Change Management in the Undercurrent course

Change management in the undercurrent means looking beyond plans, processes and structure (the surface current). You also look at what is going on below the surface: emotions, resistance, grief, loyalty and fear. It is often precisely this undercurrent that determines whether a change or reorganisation succeeds or not.

The course is intended for managers, team leaders and project leaders who are dealing with a reorganisation or major change and want to take their people along with them. HR professionals and internal advisers who support managers also get a lot out of it.

In the course you will learn five steps: naming, acknowledging, questioning, going along with and turning around. You practise how not to push resistance away, but to take it seriously and use it as information. Resistance often conceals a concern or interest that needs to be heard first, before people are open to change.

You will work on the emotional phases of change, building support, communicating about a reorganisation, dealing with resistance, motivating and guiding employees, empathy and professional distance, conflict management and negotiating with the parties involved.

No, you do not need any specific prior knowledge. It does help if you have management experience or will shortly be involved in a change process, so that you can apply what you have learned directly to a familiar situation.

Yes, on completion you receive a Learnit certificate of participation. This certificate confirms that you have attended the course Change management in the undercurrent.

The surface current is the visible and rational: plans, planning, structure, processes and objectives. The undercurrent is what takes place below the surface: emotions, beliefs, loyalty, fear, grief and informal power relations. Changes rarely fail on the surface current and almost always on the undercurrent. That is why this course pays explicit attention to that invisible part.

A reorganisation often means saying goodbye: to colleagues, a role, a workplace, a way of working or a picture of the future. That farewell triggers grief reactions such as denial, anger, bargaining and sadness, before there is room for acceptance. By recognising these phases, you can guide your staff better instead of seeing their reactions as 'difficult behaviour'.

You build support by involving people early, communicating honestly about the why, and allowing room for response and input. It is important to make the necessity clear, to dare to be open about what is still uncertain, and to listen to concerns. People are more likely to accept a difficult decision if they feel heard, even if they do not agree with it.

Yes, and in many change situations it is even necessary. In this course you learn to lead through influence rather than position: by building connection, giving meaning, asking the right questions and mobilising energy. Leading without authority calls for different skills than giving orders, but it often has a more lasting effect.

A reorganisation has a major impact on you too. You have to deliver bad news, absorb emotions and at the same time cope with uncertainty yourself. In the course you work on keeping a professional distance without becoming detached, recognising your own reactions and building resilience. Taking good care of yourself is a precondition for being there for your team.

You can find the current price at the top right of this course page, along with the schedule, location and delivery format. For in-company or bespoke courses we are happy to provide a quotation on request.