Transformational Change Workshop Uses Animated Twist to Guide Organizations

"Journey to Newland: A Road Map for Transformational Change Workshop" uses fabled approach to successfuly navigate change.

(PRWEB) November 14, 2007 -- Organizations looking to navigate successfully through change have a new tool available - the Journey to Newland: A Road Map for Transformational Change Workshop (Pfeiffer/A Wiley Imprint, Facilitator's Guide Package, $499.00, ISBN 978-0-7879-8801-2).

Workshop materials, currently being used and translated worldwide, are designed around the Journey to Newland story book, a unique animated fable where each animal character represents a different response to change.

In the story book, the animal group traverses through uncharted territory, from "Oldland" to "Newland," navigating familiar metaphorical places such as Nostalgia Desert, Transition Valley, Capacity Stream and Leverage Lake. Along the way, the animals learn lasting, transferable skills for leading change and end up not only surviving, but thriving, in Newland.

In the workshop, participants can identify with the animal(s) most like themselves, and use the metaphors to more easily talk to others about their roles and stages in the change process. "The beauty of Journey to Newland is the creation of a common language," said author Bill Poole. "It takes emotionally-charged issues and gives people the language to talk about them in a non-threatening way."

The concept of the common language is central to Journey to Newland. Participants learn to discuss differences in the frame of reference of universal archetypes and geographical terrain, not in the context of race and gender. "This makes it possible for people to really communicate, and to not be afraid of being 'politically correct,'" said Poole. "We teach people to value differences and suspend assumptions and to focus on root causes, not just symptoms."

The impetus for the change capability and talent alignment system came from Poole's own training and consulting work with large corporations going through significant shifts in the way they do business. He developed the idea for the animal characters to illustrate corporate capability and capacity for change in a way that all levels of employees could understand and apply

Based on the Journey to Newland storybook, the workshop kit includes outlines for a 1-day introductory session or a 2-day workshop. The instructional design for the workshop, co-written by Karen Gray and Greg Gray, also provides organizations with an infrastructure to help track and evaluate where they are in their change initiatives. "Change is not linear," said Poole. "It's often start, stop, go back, go forward type of work. Journey to Newland helps organizations track where they are in the process and keep themselves moving forward."

Through the use of the story characters, the workshop enables participants to integrate the "Big 5" core capabilities into their daily lives - leading change, developing leadership, building teams, valuing differences and optimizing communication. These "Big 5" enable the organization to navigate through what Poole calls the eight stages of successful transformational change: (1) Prepare for the journey, (2) Survey the territory, (3) Set the guidelines, (4) Gather the team, (5) Choose the path, (6) Navigate the terrain, (7) Make the transition, and (8) Cross the border.

Poole believes the Journey to Newland system is effective because the philosophical shift companies must make to implement it. "Most change management initiatives are treated like a project," he said. "In reality, success needs to go beyond change management to change leadership. And it's not just a project, it's a process, one which involves people, intense emotions and personal transitions. It requires a move from push to pull and from a leader of followers to a leader of leaders culture."

Praise for the program is widespread, as it is being used internationally and is being translated into several languages, including Chinese. "This story provides change leaders and teams with an impartial and unifying platform to deal with behavioral challenges that might otherwise undermine a well-intended change effort," said Jeffery Tan, director of Corporate Training and Professional Development, Singapore Institute of Management.

"Whether it's a change in technology, a new product line or product mix, a move toward globalization, mergers and acquisitions, embracing diversity, or any other type of organizational change, the Journey to Newland system can help your organization lead change, instead of change leading you," said Poole.

Poole believes the program's strength is its simplicity, but cautions against the view that the program is unsophisticated. "Journey to Newland is not a children's book," said Poole. "It's an introduction to a system that is based on master's and doctorate-level material. What makes it so special is its ability to take complex concepts and deliver them in a way that makes them usable and sustainable within any organization.

"Journey to Newland is scalable content, meaning you can go as deep as you want to go. There are many, many different levels," said Poole.

The Journey to Newland facilitator's guide includes:

Poole's company, LifeLead International, along with his associates worldwide, offers trainers and consultants the opportunity to become certified in the Journey to Newland system (www.journeytonewland.com).

About the Author and LifeLead International
Bill Poole is the CEO, president, and founder of LifeLead International (www.lifeleadint.com). He has more than twenty years of experience as a personal, team and organizational consultant; coach; speaker; and author. The Journey to Newland system is the foundation of LifeLead International workshops. Their workshops use state-of-the-art digital teaching tools and are based on more than 20 years of research and practical experience derived from working with large international companies such as Coca-Cola, IBM, Nike, First Union, Bell South, and Kraft, as well as many small and medium-sized companies, non-profit organizations, and family businesses.

# # #