DEVELOPING CHANGE AGENTS

Session 3
Change Agent
 Definition : Someone who "alters human capability or
organizational systems to achieve a higher degree of output
or self actualization.“
 Change agents are leaders who cut across the organization
and its business units without regard to the traditional
hierarchy.
 Often these men and women are freed from day-to-day
tasks in order to focus solely on leading and driving change.
 Directly or indirectly, they implement new processes, train
employees on new procedures, and act as role models to
demonstrate new and better ways to work.
 For example, change agents might spend more than 50
percent of their time visiting areas undergoing change,
auditing progress, or advising managers on how to improve
performance.
Key Competencies of Change Agents

 Objective & Futuristic

 Sensitivity to changes in key personnel, top
management perceptions and market conditions, and to
the way in which these impact the goals of the project.
 Setting of clearly defined, realistic goals.

 Flexibility in responding to changes without the control

of the project manager, perhaps requiring major shifts
in project goals and management style.
Key Competencies of Change Agents

 Roles
 Team-building abilities, to bring together key
stakeholders and establish effective working groups,
and to define and delegate respective responsibilities
clearly.
 Networking skills in establishing and maintaining
appropriate contacts within and outside the
organization.
 Tolerance of ambiguity, to be able to function
comfortably, patiently and effectively in an uncertain
environment.
Key Competencies of Change Agents

 Communication
 Communication skills to transmit effectively to
colleagues and subordinates the need for changes in
the project goals and in individual tasks and
responsibilities.
 Interpersonal skills, across the range, including selection,
listening, collecting appropriate information, identifying
the concerns of others, and managing meetings.
 Personal enthusiasm in expressing plans and ideas.
 Stimulating motivation and commitment in others
involved.
Key Competencies of Change Agents
 Negotiation
 Selling plans and ideas to others by creating a desirable
and challenging vision of the future.
 Negotiating with key players for resources, for changes in
procedures, and to resolve conflict.
 Managing up
 Political awareness in identifying potential coalitions, and in
balancing conflicting goals and perceptions.
 Influencing skills, to gain commitment to project plans and
ideas form potential skeptics and resisters.
 Helicopter perspectives, to stand back from the immediate
project and take a broader view of priorities.
Change Agent Program
It comprises of 3 elements:
 Designing the Program: two most important things when
creating a change agents team are defining the roles
of members and establishing a reporting structure
 Team Members Roles:
 Executioners
 Experts
 Custodians
 Coaches
 Controllers
Change Agent Program
 Reporting structure:
 Centralized – core team reporting to the top management
 Encourages new ideas, thorough development of new
thinking, standard solution for the organization
 Decentralized – foster greater skill building, quicker
dissemination of program’s values, better customization
 Determinants :
 Short term priorities
 Long term roll out plan

 Organizational Culture
 Recruiting & Developing the best team:
 Identifying
credible candidates
 Making a compelling case for team members

 Integrating with the front line:

 Linemanagers need to actively participate in the
process
 Conducting joint sessions to remove communication
barriers and build support