MovePlan are the experts in managing change
12th September 2024
Change is a constant in today’s business landscape. New technologies will always emerge, market demands will grow and evolve and internal structures will need to change to accommodate. This presents a challenge for senior leaders: how to navigate change.
While change itself doesn’t necessarily mean a negative impact on the organisation, the way that change is approached, navigated and implemented can be the difference between a programme being a success or a failure.
At MovePlan, we are advocates of using Change Champions to support the implementation of a project. These ambassadors act as a bridge between the organisation and the change consultants, helping to communicate and introduce the project to their groups in a way that is trusted and accepted.
How do you identify and recruit your Change Champions? And how do you make sure they are invested in and motivated about the change, so that they become the right ambassadors for the organisation?
This article looks at how our consultants use Change Champions to help the project go smoothly and efficiently.
The way change is approached, navigated and implemented can be the difference between a successful programme and a failed one
At MovePlan, our change management projects can vary in size, often affecting hundreds if not thousands of workers at any one time. Much has been written about change and how to approach it and all our change consultants are certified in the PROSCI method. In fact, we have talked about the method in our Change Series articles: https://moveplangroup.com/news-insights
One of the main factors of this approach is the use of Change Champions. This is your secret weapon. Why?
At the heart of any change is the people affected. It’s why we don’t follow a cookie cutter approach; one size will not fit all. One of the most important things we do is work with management to really understand the individuals within groups of employees: who they are, how they behave and work, what is important to them, how they communicate and receive communication. This level of detail is vital – it can be the difference between everyone understanding what is going on and a project being successful, and a complete failure of communication and a project derailing.
Change champions help us steer the programme and ensure that the groups they represent are on board with the processes that need to take place.
The success of a change management programme is in the successful adoption. To help achieve the best possible uptake, a network of Change Champions are recruited from within the company.
When it comes to identifying the right Change Champions to support an organisation’s programme, we look for certain characteristics: their own personal characteristics and how they communicate, their support of the business and influence with their colleagues, and importantly, their workload and willingness to be a change champion.
To get the very best Change Champions, our consultants work closely with the department heads to build a relationship and trust and from there we understand from them who they believe within their team would be a good nominee.
Once identified and they have accepted their new roles, these change ambassadors become part of our team. Their role? To be the conduit between us and the employees; a friendly, trusting face who helps steer the programme and ensure that the groups they represent are on board with the processes that need to take place.
They become our communications channels: sharing the steps that need to take place, allaying concerns, providing encouragement and feeding back to us what is or isn’t working – so we can make changes to the programme to ensure it does.
All Change Champions are supported by our change consultants. They attend workshops on how to be a champion, what’s expected, how to manage certain situations and mitigate issues. It is as much training for this specific role during the change programme as it is providing training that supports their own personal development.
We also hold monthly Champion check-ins to listen to and understand how they are doing. It’s a huge ask to take on this role alongside their day job and our change consultants are cognisant of this. Through regular 1-to-1s we support our Change Champions and if at any point they would rather not be part of the programme, we will support their transition away and look to reinstate someone else.
Change Champions are the secret weapon in our change programmes – without them, the most considered strategy may not be adopted by the employees at the heart of change. As such, Change Champions are an important tool in our arsenal.
They are also a vital link between us, the external consultants, and the client – they bridge the gap and become the velcro between the two. Change Champions help bring the two organisations together to work effectively.
– If you’d like to hear more about our change management approach, or want to understand more about Change Champions, contact us at info@moveplangroup.com – For further information about our change management programmes, visit our services page.
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