Change Isn't Just a Process---it's Personal.
Workshop
10:00 am - 11:00 am - What is Your Change Response Style?
Facilitator: Victoria Grady, Professor
Even the most flexible, adaptable, unflappable employees form deep connections to the people, objects, and routines that represent their “normal.” When change disrupts one of these connections, it breaks the employee’s contract with “normal,” triggering a fight-or-flight response deep within their brain. Though this resistance can be intense, it is a natural and predictable reaction — and therefore something that can be understood, anticipated, and strategically addressed.
A change response style describes how a person connects to and relates to others during times of change and transition within the workplace. There is no “right” or “wrong” change response style; each has unique attributes that help or hinder change adoption. When these attributes are optimized, teams can successfully navigate change in a healthy and constructive manner.
This interactive session will include participants completing the Change Response Style Assessment. Our discussion will include the background of each Change Response Style…but even more importantly, the nuances that leadership/management/colleagues might expect from one Change Response Style to another.
Panel Discussion
11:10 am - 11:45 am - Thriving Through Transition: Strategies for Learning Professionals
Moderator:
Bianca Jones, PhD, Organizational Development Strategist, USCG FORCE Readiness Command (FORCECOM)
Panelists:
B.J. Whetstine, Deputy HR Director, Development, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
Kashay Sanders, Sr. L&D Program Manager-Enterprise Skilling, Microsoft
Alexa Krezel, Learning Operations Lead, Fannie Mae
Change can feel disruptive, but it can also spark innovation and stronger results. In this session, you will hear from learning professionals in the public and private sectors who turned major transitions into opportunities for their teams and organizations. Our panelists will share how they adapted learning strategies to meet shifting priorities, kept teams engaged during uncertainty, and found new ways to demonstrate value in challenging circumstances. They will also touch on how to continue developing professionally when traditional career paths are limited. You will walk away with practical ideas for navigating change with confidence and creating momentum even in difficult environments.
Objectives:
You will learn:
- Creative approaches to broadening impact beyond traditional learning strategies
- Real-world examples of adapting team priorities to deliver results in times of change
- Strategies for continuing professional growth when career paths are limited
- Approaches to demonstrating organizational value in uncertain conditions
Facilitator: Dr. Victoria M. Grady
Dr. Victoria M Grady is an Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior and Academic Director in the Costello College of Business at George Mason University. Victoria is also the Professor in Residence for the Healthcare People and Change Practice for Forvis Mazars based out of Charlotte, NC.
Recent research publications can be found in Harvard Business Review, ATD Magazine, CEO World, Washington Business Journal, and Bloomberg News. She is co-author of Stuck: How to WIN in Business by Understanding LOSS, Productivity Press: Routledge Taylor Francis Group, 2022 and The Pivot Point: Success in Organizational Change, Morgan-James Publishing, 2013. Dr. Grady is Certified Harvard Business Publishing Teaching with Case Study professional.
Victoria’s research portfolio focuses on the behavioral implications of organizations introducing and implementing organizational change—her unique emphasis is the role of Attachment Behavior and Transitional Objects within the change process. To learn more, please visit her website at http://www.pivotpnt.com/www.pivotpnt.com or reach out via LinkedIN.