives someone the ability, authority and/or means to do something. Basically, change enablement gives individuals the power to own the change and be accountable for their own change journey and adoption. So, when we talk about change, we should want it to be perceived as an opportunity instead of an imposition. “Change Enablement makes it possible for something to happen or exist by fostering the necessary conditions.” Krista Schaber-Chan, Managing Partner Ensuring People Have the Right Skills to Champion Change Change Enablement is about the person going through a change. Think of the middle people managers, front-line workers, and individual contributors who are often told a change is coming but are rarely involved in the discussions, the planning, or are not asked for their thoughts on the impacts. Decisions are made about them and for them. They are told when to change but not actually encouraged or empowered to navigate the change, so they tune it out, try to derail it or resist it. Where traditional change management drives change down from the top, keeping things on task, and overseen by some broader plan, Change Enablement strives to ensure people have the right skills and perspectives to assess the change coming at them, and respond with leadership, rather than resistance and avoidance. Whether the change is being driven by a leader in an organization, supported by a change management professional or experienced by individuals, change enablement is a requirement in the updated change management toolkit. Traditional change management will continue to have a place but maybe it’s time it stepped down. Rather than focusing on the old “top-down” messaging and directives like change management does, Change Enablement levels the playing field. Many formal leaders in the organization are either not equipped to inspire when a change is happening or are already burdened with a heavy load and cannot support the change the way it deserves. Let’s reimagine change; how we think about it, how we talk about it, and how we flourish through it, by putting on our Change Enablement lens. Author Krista Schaber-Chan Managing Partner Toronto Email | LinkedIn

Hallowe’en is upon us. It is a time of year to celebrate all scary things: monsters, goblins, ghouls. But for some of us in the change management, communications, and learning field we see and experience the scariest of things on a daily or project basis. Sometimes the scary monster is that project sponsor who is aggressive and pushy but essentially does very little to drive the project forward. Or those goblins in the form of the extended project team – they really mean no harm, but they can’t help but be a little malicious toward people or the project. And of course, there are the ghouls – those resisters who revel in revolting. While these archetypes are not always present during a project or other change initiatives, we also need to keep a vigilant eye open for them. Like all things that go bump in the night, these characters can be summoned without warning. What can we do to be watchful, without being paranoid? How do we move forward when they do appear? The Scary Monster The scary monster can be anyone, but often the scariest is the one who is supposed to lead and drive the change. But for whatever reason, instead of being a critically minded thinker who supports the change by removing roadblocks and providing a calm and positive presence that people can gather strength from, they are a source of fear, chaos, or even worse, indifference. I am sure we have all experienced this monster. The executive who has been charged with sponsoring something she doesn’t believe in or care about. Or the senior leader who thinks he doesn’t need to support his people through the change because employees will just do what they are told because it’s their job – no need to “coddle”. When we come across this scary monster what are we to do? How do we help them change? Or in their absence/inability, how do we help the project and the people along the change journey without their sponsor or leader? The first thing to remember is the executive and leadership team, just like all other employees, are also going through a change. We often put these super-high expectations on leadership because they are leaders. And while, yes, they do have the position they have because they are expected to endure and produce more than a middle manager or an individual contributor, they are still people who need to adjust and go through the same stages of change as everyone else. Empathy is key when assisting these monsters. Like everyone else, they often need someone to listen and care. Ego and pride are often the source of energy for these monsters. In everyday lingo, ego means the extent to which one thinks highly of one's self. We all need a strong enough ego to deal with everything that needs to be accomplished to survive and we rely on our ego to provide a sense of identity. The role of a leader or project sponsor is to enable change – to provide those going through change with the means, support, and direction and when required to, remove blocks. This often requires some level of letting go of ego. According to Cy Wakeman, the average employee spends 2.5 hours per day on drama in the workplace. In her book, No Ego, she points out that ego-driven behaviours are the #1 source of drama in workplaces today, and it’s costing organizations billions annually. By tapping into the source (ego), monsters can change. It is always good to have a little monster in us when driving change, but acknowledging it and knowing its place will make leading and sponsoring change more rewarding and beneficial to the organization as a whole. The Goblin Like the scary monster, the goblin can be anyone, but often the goblin appears as a member of the extended project team – someone who has been tasked to provide subject matter expertise for their business unit but are not fully embedded into the project. Subject matter experts or SMEs are individuals with deep knowledge of a particular job, process, topic, or function. They are often called upon to answer questions, provide input into the design or development of materials, or to communicate and transfer knowledge clearly to other people in an organization about their area of expertise. SMEs are often asked to perform their SME duties as extra, on-the-side-of-their-desk work which ultimately ends up being a full-time job. So, it’s understandable that goblins can be a little malicious and mean towards people or the project. The question I always ask myself (and the Project Manager, Project Sponsor(s), and HR), is what are we doing to enable these people, so they don’t become goblins? They too are going through a change but are also being asked to do their full-time job, while taking on near full-time project obligations. Have their fears about the change been acknowledged? Have they been provided the correct information and context? What training have they been provided? What about other incentives? How about back-filling their day-job role so they aren’t working from 6 AM to 2 AM every day for 6, 8, or 12 months? This requires more than empathy, it requires thought, planning, and compromise. The Ghoul Ahh.. the ghouls – those resisters who revel in revolting. Okay, maybe revolt is harsh, or at least it is often not a showy, loud performance. But revolt can be a good word for resistance. Merriam Webster dictionary states that resistance is “an act or instance of opposing” – specifically a hostile or contrary action or condition. The American Psychological Association dictionary states that resistance is “generally, any action in opposition to, defying, or withstanding something or someone”. Sounds a little like revolt to me. Tyler Davis, associate professor of psychological sciences at Texas Tech University says “some people feel their identity is related to [the thing they are resisting], that they most likely don’t disagree with the [logic or reasons for the change] but are making a cultural or political statement: [Basically] ‘I don’t want to and you can’t make me.’”. A hot topic for everyone in the world right now is masks – and I don’t mean Hallowe’en masks! Resistance is a big part of leading and supporting change, and you should never be surprised by it – resistance is normal. It is basic human nature of people to try and keep methods and customs constant, even when they are inefficient or ineffective. Resistance is a word that is tossed about a lot during change initiatives. The question I like to ask is, “Is it resistance? Or are people simply "stuck" because they do not feel enabled or empowered?” I also hear the buzz-phrase “engagement” a lot. But the reality is, people will not fully engage (despite best efforts) unless they feel responsible and accountable for their own change journey. Resistance often comes from a place of not taking accountability for one’s own outcomes or from a place of loss of identity. So how can the onset or disruption of resistance be reduced? How do we keep the ghouls away? Proactively supporting resistance is about acting on foresight, instead of waiting for a problem to arise. So, when watching for resistance, do so by looking at where employees are in the change curve – signs of resistance or being stuck can happen at any stage: Are employees informed and do they understand? Meaning, are they aware and do they fully understand why, what, when and even how? Do they feel optimistic about this change? If not, why? Have they learned what is required to go through the change? Learned new skills or desired behaviours? How able are they? Have they had any training or other learning opportunities? Are they being supported and empowered? Communicate the WIIFM (What’s In It for Me) or the What Does It Mean for Me. These three characters (monsters, goblins, and ghouls) are always lurking, ready to feed on whatever they can to gain power. Often when a change is happening there are many people going through it who need support. We know that change happens one person at a time, but that doesn’t mean you have to actually speak with or coach each person individually – could you imagine? When supporting an organization and their leaders and people through a change, I find applying a coaching mindset, by asking the right questions and providing the right focus and support structure can shift the balance of responsibility and accountability from the Change Manager (i.e. me or you) who is supporting the change to the individual(s), who are being impacted by the change. Applying a coaching mindset doesn’t need to be time consuming or difficult. Instead, it’s about asking the right questions, to the right people, at the right time via the right medium! If you are a change practitioner or change champion, you probably already do this, whether it’s intentionally or instinctually! But essentially, you want to open people’s awareness and discovery and you can do this through many different approaches: 1:1 meetings Focus groups Emails (targeted to individuals, small groups) Social platforms (Yammer, Teams sites, etc.) Broad or targeted communications (such as town halls, recurring agenda slot in a team meeting, videos, etc.). Using a coaching mindset (like coaching), is about the other person – helping them produce their own awareness and solution. When enabling people through change you want to ask the types of questions that make them think and reflect. To learn more about applying a coaching mindset and tips for curbing resistance, take a look at our infographic on our website here. Change is scary for most of us, most of the time. But change is inevitable and more, it is constant. There will always be change monsters to fear, but putting in the effort to enable people rather than managing them, can turn them into change champions. Author Krista Schaber-Chan Managing Partner Toronto Email | LinkedIn

Harbinger SCR Ranks No. 85 on the 2020 StartUp List – Canadian Business unveils annual list of Canada’s Fastest-Growing Companies Toronto (October 15, 2020) - Canadian Business today ranked Harbinger SCR No. 85 on the 32nd annual StartUp List, the definitive ranking of Canada’s Fastest-Growing Companies. Produced by Canada’s premier business and current affairs media brands, the Growth List ranks Canadian businesses on five-year revenue growth. Growth List winners are profiled in a special print issue of Canadian Business published with Maclean’s magazine and online at CanadianBusiness.com and GrowthList.ca. Harbinger SCR made the 2020 StartUp List with two-year revenue growth of 29%. “The companies on the 2020 Growth List are really exceptional. Their stories are a masterclass in how to survive when the economy throws a curveball. Despite turbulence, the 2020 Growth List companies showed resilience, spirit and, most importantly, empathy and strong leadership,” says Susan Grimbly, Growth List Editor. “As we celebrate over 30 years of the Canada’s Fastest-Growing Companies program, it’s encouraging to see that the heart of Canada’s entrepreneurial community beats strong, even in tough times.” “Being a start-up with big ideas can be challenging, especially when part of that challenge is created by a global pandemic,” says Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Krista Schaber-Chan. “But we are Harbingers of Change and we like a challenge. We help our clients lead their organizations and people through tough business transformations creating lasting benefits by ensuring user adoption. To be a part of the Canadian Business Growth List – Top Start Ups is an honour, and a testament to our team, partners, and loyal client base.” Harbinger is a Canadian-owned change management and learning consulting firm that partners with companies to help foresee, plan, and manage upcoming change. We provide businesses with top-tier, reliable, and flexible consulting throughout their Change journeys. We get to the heart of your people-related problems by operating as members of your team and mentoring great talent that will champion change into the future. Visit our website at www.leadlearnchange.com, or find us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. About the Growth List For over 30 years, the Growth List ranking of Canada’s Fastest-Growing Companies (formerly the Growth 500) has been Canada’s most respected and influential ranking of entrepreneurial achievement. Originally developed by PROFIT and now published in a special Growth List print issue of Canadian Business (packaged with the December issue of Maclean’s magazine) and online at GrowthList.ca and CanadianBusiness.com, the Growth List ranks Canadian companies on five-year revenue growth, and the Startup List ranks Canadian new growth companies on two-year revenue growth. For more information on the ranking, visit GrowthList.ca. About Canadian Business Founded in 1928, Canadian Business is the longest-serving business publication in the country. It has fuelled the success of Canada’s business elite and, through the Growth List ranking, celebrates leadership, innovation, business strategy and management tactics.

Establish a remote workspace that works for you Enable active communication within your team and external parties Change Enablement Humans have proven to be prominent adapters. We don’t only adapt amidst challenging times, but also throughout when things are smooth sailing. Often things that were new and exciting quickly become familiar and commonplace. This gives us hope to drive change from a system that has worked for so long and allowed employees to get comfortable in a working routine. You know the routine I’m talking about. Waking up, listening to a new podcast on our commute, spending our break time with co-workers, and ultimately spending after office hours with our family at home or with our colleagues at happy hour. Mix-in the occasional workout we keep telling ourselves we're going to finally do, and I'm pretty sure I've summed up the daily routine for most people. Believe me, I'm guilty of it too, but the first step to enable change is awareness. We also have tendencies to focus on the negative when faced with change and inaccurately forecast how we and others will feel in the future. We were recently hit with a pandemic, and to avoid releasing "just another COVID blog" to the world, I want to focus on the future. We've already learned that remote workspaces are something every business needs to at least consider. As we start to see industry leaders, like Microsoft, making Work from Home more commonplace, we will see positive ways to adapt to adverse situations. So how do we get the best out of this situation, avoid focusing on the bad, and better predict our future? Establish a remote workspace that works for you You may have already accomplished this and find yourself quite productive in your home office. But if you're like me, you might find it sometimes difficult to stay on task for long periods as opposed to working in the office. There are a few things I considered to enable myself to work from home more effectively. The first thing I had to consider was my actual workspace. Ensuring I have adequate desk space and easy access to any materials I need to do my job. Adding a workspace to your home may be difficult if you're limited on space. Not everyone has the luxury of a spare room to add a desk and create their own office. Some people share their home with other working family members or roommates. So not only do you need to create a workspace that works for you, but it also needs to accommodate those around you. Personally, I have a desk in my bedroom, which is large enough to support my laptop, two monitors, and a few other work-related items. I also have the luxury of using my window as a whiteboard to track to-do lists and take notes saving paper and space. I share a condo with two other roommates, so I don't have the luxury of using a separate room for my office. This means there are times I am working in my room for significantly consecutive hours. It's important to remember to take breaks from your workspace because we are losing out on our commute and team lunches. But on the bright side, sharing a remote workspace with my roommates allows us to build an office atmosphere. Although we all work for different companies, we still get to feed ideas off of each other, have social interactions, and spend our break time with each other. Next, you need to consider what made the corporate office work? Was it the social aspect allowing you interact and keep up with colleagues? Was it the change of scenery required for you to focus on work and not worry about other things? Is your home simply too quiet or too loud (pets and children can certainly be a distraction)? But they can also provide some emotional therapy boosting your mental health and productivity. Each thought has pros and cons; it's essential to focus on the good and find what works for you. For me, I admire the flexibility a home office provides. Two benefits come to mind when I think about workspace flexibility. For instance, when you work in an office, you, more often than not, must arrive at 9:00am or earlier. Although you may not have any meetings or work due at that time, it's good practice that you showcase punctuality. Varying start times can make your co-workers question level of responsibility, dedication, and respect. Between you and me, we know that's not true. I agree that starting your day early is beneficial, mostly because financial stock markets open at 9:00am EST. Meaning businesses all over the world are making decisions that impact everyday life around this start time. Nonetheless, we are certainly trending to eliminate the 9-5 mentality, and remote workspaces strongly support this. My workspace set up is always readily available, so my work hours can follow an as-needs strategy. My number one priority has become "get sh*t done". This includes getting up at 6:00am to finish up work for a 9:00am meeting, followed by catching up on some sleep post-meeting, then getting back to work for the day. It also includes finishing up some work before I go to bed because my bedroom and office are the same room now. A few months ago, I took the workspace flexibility a step further, bringing me to the second benefit. Who cares where you work from, as long as you get your sh*t done? This past June, I visited my brother in Vancouver; however, my stay was prolonged because of COVID flight cancellations. This meant I had to find another way to work remotely and still be productive in a brand-new setting. Now some of us may look at that as a challenge and an issue remote workspaces face. On the other hand, it attributes to the flexibility of working from anywhere, so long as I am still producing high-quality work. My sister-in-law did an excellent job of transforming their home into an accommodating workspace for us. Yes, working on the West Coast made 9:00am EST meetings challenging. Still, when you’re faced with a challenge, you’ll find that you’ll naturally discover a way to make it work. Enable active communication within your team and external parties Once you're comfortable with your workspace, it's important not to get lost in your work. You may want to refer to Krista Schaber-Chan's piece on The 4 Principles for Staying Connected as a Virtual Team for how to accomplish this. I will focus on why it's crucial. Communication still is, and likely always will be the most important. How can you be a team without effective communication? The problem is, our days are so busy, do we even have time for additional touchpoint meetings, virtual town halls, or team socials? The solution is, make time. People often ask themselves; how do others find the time to go to the gym, cook, work, spend time with their loved ones? The answer is, they make time for the things that are important to them. This isn't to say that time management and sacrifice are easily accomplished. Still, you must enable yourself to make this change. And I am telling you that communication with your team is something you need make time for to get the most out of a remote workspace. Remote workspaces might also mean reduced or no more client visits. This makes it more challenging to build meaningful relationships with clients but does not make it less critical. Meeting someone for the first time on a Zoom or MS Teams call is not the same, but you can certainly improve the interaction. For example, using video. It always helps to put a face to a voice, read body language and facial expressions, and information retention will see an increase when video is used. Change Enablement This type of change is large and requires a lot of focus. It affects the entire organization and its processes. But, as I mentioned earlier, the first critical component to keep in mind is a workspace that works for you. Meaning this change impacts everyone differently. If we rely on change management to come from the top, we will reap the benefits after the fact. Change needs to be driven and led from the middle but supported from the top. Suppose businesses can enable their individual contributors to lead and drive change from the middle, rather than relying on leaders and executives to lead each time. In that case, they will be better suited for future challenges because their teams are more prepared and involved in the change. Involvement can go a long way for engagement and desire for change. Avoid making managers responsible for the change for their individuals and enable individuals to take accountability for their growth and development. Now you might be asking yourself, as a change leader, “how do I enable my team for change?” Well change enablement, itself, has four critical components. 1. Active listening and observation 2. Be OK with failure 3. Let go of your ego 4. Identify and empower informal change leaders Active Listening and Observation Just like active communication is significant to a remote workspace, eye contact, body language, and facial expressions are important for verbal communication and getting your message across. Be OK with Failure Letting people fail is a crucial part of the change journey. The lessons learned from experiencing failure and making mistakes can pivot your people in the right direction for your change initiative. Let go of your Ego Replace ego with accountability. This will reduce the resistance to change, disengagement, and overall buy-in. Instead, coach your people on learning and personal accountability to drive better business results. Identify and Empower Informal Change Leaders Informal leaders can have a strong positive influence on their peers’ behaviour and pivot them in the right direction. They may not be in a leadership role, but they can be powerful change champions, and having their support is crucial for any change initiative. If you would like to learn more about change enablement and other change management topics you can register for the Association of Change Management’s upcoming conference on October 22nd, 2020. Our very own Harbinger Krista Schaber-Chan will be speaking on Empowering People Through Change Enablement. Forward-Thinking I want to finish this off by adding a bonus critical component to keep in mind. Throughout this entire shift in your workspace, you need to continuously be forward-thinking. Ask yourself questions like: What are the benefits of making these changes? How will these changes make my job easier? How will these changes impact me in the long run? Ensuring that the changes you make are effective, impactful, and sustainable, you will see a positive outcome. Author Adam Rifai Financial & Business Analyst / Associate Consultant Toronto Email | LinkedIn

By using it to clearly articulate the 5W’s and get buy-in to achieve success. The pandemic has highlighted the need for effective communications, especially this month where parents are debating whether to return their kids to school. Like all other parents out there, I am struggling with making the right choice. As a communications professional, I have been fascinated by the pace of change to the back to school plan, specifically the communications and the invaluable role it plays for parents during these unprecedented times. Communications has always been a critical piece of managing change and is often mistaken for change management. While the two go hand in hand, communications alone cannot manage change but are needed to build awareness, get buy-in and ultimately achieve success. Back to school is not only impacting the school boards but businesses too. The past five months have been challenging for parents and children and will continue to be for a lot longer. At first, many of us felt things would get back to normal sooner than later. But suddenly weeks and months are passing by with no end in sight, leaving many parents struggling on what to do in September. Do we send them to school? Do we keep them at home? Does one of us stop working to take care of our children and home school? What can parents do to put pressure on the government to ensure our schools are safe? Businesses are in the same position and are asking themselves what they can do to prepare and support their employees during this time. Some of the questions they are likely asking are, have we done enough to support parents that are keeping their children home? Do we have the right protocols in place if parents are sending their children back? Are we enhancing or updating our policies on sick days? How are we supporting those leaving the workforce and what are we going to do to fill this gap? Are we providing enough resources to get our people through this trying period? As you will see in my video, a lot of the work for communications professionals and teams has always been about managing change and back to school is no different. To achieve a positive outcome for back to school, it is important for communicators to build their plan and develop their communications using one of the organizational change methodologies. As a Harbinger, I would develop these pieces using our Foresight ™ methodology, which allows for flexibility of focus on the various stages of change and increased emphasis on individual change experiences. As a corporate communications practitioner, using the 5 W’s (Who, What, When, Why and Where) and How really comes in handy when building an effective change communications strategy. In this blog, I’ll demonstrate how communication teams can articulate their 5 W’s to structure communications for successful change in our current environment like the back to school season ramps up. But first, I invite you to watch my video to hear my insights for communication teams before I dive into all the details below. 1. Who In this instance, the “who”, or the key stakeholders would include the C-Suite, leaders, and employees, with school-aged children. The communications practitioner will have to develop key messages for back to school, in addition to the ones they’ve already developed for the coronavirus. They would also need to have specific communications for each group to support their different needs. For example, communication teams can provide guidance for leaders on how to plan for and support their employees that have school-aged children, flexible working hours, or a condensed work week. When targeted at employees, this could include information on how to apply for leave or talking points for leader discussions. For the C-Suite, focus on relationship management. This continues to be an important tool and ensures that employees have a seat at the table to help the business make informed decisions regarding back to school. Being able to a part of these discussions will help determine how to best communicate important decisions regarding the implementation of new flexible working policies or enhancing sick day policies. Having strong relationships also helps to get buy-in and build trust so that you can execute your communications strategies seamlessly. 2. What Next would be the “what”. The what in this case is back to school, which similar to the Covid-19 activities, the pace of change is fast, and information is endless. It’s challenging to stay on top of everything, especially since each school board has variances to their plans, but it is crucial for corporate communications teams to do their best to stay on top of these rapid changes. Why? So that they can have the right information to provide to senior leaders to make decisions, and to guide their communications. There definitely won’t be a one size fits all approach, however, it is possible to develop guidelines and scenarios including flexible hours for parents, extending maternity leaves, or providing short term leaves of absence. 3. When Next comes the “when”. Timing is everything in communications! Decisions are being made faster than ever with back to school and employees must be kept informed regularly of business decisions. For September, employees will expect to see frequent and regular updates from their employers because they’re used to this pace of communications from the government. Companies will also need to know what parents decide as this will have an impact on their business. Many predict a significant number of female employees will be exiting the workforce as noted by several news sources including the CBC. Pandemic 'shecession' A report last month from RBC Economics called the hit on women's employment "unprecedented," with 1.5 million women in Canada losing their jobs in the first two months of the pandemic. In April, women's participation in the Canadian workforce — or the share of the working-age population that is working or looking for work — fell to 55 percent, a level last seen in May 1986. With this gap, organizations will have to look at internal development programs and other activities to mitigate this as much as possible. Corporate communications teams will need to work hand in hand with businesses to communicate all aspects of the plan, as well as key updates and information. 4. Why Now comes the ”why”. This is one of the most important questions to answer when building your communications strategy. While communications teams may understand who their audience is, what they need to focus on, and when to focus on it, they also need to understand why it is important. For back to school, the “why” is about supporting our employees who have school-aged children. Businesses cannot lose sight of their mental health initiatives. They need to continue offering resources like the “Not Myself Today” mental health workplace campaign from the Canadian Mental Health Association. While this is not only the right thing to do, an analysis from Deloitte states that workplace mental health programs provide a median return of investment of $1.62 for every $1 spent. The communications teams will be responsible for working in partnership with human resources to deliver these mental programs that are crucial in supporting employees and also contributes directly to the bottom line. 5. How Lastly comes the “how”. Once the company has outlined its plan, communications teams will need to relay this information to employees by leveraging several different channels. With more employees working remotely, it will be crucial to focus on the last stage of change which is reinforcement. There are different ways to successfully complete this and one of the most important communications pieces is repetition and leader support. Information shared to employees must be repeated several times, and from several communications channels such as the intranet, internal social networking platform like Yammer, MS Teams broadcast messages, executive communications, and video conference calls, for it to stick. In addition to this, leaders must be provided with tips and guidance on how to manage and support employees during this stressful period. One final piece worth mentioning is the underlying thread, the communications work to embed a change resilient culture. This takes time but can be achieved by developing and executing communications that support the results from a change capability assessment. Some activities that can be used include creating change agents, or leader intranet portals that include key information, speaking points and FAQs. It is crucial for change to be built into a company’s mission and employee value propositions, taking the time to develop a chance resilient culture will take your business to the next level and enable your employees to champion change proactively. There’s no shortage of work here for communicators at this time, some may even consider us to be essential workers. While the communications process and planning remain unchanged, the quality and detail of our work will only get better if we incorporate a change management methodology like Foresight ™ into our communications. What’s more, is doing so will allow us to understand what types of communications are needed, and what tone is required during the several phases of change for back to school. Personally, I would appreciate it if my organization lead with compassion and empathy and had regular updates like Q&As available quickly following key changes or updates from the government, like the staggered start dates that were just announced. As a parent of a toddler and a newborn, I’ve never felt so much stress and uncertainty. While I’m currently on maternity leave, I’ve been grateful to have supportive leadership. However, as a communications professional, I’m definitely missing the intensity and thrill of working on once in a lifetime change communications for the pandemic including back to school communications. To close, I’m wishing all the parents out there all the best and encourage you to be kind to yourself. We’re all in this together and there’s definitely no right or wrong answer. Siri Author Siri Maldonado Director of Marketing & Communications Toronto Email | LinkedIn

Some say that storytelling is central to human existence, and I agree. Almost everything that happens in our lives is documented through stories. The narratives we tell, and the ones we listen to, shape our personality, thoughts, and actions. This concept dates back centuries, from the first tale ever carved into stone to today’s on-demand streaming, narratives and their purpose have evolved rapidly. Every time we open our phones, watch TV, or browse on the internet, we’re encouraged to be part of a story or at the minimum, react or comment on it to keep the conversation going. When we take a step back, we can see just how big storytelling has become as a part of culture and everyday life, so much so that participating in them isn’t really a choice anymore, its inherent and automatic. So if we can’t escape stories, shouldn’t we be using them to the best of our advantage? Well as we’re going through the current pandemic, the world’s most impactful individuals are. News channels, reporters, political leaders, and other influential figures have directly impacted the way we think about the crisis, by leveraging storytelling. They’ve told us what’s right or wrong, how to keep safe, and have also shaped our opinions on themselves and those around us, based on the stories they tell. COVID-19 has had a huge impact on a global level and the principles they’ve been using to drive change during COVID-19 can also be applied to organizational change. So let’s take a deeper look at the methods these narratives are using to influence our behaviour, and how we can apply them to the organizational context. The Principles of Effective Storytelling Our power to influence change largely depends on our ability to communicate information (or misinformation) in effective ways, COVID-19 has shown us that the right information delivered in the right way can prompt people to change their individual and collective behaviours. If we use the example of the “Flatten the Curve” movement, we can further understand how narratives can transform information or instructions, into engaging and compelling messages. The “Flatten the Curve” campaign has been widely used across so many different platforms and one of the main methods used in developing this campaign, is using personal experience to encourage empathy and emotional response. Using real-life examples when telling a story makes information more engaging and influential. The stories we hear about our frontline workers, health care professionals and other important people in our own communities, puts information into context and gives us something human to relate to. A message that emotionally resonates with an audience will help spread information further, as people become their own advocates for the campaign. This same idea applies to organizational change. When communicating about a new initiative to your employees, using practical examples that feature trusted employees, helps similarly bridge the gap between the change and the people. Employees will better understand how the change affects them individually or the “WIIFM” (What’s in it for me) by seeing their colleagues as a role model for the change and reducing its overall uncertainty. This role model also sets an example for the desired behaviour during and after the change, encouraging other employees to follow the same path. Collaborative or co-created stories in the organizational context are useful tools, it can make the change seem significantly less daunting by connecting people to something they’re familiar with, or something that resonates with them on a personal level. Stories that empower your employees will create a sense of accountability for the change, helping them feel like a true part of your organization’s change plan and journey, not just the result. When you’re in the process of crafting your story, be sure to also consider the different audiences your message is intended to reach. This is something that news channels, reporters, and leaders have perfected in today’s media and COVID communications. Take the WHO (World Health Organization) for example, to ensure that their key safety messaging gets across to the right audiences, they’ve presented the same information and data in different ways. Here are a few examples of how they’ve tailored their “general advice” for different target audiences and platforms: Infographics are available in different languages for sharing on social media YouTube videos narrated by young adults to target youth audiences Short 2-minute videos created for sharing on TikTok to target youth audiences Live interactive press releases to be shared on news channels and social media We can see that the key messages they’re sharing are similar between these examples, however, they’ve leveraged a wide variety of platforms and mediums to ensure information is being heard across different groups. Modifying your organizations’ communications and delivery methods when thinking about storytelling are important to consider. In an organization, different roles will likely have varying understandings of the change, or some part of the initiative might be more important to one specific group than another. There are a few questions you can ask yourself when thinking about how you can tweak your messaging to target different groups in your organization: How does the change impact this group’s specific roles and expectations? Is this group familiar with the terms used in this messaging? Does the verbiage need to be altered? Is this an effective method of communication, or am I using the best delivery medium for this group (i.e. email, intranet, social media, posters)? How many times should this messaging be repeated in order to be retained by this group? Just as you would customize training materials for different departments and roles in your organization, putting yourself in your employee’s shoes to understand how they would interpret your stories is particularly valuable for ensuring perceptions are consistent and clear. Final Thoughts The crisis has significantly changed the way we communicate. Less transparency and a higher risk of misinterpretation means that we still have a lot to learn when it comes to storytelling in the virtual landscape. While mass media pumps out thousands of narratives by the minute, we can learn a lot from the world’s biggest storytellers on how to craft powerful messages to champion change in our own organizations. Mary Catherine Bateson, an American writer and anthropologist says, “The human species thinks in metaphors and learns through stories.”. Because storytelling focusses on the people, it has the power to drive change. After all, organizations don’t change, people do. Check out my video on our Harbinger YouTube channel for a summary of my key thoughts on why storytelling should be an integral part of your change toolkit below. If you’re looking for resources on how to create effective communications for your change initiative, our Resource Hub features free templates and infographics designed to help you manage your business transformation with success. Learn more. Author Rachelle Su Marketing & Business Analyst / Associate Consultant Toronto Email | LinkedIn

Over the past few years, I have had the pleasure of leading numerous training classes, courses, and providing on-the-job support for users undergoing large-scale job process change. In the video below or on our Harbinger YouTube channel, I review three of my favourite techniques and tips that I have learned to enable effective training programs for enterprise-level change programs. These tips will increase retention and understanding while creating a better learning experience, ultimately leading to the desired project outcomes. My top 3 tips are as follows: Know your Audience Repetition Crafting a Story While my list of tips is by no means exhaustive, I believe any trainer, regardless of experience, can include these three principles in their classroom – be it virtual or in-person – and produce a practical and rewarding experience for the learner. Know your Audience The first tip is to know your audience – Understanding the audience means knowing their comfort with technology, how they work (Do they work with clients? Internally? In an office or the field?), their role, etc. Your audience dictates almost every aspect of the training session, so understanding where they excel and where they need help can make your training relevant and applicable for the learners. Knowing your learners has many facets. One of the most pertinent factors for training, especially now, is the audience’s comfort with technology. With remote training on the rise, the audience’s ability to interact with and learn from a virtual session can be a significant consideration when deciding if learning can be done virtually and how it can be executed in order to be successful. Options to consider for virtual learning can be duration, which may need to be extended if users are less comfortable with technology; or increased interactivity and screen sharing if users feel secure or have experience with technology, among other options. While there will be outliers among your audience, it is critical to cater to the broader group’s competencies and abilities when crafting training. To understand your audience, it is essential to ask pertinent and direct questions to get an accurate depiction. With eLearning or any other form of learning, there is great importance in understanding the audience. It can be seen in this article by Shift eLearning, which outlines essential questions that can help craft the course for the end-users. Repetition Repetition is another useful technique that should be implemented in training programs to help with retention and understanding. As a trainer, repetition can be applied in creative ways so that learners do not get served identical content repeatedly or as apparently. With the increase in digital learning, learners will require forced repetition to understand concepts previously taught in person. Delivering repetitive training needs to be done creatively to provide the most considerable benefits and avoid fatigue, especially with remote learning. Scenario or case-based learning is a technique that can be leveraged to get learners practicing what they have learned. While it may be a little more difficult remotely, users can be called upon to share screens or go into breakout rooms to be engaged and get their repetition in. In our training classes, we like to use a technique called spaced repetition, where the same topic is covered at different intervals of the course. For example, a topic introduced early in the course will reappear in a different segment as a review and in a final review or scenario-based example. This method has been proven to increase retention due to the Spacing Effect, which states that learning is more effective when content is spaced out. Crafting a Story Engaging an audience, especially when leading Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software or project-based training, requires a well-crafted story for the learners to understand what they are learning and how it relates to their job. Crafting a story is merely relating the learning topic to the business processes, and terms learners are used to and have experience with. The “story” helps learners connect the dots between the old and new, providing clarity to what they are learning. For example, a sales team learning how to use their CRM software will get better outcomes if the training mimics the real-life scenarios those users will face in a real-life setting. The sales team gets context from the story and can apply what they learned since they have gone through the exact process in a training scenario. This helps explain why casework and practice scenarios are effective in training since they give the learner practice in a risk-free training environment before moving to real life. Building a story requires in-depth knowledge of the learner’s roles and responsibilities since a poorly crafted story can lead to undesirable outcomes and a misunderstanding of the concept. You can also go the opposite route and allow the learners to come up with their own stories and role-plays to further employee engagement retention. To help with crafting a pertinent and compelling story, use this guide. Other Tips We can also look at a few different techniques that can help with a successful training session: Set the Stage – Setting the stage means preparing your users for what they are about to learn. This can be as simple as informing the learners about what is to come or doing a little more and providing a context to the training before beginning. This is important as it gives users the “why” before the “how” and can help eliminate confusion Over Prepare – Over preparing is essential to running a smooth and engaging training session. This can take the place of arriving early and setting up or having a greater understanding of possible questions the audience might have. Not building this level of confidence from your audience can lead to an erosion of confidence, and the training will be less impactful. Get Feedback – Nobody can judge the success of your class better than your learners, so getting their feedback can significantly improve the quality and success of your course. This can be done via survey or informal conversations and can have a tremendous impact on the future iterations of the course or the rest of the sessions. Implementing some of the training tips into your upcoming training sessions or classes can help you develop a more robust and successful training course. No matter what type of training you are leading, you can leverage some of the above to provide a better experience for your learners. Since learning the tips above by conducting virtual and in-person training sessions, I’ve noticed a significant increase in the quality of my training, and the retention of my learners. Author Colin Carmona-Murphy Sr. Financial Analyst / Consultant Toronto Email | LinkedIn

Rachelle Su, Marketing & Business Analyst, recently sat down with Barnaby Chan, Co-Founder and Partner to learn more about his work experience, expertise and interests. In this role, Barnaby is part of the senior leadership team and is leading Harbinger’s business development and sales strategy. Harbinger just celebrated its five-year anniversary. Tell us about what inspired starting the company? I think it was a natural evolution for Greg and Krista given their deep expertise in Change Management and Learning. They’d long since outgrown what the Big 5 consulting firms could offer especially from a personal and professional satisfaction standpoint. We all recognized there was a large underserved, and frankly, poorly served market. From my own perspective, I’d developed a deep appreciation based on the challenges I’ve seen on countless projects entirely related to the “people side” of digital transformation projects. What are some of your biggest learnings from this journey so far? Explaining what Change Management is and why you need it is harder than we thought! Joking aside, I think that even over the past few years we see organizations are expecting their people to do more with less. And “Change Management” either isn’t considered or people are just expected to make do and just adapt. So I think more “Change Management” services from a third party like us isn’t necessarily the answer. I think we learned that we need to help organizations recognize the need to invest in their people’s abilities to lead through change, and ideally only use traditional Change Management services to supplement. Where do you see Harbinger five years from now? I hope of course that we’ll be able to grow and create opportunities for our people. I think we’ll need to be more diversified in products and services that drive more value for customers. Prior to your work with Harbinger, can you tell us more about your work experience? I’ve spent most of my career in and around business and technology consulting. Around 2000 I took a slight left-turn when the internet was still “new” but was clearly going to change the world. I jumped on board a music industry dot-com start-up and learned a tonne. This allowed me to transition back to a consulting organization that was focused on driving value from the internet for corporate customers. We’re getting to a similar sort of tipping point around AI so last year I dipped my toes in doing a master's degree to better understand it. I’m not sure yet where that will lead but I feel somewhat equipped to navigate that whole domain for ourselves and for customers. Today’s workplace experience has drastically changed. How do you see change management and training evolving to reflect this and where does Harbinger fit into the mix? We’ll be offering some interesting things to our customers this year. We’re really focused on how to provide more value by doing things differently. As you say the workplace experience has changed, but more importantly, how people want to experience their workplace has changed. Philosophically we need to move beyond just managing change to equipping managers to lead change. Change is happening at a faster and faster rate, so this has to become a core skill of any good manager. Disruptive events and trends will force organizations to change more and more frequently. You shouldn’t expect to staff up a bunch of change managers or consultants every time change happens. Frankly, I’ve seen in many organizations, leadership has pretty much abdicated that responsibility to consultants, it doesn’t even occur to them they should be out front leading. I think the time is right because a new generation of managers and leaders that are taking the reins don’t blink at change, so we just need to give them the tools so they can be successful. On the training front, the same concept applies. I think people are more open to learning and adapting to change. But we need to shift to better accommodate the process of learning, which really happens while people are actually working, not in a classroom and not really while “practicing”. There’s still lots of inertia out there and reluctance to stray from traditional monolithic training approaches, but we’re helping customers shift a little bit at a time. Looking at it from a project management and “consulting industry” perspective, the challenge is that the nature of projects, timelines, consulting contracts, budgets and funding are at odds with providing a good learning experience that people deserve and need, to be successful. We want to help companies break out of that box. You mentioned your master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence (AI) with The Smith School of Business at Queen’s University. What are some of the greatest challenges and opportunities that businesses will see as they continue to navigate and implement AI within their organizations? I won’t address the businesses that are working at the cutting edge of AI research, or building a business around a new disruptive concept that leverages AI, but will speak to the 99% of businesses out there where they can just leverage someone else’s AI solution that will enhance some of their existing processes. This will likely come packaged up in some off-the-shelf software. Good examples would be fraud detection in financial accounting software or predictive maintenance in an asset management package. All the big software vendors now purport to have some AI or Machine Learning capability and will compete in this space in the future, so this shouldn’t be a huge incremental investment in of itself over time. However, with this context in mind, the investment comes where these companies need to do 2 things: Make sure they have people who deeply understand the opportunities and weaknesses in their business’ “value chain” i.e. where there are levers to drive value in the business both on the revenue and cost side, and especially as it relates to customers With that understanding, get their data in order. So that means quality, consistency, and collection where they don’t currently capture it. (I mean you should do this anyway, purely from an analytics standpoint, however, AI makes the case that much stronger.) Without data, you won’t be able to leverage AI, so this will ensure you’re ahead of the curve in taking advantage of capabilities they do fully arrive (because they will) as opposed to falling behind your competitors. But above all of this, I would say please do not just avoid it. It might seem like a daunting, impenetrable topic, but leaders should inform themselves and address this proactively. I saw firsthand working in the music industry how incumbents fought digital music tooth-and-nail. In retrospect knowing what’s come to pass we would call it sheer negligence and even incompetence. So to business leaders: A.I./Machine Learning is just a tool, but it's almost a sure thing it will affect your business in some way if it hasn’t already. In addition to AI, what are some of your other predictions on the greatest changes people and organizations will experience in the future? This is probably a foolish prediction to try to make given most of us wouldn’t have imagined the state of things today, but I’ll try! Clearly the idea of a remote workplace now is a given. Many of us have developed more ease with and appreciation for working remotely, and recent studies (Global Analytics) have shown that more people now want some ability to work from home. And the economics of office space reduction will make this happen. I think while so many are hoping for when things go back to normal or the way they used it be, this may fundamentally shift not just how and where we work, but also how we live and what we aspire to. We went from peak materialism in the 90s to pretty much the equivalent of peak “experiences” just prior to COVID. Whether it was about travel, food, wine, etc. still largely focused on “consuming”. Maybe this is naïve and overly hopeful but perhaps this will shift us a little bit back towards a focus on things that make us more resilient like learning, creating things, and human connection. That kind of shift could drive everything from restaurant and food trends to work/life balance preferences to education choices. There’s definitely lots of exciting things coming up, and a lot to prepare for. Tell us more about what you like to do in your spare time when you’re not thinking about the future state of Harbinger and helping to run a business. We have a new baby, so plenty to focus spare time on with her! I’ve been dragon boating for over 10 years now and sadly given COVID our 2020 season is cancelled. I’m also aspiring to learn how to woodwork, but haven’t been able to dedicate enough time to it. Maybe this is the year! The Harbinger team consists of avid readers. What are some of your favourite books and why? If you’re in the consulting business here’s an old must read I usually recommend: Managing the Professional Services Firm - David H. Maister Everyone who cares about cooking should own this classic book. A fantastic reference with a ridiculous amount of knowledge on seemingly every conceivable topic, and surprisingly enjoyable to read (in parts). On Food and Cooking – The Science and Lore of the Kitchen – Harold McGee A lot of change is happening at the moment. What is packed in your survival kit? Pocket knife, sourdough starter, Harold McGee’s book (I think you can build a civilization using it), potato chips. Authors Barnaby Chan Co-Founder and Partner Toronto Email | LinkedIn Rachelle Su Marketing & Business Analyst / Associate Consultant Toronto Email | LinkedIn