7. Develop Change Leaders
What is it?
This process identifies specific leadership requirements for a given change initiative for the key Change Sponsor and the Change Leaders – the managers of the impacted staff. The process will help develop a programme of activity to address any gaps in capability
Why do it?
This process helps to:
- Ensure the sponsor and change leaders understand their roles in change
- Ensure that change leadership is visible and valued and leaders are being seen to demonstrate the change
they want to make happen
When to do it?
Early in the Diagnose phase.
Inputs
Change Strategy
Change Management Plan
Stakeholder Analysis
Culture Web
Outputs
Sponsor Roadmap
Change Leadership Action Plan
How to do it?
The key roles of Change Sponsor and Change Leaders will have been documented in the Change Governance Structure. This step will identify the main responsibilities for these individuals which can then be developed into an action plan so that the sponsor and change leaders are effective throughout the change initiative.
The following table shows what the individuals should feel about their roles and what they might end up feeling if not well supported:
| Role |
How they should describe their role |
How they might feel about their role |
|---|---|---|
| Sponsor |
“I launch (authorise and fund) changes, and I actively sponsor change with our people.” |
“I gave you funding and signed the charter, now go make it happen!” |
| Change Leaders |
“I coach my direct reports through the changes that impact their day-to-day work.” |
“I feel like I’m the direct target for some of these changes, and I wish I knew what was going on.” |
| Actively and visibly participate throughout the project |
| Build a coalition of sponsorship with peers and managers |
| Communicate effectively with employees |
Top 5 most common sponsor mistakes:
| Mistake |
Examples …. |
|---|---|
| Failed to remain active and |
”was involved only in the beginning - announced the change & walked away” |
| Underestimates or misunderstood the people side of change |
“underestimated time and resources needed” |
| Failed to communicate messages about the need for change |
“did not articulate the change or the business benefits” |
| Delegated the sponsorship role and responsibilities |
“assumed that next-level structures would own the change management deliverables” “delegated the sponsorship role to a subordinate” |
| Failed to demonstrate support for the initiative in words and actions |
“got caught not ‘walking the walk’” |
The Role of Change Leaders:
Change Leaders are the managers of the impacted employees. They are critical to the successful implementation of the change initiative (and for operational and transactional changes are the primary driving force for the change). They are important because:
- Employees trust them
- They are close to where the change happens – it is their teams who must change how they do their jobs for the change to be successful
- They mitigate resistance – managers are the preferred sender of change messages about the personal impact of a change on their team members
- They build support
- Communicator
- Liaison
- Advocate
- Resistance Manager
- Coach
The five roles of managers during change are:
| Role |
Purpose |
Risk if not completed |
|---|---|---|
| Communicator |
Employees prefer to hear messages about how the change directly impacts them and their team from the person they report to |
Employees lack awareness about why change is happening. Resistance to change increases. |
| Liaison |
In larger (transformational) change initiatives the role of liaison involves interacting with the wider project team, taking direction and providing feedback. In operational and transactional change initiatives this liaison role will focus on working with the sponsor of the change and key stakeholders |
The wider project team or sponsor does not have an accurate view of how the change is impacting employees or how effectively the change is being adopted |
| Advocate |
If the manager opposes the change, chances are that his or her people will as well. In many cases, the opposite is also true. Making sure a manager is on board with a change and advocating for it is the first step the change management team must take before expecting managers to fulfil their role in change management |
Employees do not view the change as important, they follow the lead of their managers |
| Resistance |
Research shows that the best interventions to mitigate |
Employees will not have a productive way to surface objections and work their way through their resistance to change |
| Coach |
Helping employees through their own personal transitions is the essence of change coaching by managers |
Employees do not make a successful personal transition and struggle during the change with productivity, turnover and morale implications |
For Sponsors: Create a Sponsor Roadmap
| 1 |
Ensure their presence at public forum events |
Town hall meetings, all staff events, |
|---|---|---|
| 2 |
Ensure they take action with employees |
Engage with employees outside of scheduled events, walk the floor |
| 3 |
Ensure they are communicating about the change |
Clear and regular messaging, focused on progress and celebrating successes when appropriate |
| 4 |
Ensure they are visibly embracing the change |
Role model change behaviours, walk the walk |
The outcomes of effective sponsorship are:
- Builds awareness of how the change aligns with the vision for the organisation
- Why the change is needed
- The risks of not changing
- Creates the desire to change through coalition building and the management of resistance
- Reinforces the change through visible recognition and reward that come directly from the senior levels in the organisation.
| Sponsor checklists for each phase of the change initiative are available to help plan the sponsor roadmap | |
| The Sponsor Roadmap sets out how and when the sponsor needs to demonstrate their active and visible sponsorship of the change initiative |
Leadership support for change is one of the most critical factors to get right. It is important to:
- Engage leaders (managers, team leaders etc) early in the initiative
- Provide clarity of roles and responsibilities
- Develop leadership action plans that clearly articulate expectations
- Communicate from the top to ensure the change is credible
- Establish a feedback mechanism to work collaboratively
- Manage resistance and difficult messages
- Celebrate successes
The managers involved in leading the change initiative for their employees must:
- Be involved and held accountable for the progress and success of their part of the change initiative
- Fully understand the new ways of working, timelines and impacts on their teams
- Know their roles in the change and lead by example – particularly with an emphasis on new behaviours and a focus on coaching and support for others impacted
- Be adequately equipped with learning opportunities, action plans, materials and messages to fulfil their role effectively
 |
A Leadership Engagement Workshop Plan is a useful way to get the relevant managers together to facilitate a shared understanding of the change initiative, agreement on roles and responsibilities and agreement to tangible actions to take forward. |
 |
The Change Leadership Action Plan can now be completed. This will be a living document and should be maintained with any new actions as the change initiative progresses. |