Starting a career as an organisational change management consultant may appear daunting at first blush, especially when job descriptions often require several years of prior management consulting experience. But there’s no need to worry; this post has you covered.
Whether you’re just starting or have some experience under your belt, this post is your roadmap to becoming a top-notch change management consultant. We’ll delve into the nitty-gritty, covering your key roles, must-have skills, and extras like certifications and networking strategies.
What Change Management Consulting Involves
When a company decides it’s time for a change, whether that’s upgrading its processes, pivoting its business model, or even completely reinventing itself, that’s where change management consultants come into the picture.
These professionals help steer companies through the complexities of organisational and procedural changes with a focus on smooth transitions over reasonable timeframes. This way, businesses can avoid the pitfalls of sudden, disruptive change.
In a nutshell, management consulting is helping to make change in organisations as painless and productive as possible. The change management process involves a series of steps, from assessing a company’s existing state and crafting a change strategy to implementation and monitoring.
As you probably already know, becoming a change consultant requires both soft and hard (measurable) skills in addition to relevant qualifications and specific certifications. This often leads to the burning question: are change management consultants worth it? Is the job actually in demand?
The answer to both questions is an emphatic yes!
Current statistics forecast a staggering $3.4 trillion in global spending on digital transformation by 2026. With this tech-driven revolution in full swing, businesses are shaking things up at the individual and team levels to outpace the competition and boost their profits. It’s no wonder more and more people are setting their sights on a career in change management.
What’s Your Role as a Change Management Consultant?
Your responsibilities as a change management consultant hinge on the organisation and can vary from one project to the next. But here’s a common thread: you’re the expert who knows how to turn the tide in favour of change while keeping any potential backlash at bay.
In other words, if you want to pursue a career in change management consulting, your job typically revolves around understanding how people in organisations react to change and finding ways to ease their journey.
Here’s a glimpse of what your role might look like:
- Identifying areas for organisational change: Your key role is pinpointing areas within an organisation that requires transformation.
- Crafting change strategies: You work closely with clients to develop strategies, processes, and tools that ensure change acceptance and employee buy-in. It also involves charting a clear roadmap to ready the workforce, making them not just aware but also eager to embrace the necessity for change.
- Managing transitions: You assist businesses in organising and gradually implementing transitions, ensuring a smooth shift to new processes while phasing out the old ones.
- Streamlining operations: Change management means optimising operations, including business process and structure restructuring to align with new strategies. Your expertise in systems theory ― knowing how changes in one part of the system can affect other parts ― ensures seamless system design, making change easier for everyone involved.
- Smoothing change with tools: Your role includes making change more efficient by using digital tools to accelerate the transition and ensuring team-wide buy-in. It also involves integrating new tools and changes with existing systems and tools.
- Evaluating feedback: As a change management consultant, your ability to listen and adapt is vital, allowing you to customise changes in diverse situations.
How to Become a Change Management Consultant
1. Evaluate Your Qualifications and Skills
Begin by taking a close look at the job postings for change management roles. What are they asking for that you might not have yet? It could be educational qualifications, certifications, or certain types of experience. This step helps you pinpoint the gaps in your current skill set and expertise that need filling to achieve your goal.
While an undergraduate degree in management, business, or a related field focused on change strategy and people management is the typical starting point for a career in change management consultancy, it’s not just about degrees. Skills like effective communication, leadership, and time management are vital for success in this field.
If you’re already working, consider enrolling in continuing education courses in organizational change management to enhance your job prospects.
2. Network in Change Circles
Creating a strong network can really boost your path in change management consulting. During your time at university, take the chance to connect with peers, classmates, and professors. They can be your go-to network for things like recommendation letters, referrals, and helpful advice to propel your career forward.
Keep in mind that networking isn’t just about collecting contacts. It’s more like building a helpful community, so don’t hesitate to team up with those who share your goals. This can help you all boost your careers together, trade ideas, and talk about ways to improve your management skills.
3. Gain Management Experience
Becoming a change management consultant means you’ll need some background in management consulting. A fast track to becoming a change management specialist is by starting at a big management consulting firm.
If you’re still in school, you might find a suitable graduate program that gets you into change management. If not, kicking off in a more general management consultant role can give you great experience and help you earn the trust of a company.
Getting into management consulting jobs at a consulting firm is a great way to gain experience and make connections. This experience will come in handy when you decide to specialise in change management down the line. Some companies might even foot the bill for you to earn extra change management certifications. If you’re missing one of those certificates that many jobs ask for, don’t hesitate to ask your company if they’d be up for paying for your certification.
4. Apply for Change Management Roles
Once you’ve gathered enough experience, it’s time to start applying for change management positions. You can explore opportunities within your current company. If your current employer doesn’t offer this opportunity, consider looking at change management roles in other firms.
If you’re a recent graduate heading straight into change management roles, it’s usually a good idea to search for graduate jobs online that align with your background. Look for positions at local companies and keep an eye on their career pages for job openings.
5. Equip Yourself with Change Management Tools
To thrive in change management consulting, make sure you’ve got the right tools in your toolkit. Look into and get the latest change management software, templates, and resources that can make your job easier. Get familiar with the industry’s go-to tools that help you plan, carry out, and measure changes effectively. Stay in the loop with the latest tech and methods in the field so you’re all set to meet your client’s changing needs.
6. Advance Your Career
Consulting firms usually have a structured path to climb the career ladder. How high you go and the extra perks you get often depend on how well you do your job and meet certain targets. If you consistently do a great job and take on more tasks, you can keep moving up the ladder within the company. This could open doors to roles like senior management or even executive positions.
7. Carve Your Own Path
If you prefer autonomy and serving smaller business clients, you can choose an alternative route, which involves becoming an independent change manager consultant working as a contractor or sole proprietor. By developing your consultancy business, you can operate autonomously and chart your course towards a thriving consulting career.
Can I Become a Change Management Consultant by Driving Innovation?
Becoming a change management consultant by driving innovation through change management requires a deep understanding of organizational behavior and strategic planning. By implementing new and innovative solutions, consultants can help businesses adapt to the evolving market and improve their overall performance.
Fast-Track Your Change Management Career With Growth Jetpack: Consultant Catalyst
Pursuing a career as an independent change consultant can be challenging, but it can become significantly easier with the right partner by your side, guiding you along the way. That’s where Growth Jetpack: Consultant Catalyst comes in.
You’ve got the change management experiance, we help with how to turn that into a winning, sellable, service. With our holistic approach and empowering roadmap, we’ll guide you through the complexities of creating and marketing a change management product. This way, we work with you every step of the way to build a thriving consulting business and achieve change management success.
