Change Agents
Change agent is a person, group or agency who initiates change in an organization. There can be two types of change agents :
1. Internal change agent
2. External change agent
1. Internal change agent
Internal change agent is chosen from the existing personnel of an organization. He is more likely to accept the system as given and try to accommodate their change tactics to the needs of the organization. There are two types of internal change agents:
i. Chief executive
ii. Change advisors
i. Chief executives
The chief executive is a part time change agent. Usually, people do not treat chief executive as a change agent in planned change. However, the change programme has a greater chance of success if it is sponsored by the chief executive. The role of chief executive is paramount importance especially during the initial phase of MBO implementation.
Normally chief executive performs following roles as the change agent:
- chief executive sponsors change programmes.
- He prepares a platform for implementing change.
- He handles change related issues in the initial phase of change process.
- He provides leadership and extents all types of support for implementing change successfully.
- He consults external change agents if required
- When change process proceeds smoothly, other managers start acting as change agent, he stars withdrawing from the responsibility and his role tends to reduce gradually.
ii. Advisors
Apart from the chief executives, the change advisors have important role to play in change process. These are the internal personnel initially selected to work in close harmony with external consultant. They are trained by the consultant for implementing the change. Their number may be determined by the type of change and size of the organisation. He plays the following role:
- During their tenures as the change agents, they work in close harmony with consultants.
- Basic duty if an advisor is to prepare plan for change for the organisation and persuade its members to accept the change. They communicate with other members about the type of change, its need, and tools to be used.
- They convince people to learn new knowledge through training programmes. They help managers develop behavior ad skills necessary for the change.
- They are expected to have certain qualities, such as diagnosis behavioural skills, attitude of acceptance, and persona; qualities to provide emotional support and reassurance.
2) External Change Agent
The external change agent is in a position to view the organisation meant for change from a total systems viewpoint, and is much less affected by organisational norms. He is likely to have easy access to top management since it is the top management on whose initiative the consultant is contacted. External agent performs the following role:
- Acting as a catalyst to spark change within the system and remaining independent.
- Undertaking organisational diagnosis to access organisation’s adaptivity with the change.
- Educating the top management and other key position holders about the change.
- Working as a process consultant at different levels of the organisation.
- Arranging for resources and training, necessary for successful implementation of change.
- Evaluation of performance and giving feedback.
- Giving training performance to internal change agent to prepare them implementing change.