Accreditation body APMG-International, in association with the Change Management Institute (CMI), which is headquartered in Australia, has developed a refreshed change management qualification. As a first step in this process, the CMI, in association with APMG, has published a body of knowledge for change management (CMBoK) – which has a worldwide relevance and application.

Entitled ‘The effective change manager’ (ISBN 9780992362409; price £57), the CMBoK represents a new global standard in change management. The CMBoK forms the basis of a new change management syllabus, due to be launched in 2015.

A body of knowledge is a document produced by a professional association to describe and define the knowledge that underpins effective practice in a trade or profession.

This CMBoK identifies the knowledge areas required in order to operate as a change manager in a range of situations. It also shows how these knowledge areas relate to each other and outlines their practical application, within the CMI competence model.

Richard Smith, Chief Examiner for APMG’s Change Management Certification said, “We aim to support organizations to develop change leaders and managers who can help make change happen – in a constructive and effective way. People who achieve APMG’s Change Management certification have a practical grasp of the world’s best-respected and most up-to-date thinking about change management.”

Melanie Franklin, Director of the London-based consultancy, Agile Change Management, said: “Change management is developing rapidly as a professional discipline. The publication of the first edition of the CMBoK is generating wide debate about the scope of knowledge required by effective change managers and the depth of knowledge needed in various related disciplines. The CMBoK is a helpful reference guide for anyone interested in managing change and business transformation. Having a reference guide of this calibre will help with the wider adoption of consistent change management practices in years to come.”

During the rest of 2014, APMG will be working with the CMI to refine the CMBoK and update the APMG Change Management syllabus, examinations and examinable text.

People who already have a recognised change management qualification through APMG will be eligible for membership of the CMI.