Change agent roles
| Change agent roles |
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Change agent is a person recognized as a specialist in the field of change management, the role of which is to optimize the functioning of the change team. Change agent provides the necessary resources and tools to organize teamwork (working meetings, problem solving in a group, etc.), which is generally to guarantee the efficiency of implementing the changes. It may also act as a coach for the team members. by helping them to use their experience to achieve progress, and may also be an intermediary between the team and the rest of the employees of the company, affected by planned changes.
Roles of change agent
Lippitt R. J. and G. L. Lippitt propose eight roles of change agent:
- Inspirer targeting diagnosis process - under his influence within the organization are asked questions to help people better understand organizational problems. Responsibility for change actions lies on the customer (the organization), but agent orients managers reflection on the situation.
- Specialist in forming social relationships in support of the change, and engaging employees in action for change.
- Seeker' for data informing about the organizational reality, in the area of social facts.
- Identifying different options - points to the many variants of possible improvement actions.
- Participant in problems solving, which helps organizations identify the causes of problems, shows the variety of solutions, plans for action and cooperation with the organization.
- Technical expert providing specific expertise in a given area.
- Coach and teacher familiar with the learning process of adults and able to develop and execute an effective training session, with the character of social intervention.
- Consultant undertaking attempts to influence the management and employees of the organization, affecting values of participants of changes, formulated goals, as well as the choice of method and steps in the process of change.
All these roles usually overlap, which indicates the complexity of the change agent activities. However, in certain situations, organization can choose the most effective role, e.g. in the phase of entry into the organization most useful role is of the consultant, in a situation of diagnosis - the role of technical expert, for creation of a strategic change - the role of identifier of the different possibilities.
References
- Lippitt, R. (1958). Dynamics of planned change.
- Kritsonis, A. (2005). Comparison of change theories. International journal of scholarly academic intellectual diversity, 8(1), 1-7.
- Turner, J. R., Kristoffer, V., & Thurloway, L. (2002). 3rdgen.info/3rdgen_sites/107/resource/turner_presentation_5.pdf The project manager as change agent. Proceedings of the 2002 Australian Institute of Project Management
- Ottaway, R. N. (1983). The change agent: A taxonomy in relation to the change process. Human relations, 36(4), 361-392.
