People don’t resist change. They resist how they experience it. Every change raises silent questions about status, competence, control and fairness, and those questions shape whether employees embrace a change or quietly work against it.
Yet most leaders focus on the plan and overlook the people. Commitment fades, trust erodes, and promising initiatives stall. The problem is rarely a flawed strategy. It is a misread of the human side of change.
The Change Management program provides:
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- A diagnostic of your own change initiative, applied to a real case from your organization
- A map of how your change threatens employees’ status, competence, control and identity
- A fairness assessment of your change process across voice, explanation, consistency and respect
- A proactive change plan that reduces resistance and builds genuine commitment
Business Challenges you will Solve
Are you facing one of these challenges? If so, this program is designed for you:
- Change initiatives stall despite strong plans and leadership support
- Employees comply on the surface but don’t commit
- Resistance appears in unexpected people and places
- Change fatigue is wearing down morale and engagement
- Employees question whether decisions were made fairly
- Leaders lack a shared framework for managing the human side of change
Key Takeaways
Participants will be able to:
- Explain why people react to how they interpret a change, not to the change itself
- Distinguish among acceptance, compliance, ambivalence, indifference, and resistance
- Identify threats to status, competence, control, and identity that drive resistance
- Assess the fairness of change processes across voice, explanation, consistency, and respect
- Design change proactively to reduce perceived threat and build commitment
- Apply a practical diagnostic framework to their own change initiatives
Credential: Earn a USF Executive Edge Certificate of Completion
Who Should Attend
- Senior Leaders and Executives guiding their organizations through major transitions
- Directors responsible for implementing change across teams and departments
- HR Leaders seeking a research-based approach to employee reactions and engagement during change
- Change Managers who need a practical framework to predict and diagnose resistance
- Organizations planning restructures, mergers, new technology, or strategic shifts that depend on employee commitment
Program Facilitator
Yochi Cohen-Charash
Dr. Yochi Cohen-Charash is a leading authority on how people think, feel and behave at work, and one of the most widely cited researchers on fairness and emotions in organizations. She is Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Baruch College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York, where she directs the Emotions in Organizations Lab and teaches doctoral seminars on organizational psychology, emotions and justice.
Her landmark study, The Role of Justice in Organizations, analyzed 190 studies and nearly 65,000 participants to reveal how perceived fairness drives performance, trust and commitment. Written while she was at the University of South Florida, it remains a foundational reference in the field and directly shapes this program’s approach to fair change processes. Her research has been cited thousands of times, and she has served as Associate Editor of the scholarly journal Emotion Review.
Beyond academia, Dr. Cohen-Charash is an executive coach, consultant and sought-after speaker, including at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, and an M.Sc. in Management and Organizational Behavior from Tel Aviv University. Her work across these roles draws on more than 25 years of research.
An Investment In Performance, Not Just Professional Development
When one leader attends, the whole organization gains. Participants return with a diagnostic, a prioritized plan and a shared framework their teams can apply immediately.
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Business impact |
What changes in your organization |
|---|---|
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Faster adoption of change initiatives |
Employees move from compliance to genuine commitment sooner. |
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Reduced resistance and disruption |
Leaders anticipate reactions and address concerns before they escalate. |
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Stronger trust in leadership |
Fair, transparent change processes build credibility that lasts beyond any single initiative. |
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Higher retention through transitions |
Employees who feel heard and respected stay engaged and committed. |
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Lasting organizational capability |
A repeatable diagnostic framework leaders apply to every future change. |
What you will learn
This program gives you a structured, evidence-based approach to the human side of organizational change. Grounded in more than 25 years of research on how people think, feel and behave at work, it shows you why employees react to how they interpret a change, not to the change itself, and how to shape those interpretations, from perceived threat and fairness to emotional reactions and commitment.
You will develop the skills to:
- Diagnose how employees interpret and respond to change
- Identify threats to status, competence, control and identity that fuel resistance
- Distinguish among acceptance, compliance, ambivalence, indifference and resistance
- Design fair change processes built on voice, explanation, consistency and respect
- Anticipate emotional reactions and address them before they derail progress
- Apply a practical diagnostic framework to your own change initiatives
Program details
Dates: Jan. 15, 22 and 29, 2027
Time: 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. ET (Jan. 15 and 29); 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. ET (Jan. 22)
Format: Hybrid: two in-person days at USF St. Petersburg’s Lynn Pippenger Hall and one live, interactive online session (Jan. 22)
Investment: $1,995 for two participants until Dec. 31, 2026 · 19.5 contact hours
Certificate & Pathways
Participants will receive a USF Executive Education Certificate of Completion.
Logistics
Detailed program information, including the agenda, parking instructions, and recommended hotel accommodations, will be provided to registered participants prior to the program start date.
All cancellation and substitution requests must be submitted in writing.
Cancellations
Cancellations received 14 days or more prior to the program start date will receive a full refund, minus a $250 administrative fee. Cancellations received within 14 days of the program start date are non-refundable.
Substitutions
Substitutions may be made at any time prior to the program start date at no additional cost. If pre-program assessments have already been completed, associated assessment fees are non-refundable.
Program Changes
The University of South Florida reserves the right to cancel or reschedule a program. In the event of cancellation by the University, registered participants will receive a full refund.
Group Pricing & Custom Options
Discount Eligibility
USF alumni, active-duty military members and veterans, and USF faculty and staff are eligible for a 10% discount on all open-enrollment programs.
Please enter the appropriate discount code at checkout. Discounts are offered in good faith. Proof of eligibility may be requested prior to program start.
Discounts cannot be combined with other promotional offers.
USF Alumni
USF alumni receive 10% off open-enrollment programs with code USFALUMNI10.
Military & Veterans
Active-duty military members and veterans receive 10% off open-enrollment programs with code MILITARY10.
USF Faculty & Staff
Current USF faculty and staff receive 10% off open-enrollment programs with code USFFACSTAFF10.