Multi-directional communication is critical to the success of organisations, particularly during a change journey. In order to aid business; a change agent network is normally established to support and ensure the flow of communication during the transition.

A change agent network is key to change management in a journey of transition. The network becomes a communication bridge that facilitates and drives two-way communication between leadership and associates by bringing to light the realities that could have a negative impact on the planned changes, while also cascading key pieces of information to peers and teams regarding the changes. We recommend our change Communication Toolkit to help your effectively communicate to key stakeholders, like change champions.

All change managers need to adhere to the following basic guidelines when building and selecting a change agent network:

1. Describe to management what a change network is, it’s importance and what the compelling need is to have one as a support structure.
2. Define the roles and responsibilities of a change agent, sometimes referred to as a change champion.
3. Once management is on board with the definition of what a change agent is, it’s important to exercise full transparency on the steps and process of selecting a change agent.
4. Involve managers when selecting a change agent network. To ensure objectivity and avoid favouritism, ensure that the selection process is fair and transparent. This step is critical as you would need to use your change champions as your support structure and as a link between business and the project team. It is therefore critical that one considers the level at which your change agent network is able to operate, ask yourself if the change agents selected will be able to provide feedback to management, or to the project team.
5. The change agent network is a team in itself, hence the importance of ensuring that it’s comprised of a diverse team with individuals that possess different skills, to can bring some “spice” to the team.
6. Ensure that every team member is willing to be part of the team as you do not want a situation where a team member will be disgruntled and say they were forced to “play” the role of a change agent. When members volunteer and are willing, it creates an atmosphere of commitment and dedication.
7. Once you have your team of change agents chosen and ready, as a way to formally introduce the concept of change management, the change manager/consultant will conduct a “kick-off” session/meeting for the change agents. This is where the change manager/consultant can then explain the change agent’s roles and expectations in more detail. Adding to this, the change agents will have been given an overview of change management, key values of the psychology of change, communication, resistance management and training. These principles help guide and build a solid foundation for the change agents to help them deal with change better.
8. Collaboration methods need to be set in place with your change agent network/team. It is both beneficial and important to create ways that the change agents can collaborate with the project team and each other, for example, one could create a collaborative workspace on the company intranet for change agents to download useful project information and also to share stories and give feedback. This of course is dependent on the type of organization and the culture, and whether all the change agents have access to a pc or to the system (internet/intranet).
9. This collaboration within the team will in turn increase their engagement with the project team and other stakeholders, as they will feel to be part of a team and have a voice. In addition, there should be some face to face meetings to keep the change agents updated on project progress and upcoming activities which will impact employees – the agents must always be one step ahead of employees, so they are prepared to respond to questions from their colleagues.
10. Ideally it would be a good idea to have an incentive/recognition program for the change agents. This is mainly due to the fact that one of the risks of becoming a change agent is that the organisation will continue to value and reward agents solely for their “business as usual” activities, which they continue to perform. If this additional role of being a change agent is not recognised, valued, and rewarded, it might become challenging to persuade anyone to continue in the role even though it is occasional.
11. The role of a change agent is to ensure that through their impact with others when they interact, they can “change” and influence everyone to become change agents in their own right! If a high value is placed on the role, the number of change agents will continue to increase, which should produce substantial benefits for the organisation when embedding the change.
12. A well-supported network of change agents can make the difference between delivering a project and achieving sustainable business results.

In conclusion

When positioned properly, the change agent network can make your change effort a success in so many ways and can also lead to sustainment of the change within the organization for years to come. Change agents also play an important role in supporting their teams and ensuring that upward communication continues, which will assist management and the project team to support business in every way possible. Interested in learning more about the change agent network? Explore our Becoming a Champion for Change Programme.