The ACMP-ICF Joint Task Force

Power at the Intersection of Coaching and Change

The Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP) and the International Coaching Federation (ICF) Joint Task Force has been proactively exploring the numerous synergies between change management and coaching since its launch in 2020.

The goals of this collaboration are to:

1. Explore how these two professions complement and intersect with each other;
2. Expand the tent for both professions, including appreciation, knowledge of, demand for, and certification; and
3. Create value for members in both organizations that we serve.

A group of dedicated volunteers has been diving into these goals over the last three years. The ACMP and ICF believe this collaboration can lead to defining how the two professions can leverage the power of both coaching and change management to build organizational capacity, capability and resilience.

Building the Value Proposition

The task force scope addresses three key areas:

• how professional coaching can be leveraged in large-scale organizational change;
• how change management professionals can leverage the use of coach approach; and
• what the coaching profession can leverage from professional change management.

The Task Force is sharing this body of work with the community through The Power of Both – ACMP & ICF Insights Series – a series of joint events and outputs that provide a forum to collaborate and build upon the robust dialogue underway. The Series is open to all and brings you together with change management and coaching professionals to delve into how to leverage both disciplines.

Check out each of these Task Force focus areas:

The Task Force Story: Our Journey Since 2020 Launch

Focus
The ACMP/ICF Joint Task Force launched in 2020 following partnering conversations between the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and the Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP) spurred by the successful release of the Human Capital Institute (HCI) study, “Building a Coaching Culture for Change Management”. This task force is made up of dedicated and passionate volunteers that continue to explore how the two disciplines both complement each other but are also fundamentally different.

Journey
The initial phase looked at the value and role of coaching in organizational change. Many of you may have participated in ACMP’s 2021 Global Connect Lab Experience (June 2021) and ICF’s 2021 CONVERGE Lab Experience (October 2021). During these events, participants worked in teams to provide input specifically around the seven inflection points in the Standard for Change Management. The Task Force identified these as opportunities to leverage professional coaching in change initiatives. This input highlighted that the engagement of coaches can help reduce change risk by uncovering and addressing resistance and accelerating achieving target results. With that collaborative baseline in place, stakeholder engagement and input has informed the Task Force work along the way – with members from both organizations sharing insights and views on the interplay of the two professions.

The robust dialogue and input received during the highly successful ACMP/ICF Joint Task Force 2021 webinar series has helped provide a strong foundation for future discussion. That series saw unprecedented participation across the global community, and the Task Force is developing new opportunities to continue that broad-based engagement.

For example, the Task Force is developing a thought leadership series on behalf of ICF and ACMP. The first component in this thought leadership series addresses:

• the benefits of incorporating coaching in large scale organizational change initiatives;
• how change management and coaching are distinct, different, and complementary;
• when and how to leverage coaching in large scale organizational change; and
• a set of recommendations for the coaching and change management professional communities to consider.

The initial output of this work was shared in a webinar on March 21, 2023.

Building the Value Proposition
The task force continues its thought leadership work by taking stakeholder input and developing a full Insights series that builds on the view of:

• how professional coaching can be leveraged in organizational change;
• how change management professionals can leverage the use of coach approach; and
• what the coaching profession can leverage from professional change management.

Both the ACMP and the ICF look forward to sharing this body of work with the community and are planning additional joint events to continue providing a forum to collaborate and build upon the robust dialogue underway. The Task Force is also creating joint ICF/ACMP events at the local community level and building toolkits for the use of local ICF and ACMP Chapters to support the growing grassroots collaboration.

Task Force History

• September 2018: ICF invites ACMP to join HCI Study Results initial presentation; potential collaboration discussion begins.
• May 2019: ACMP invites ICF leadership to meet at Change Management 2019 (Global Conference) to discuss formalizing collaboration.
• October 2019: ICF invites ACMP to meet at CONVERGE 19 in Prague to solidify collaboration.
• November 2019: ICF & ACMP conduct Joint Survey to their respective Chapter leaders to gauge interest and existing Chapter-level collaboration.
• December 2019: ICF & ACMP Joint Task Force Charter developed.
• February 2020: ICF & ACMP Joint Task Force Launches. 3 Workstreams Evolve:
  • Shared Competencies
  • Awareness/ Chapter Engagement
  • Organizational Resistance
• March 2020: ICF & ACMP Joint Task Force conducts ACMP IGNITOR Event; 3 Workstreams progress
• March through June 2021: Leveraging the Power of Coaching & Change Management to Navigate Disruption Webinar Panel Series (8000 registrations globally)
• June 2021: The Global Connect Lab – stakeholders invited to further inform work of Task Force and pressure test the identified inflection points in the change process where coaching can have impact
• Oct 2021: The Converge Lab- stakeholders invited to continue evolving the role of coaches in organizational change
• 2022: Joint Task Force onboards additional members to focus on three workstreams:
  • ICF-ACMP Articulation of Change Coaching Relationship
  • Evangelize the efficacy of Coaching AND Change
  • Accelerate Chapter and Community-Based ICF-ACMP partnerships
• 2023 The Power of Both: ACMP and ICF Insights Series:
  • March: What Organizational Change can leverage from Professional Coaching
  • July: Driving change through a coach approach
• May 2023 ACMP Global Connect: Amplifying Your Impact: Driving Change Through A Coach Approach
• May 2023 Change Management Review (CMR) Coach Change Conference 2023: Driving change through A Coach Approach

The Power of Both: ACMP & ICF

The Power of Both: Common Themes

• Both associations have established the three essential elements that form the foundation for any profession
  • Professional practice standards
  • Certification process
  • Code of Ethics
• Both are dedicated to defining and upholding practice standards for their profession,
  • Protecting the ‘brand’ and quality assurance of the professions
  • Educating consumers on the importance of certification,
  • Highlighting the distinction for those who call themselves a “Coach” or “Change Management Professional” without certification.
  • Helping employers and clients know what to expect and how to choose the right talent

Interested in Learning More About ACMP or ICF?

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