10 Essential Change Management Skills for Practitioners

A change practitioner is crucial to planning and implementing a change strategy. Over 60% of change professionals said that, on average, they support change management activities on two to four projects every year.

Change practitioners must continuously build their skills to manage multiple projects and solve common change management problems. As they develop their expertise, they’re better equipped to lead organizations through transitions with minimal resistance and disruption.

In this article, we will explain what a change practitioner does, the 10 skills they need to excel in their role, and how to improve them.

The Role of a Change Practitioner

A change practitioner is a professional who specializes in guiding and managing the process of organizational change using a structured change approach. Their role is critical in helping organizations smoothly transition through changes, including new systems, restructuring, cultural shifts or large-scale transformations.

They work with the leaders and internal stakeholders within an organization to create and implement strategies to drive successful change adoption and remove barriers to change.

By implementing detailed change programs, practitioners set up organizations for successful change. And when they help organizations build lasting change capabilities, practitioners enable them to grow stronger from change over time.Organizations with excellent change management are seven times more likely to meet or exceed their objectives.

A change professional’s key responsibilities include:

• Assessing change impact – Evaluating how the change will affect different parts of the organization, such as business processes, people and systems.
• Developing change strategies – Building an effective strategy that aligns with organizational goals and outlines how the change will achieve desired outcomes. This includes identifying stakeholders and determining the best approach to handle the transition.
• Engaging stakeholders – Getting commitment from key stakeholders such as leadership, management and employees. This includes communicating the vision and goals of the change clearly and consistently. 
• Developing role-based and activity plans – Based on the organization’s strategy, the change team creates a tailored set of plans for moving people forward.
• Removing barriers to change – Identifying potential resistance to the change and developing strategies to prevent or address it at the individual level, whether through additional communication, incentives or involvement in decision-making.
• Supporting other roles – Working with leaders and people managers to help them prepare and equip people with the knowledge and skills they need to adopt the change.
• Monitoring change progress – Tracking the progress of the change initiative and measuring its effectiveness through feedback loops, surveys and other metrics. They also make adjustments to ensure success.
• Driving sustainment – Ensure the change is embedded in the organization's culture and practices to last beyond the initial implementation phase.

Change practitioners act as facilitators and guides in the change management process, working toward achieving a smooth transition for the organization and its employees.

Change professionals can work in an organization's internal change team or be expert Change Advisors who work with and advise different companies during change. Either way, to successfully carry out their key responsibilities, change professionals need to build specific change management skills. 

The 10 Change Management Skills You Need To Succeed as a Change Practitioner

Success as a change practitioner requires a diverse skillset. Let's explore 10 key skills that every change professional must have:

Essential Change Management Skills

1. Change management expertise

Change practitioners need a solid understanding of how people go through change and in-depth knowledge of the change process. Change management expertise also includes knowledge of change management principles and methodologies, like the Prosci Methodology and its supporting frameworks, such as the Prosci ADKAR® Model. This goes beyond theoretical knowledge—change managers must be able to tailor strategies to meet specific organizational needs.

They must also be familiar with change management tools, such as AI change management assistants like Kaiya™, Prosci’s expert change management AI tool, and how to use them to ensure efficient change that’s aligned with business objectives. To keep their change management expertise fresh, change practitioners must stay up-to-date on the latest trends and developments in change management, continuously refining their approach.

2. Communication

A change professional’s role as a facilitator and guide means clear and empathetic communication is one of the most important skills to hone. They must be excellent communicators who can convey the purpose, benefits and expectations of the change clearly and persuasively.

Part of this skill also involved adapting messaging to resonate with different stakeholders, from top-level executives to front-line employees.

Communication goes two ways, so active listening is an essential skill for a change professional. They must listen to feedback from all stakeholders and enable an open dialogue to understand and address their needs. Well-developed communication skills are paramount in maintaining alignment between leadership and employees through the change process.

3. Stakeholder management

Change practitioners must ensure that all stakeholders, including senior leaders, employees, customers and partners, are involved in the change and aligned on objectives. They must understand how each group influences the transition and carefully juggle concerns so they can effectively engage with them and reach a place where stakeholders can collaborate.

Not only that, a crucial aspect of stakeholder management is engaging with and supporting change leaders as primary sponsors. Active and visible sponsorship helps motivate employees and builds trust by highlighting why the change is needed. 

In fact, nearly 80% of projects with highly effective sponsors met their project objectives, compared to just 27% of projects with ineffective sponsors. Change managers and practitioners activate sponsors and prepare them for their role during change. 

Correlation of Sponsor Effectiveness With Meeting Objectives

Change professionals must also assess the impact of the change on different stakeholders and customize the change strategy to address them. 

4. Strategic planning

Strategic planning is crucial for change practitioners because it enables them to effectively guide organizations through change with a clear, structured approach. Strategic planning also ensures the change initiatives align with the organization's broader objectives. This makes it easier to secure leadership support and ensure that transformations contribute to long-term business success.

In fact, change managers are responsible for creating many different change management plans as part of developing the overall change management strategy.

To create these strategic plans, change professionals need to understand how to use a structured approach and break the transition down into steps that lead to the desired outcomes—from initial planning to sustaining change.

Knowledge of detailed frameworks, like the Prosci Methodology, is highly desirable to ensure all areas of change are accounted for and increase the chances of success.

By planning strategically, change managers can also identify potential challenges and risks and develop strategies to address issues before they escalate. 

Since change management resources can be limited, change practitioners also need strategic planning to efficiently prioritize and allocate these resources to focus on the most valuable changes.

5. Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is a vital skill for change managers, as it enables them to handle the emotional responses that often accompany change. People may experience a range of feelings, such as fear and anxiety, and exhibit resistance behaviors during times of change. A practitioner with high EQ can recognize and empathize with emotions, fostering a supportive environment where employees feel understood and valued.

A primary cause of resistance is a lack of awareness of the reasons for the change. By leveraging EQ, change managers can build trust and effectively communicate the necessary information, and help remove barriers that keep people from moving forward.

Moreover, emotional intelligence is instrumental in building and maintaining strong relationships, which are essential for a change manager's success as a facilitator of change. 

By engaging with employees and utilizing frameworks for individual change, such as the Prosci ADKAR Model, change managers can cultivate support and drive successful change initiatives.

6. Problem-solving

Change is rarely straightforward. Even the most meticulously planned initiatives can have unexpected challenges and roadblocks. To lead organizations through these challenges, change professionals must add critical thinking and problem-solving to their change management leadership skills.

Problem-solving involves analyzing situations from multiple perspectives, identifying potential issues early, and developing creative solutions to mitigate them.

7. Analytical thinking

Change initiatives are increasingly reliant on data to inform decisions and track progress. Change managers must have strong analytical skills to identify key performance indicators (KPIs) and interpret different types of data, including employee feedback, metrics or impact assessments. Our research shows that 76% of practitioners who measured compliance and overall performance met or exceeded project objectives.

Correlation of Measuring Performance with Meeting Objectives

This shows that using a data-driven, evidence-based approach to measure change progress and adjust change strategies is critical to keep the change initiative on course.

8. Cultural awareness

A change professional must understand how the organization's values, norms and behaviors will influence the change process in different cultural environments. This allows them to align change strategies with organizational culture and helps prevent resistance.

In the Prosci Best Practices in Change Management – 12th Edition report, 87% of practitioners said that understanding organizational cultural awareness is important or very important.

Importance of Organizational Culture Awareness

That’s because cultural misalignment can lead to resistance or disengagement. Practitioners must tailor their approach to fit the cultural context.

Cultural awareness also extends to cross-cultural competence for global organizations or diverse teams. Change managers working for international organizations must be able to navigate cultural differences and design strategies that resonate across different cultural groups.

9. Coaching and mentoring

While the change manager may or may not have supervisory responsibility, they must work with and through many others in the organization to succeed. Acting as a coach for senior leaders and executives, the change manager helps them fulfill the critical role of change management sponsor.

The change manager may support and coach people managers and supervisors in their roles during change as they help their teams through their transitions. Similarly, the change manager supports project managers and project teams to integrate change management activities within their project plans.

Our research highlights that 63% of respondents say their organization does not adequately prepare people managers for change—mentoring and coaching skills are much-needed for successful change to happen.

Adequately Prepared Managers and Supervisors

10. Project management

Change initiatives are often large-scale, involving multiple departments, timelines and resources. A change practitioner must have project management skills to coordinate these efforts effectively. This requires planning, budgeting, resource allocation, and tracking progress against key milestones.

Change professionals must also collaborate with the project team to integrate change and project management, which is crucial for change success.

As highlighted by the Prosci Unified Value Proposition (UVP) model, integrating the technical side (project management) and the people side (change management) of change sets the necessary foundation for achieving positive outcomes.

In fact, in our study, participants who integrated these two disciplines were more likely to succeed than those who did not.

Impact of Integration on Meeting Objectives

Project management skills also include risk management. Change practiioners must be able to identify potential risks to the initiative and develop mitigation strategies. Keeping the change process on track, within budget, and aligned with business goals is crucial to a successful outcome.

How to Build Your Change Management Leadership Skills

Becoming a successful change manager requires continuously improving your skills so you can launch and guide change initiatives more effectively. You can do this through education, certification and practical experience.

Here are some ways you can improve your change management skills:

Education and certification

A solid educational foundation is essential. There are various university degrees for change management that you can enroll in to get relevant knowledge. To complement this, you can also study fields like organizational psychology, business administration, human resources and communications.

While formal education is a start, certifications in change management help you stand out as an expert. They help demonstrate your expertise and commitment to the field.

Continuous learning is also a vital component of a change practitioner’s development. Engaging in continuous learning through formalized opportunities such as webinars, online courses, and professional development programs can help practitioners keep their skills sharp and relevant.

By prioritizing continuous learning, change practitioners also bring innovative approaches to their organizations, ensuring they remain at the forefront of effective change management.

A renowned program, like the Prosci Change Management Certification Program, can significantly enhance change management skills by providing an immersive learning experience led by experts in the field.

Practitioners can gain vital practical experience and develop their leadership skills by learning how to apply the Prosci Methodology and the ADKAR Model to active projects. They also receive access to tools and resources developed based on decades of research and continuously updated.

Other respected industry certifications include the Certified Change Management Professional™ Certification by The Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP) and APMG-accredited Change Management courses.

Practical Experience

Aspiring practitioners can gain experience by contributing to change projects at their existing organizations. Even smaller projects can provide insights into the processes and challenges of driving change, which they can use to build their skills and credibility.

The next step is to start smaller change projects on their own so they can develop the adaptability, agility, and flexibility skills needed to be good change leaders. Over time, they can start leading larger change initiatives internally or branch off to become independent change practitioners.

Certified change practitioners can also build their experience by acting as advisors for external organizations.

Learn Vital Change Management Skills With Prosci

Whether you're just starting your change management career or you’re a certified practitioner looking to build expertise, Prosci has change management solutions for individuals who want to take their careers to the next level. You can use our Prosci Change Management Certification Program, Enterprise Training programs, and resources backed by 25 years of research to become an expert change practitioner or manager and a lead change in your industry.