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0:00
Hi, my name is David Buchanan.
I am Emeritus Professor of
Organisational Behaviour at
Cranfield University School
of Management in the UK.
This talk is about how
to be a change champion.
Who are the change champions,
the change leaders
in an organisation,
and what does it take to
be effective in this role?
We have to recognise from
the start that change is
not always led from the
top of the organisation.
0:26
Yes, we are familiar with
the heroic, charismatic,
visionary transformation
leader who
drives major change and
saves organisations
from failure.
This stereotype is usually male,
and we will have something
to say about this later.
But those heroic change cases
are few and far between.
Change is not always
a sole performance.
It's more often a team effort
with leadership of the change
or different components
of the change
distributed across
the organisation.
Indeed, change is often
championed by the middle
of the organisation,
with middle managers operating
behind the scenes
below the radar.
Why?
Because middle managers
often have a better
understanding of
frontline operations
and of what needs
to change than does
a remote top team.
What's in a name?
1:11
Change agents or change leaders
have been given
many other labels:
change champions, disruptive
innovators, ideas practitioners,
and from a Swedish
study, souls of fire.
Those names give you a
clue as to the nature
of the role and the
people who do it.
Change champions tend
to be mavericks,
nonconformists, risk
takers and rule breakers.
They may even be seen
as troublemakers.
But organisations need
people like this.
1:40
The role of the change champion
has two main characteristics.
First, this can be a demanding,
challenging and stressful role.
Not everyone will
welcome the changes
that you are trying
to implement.
You often have to deal with
resistance and conflict.
Expect to upset some people,
to lose friends and
make a few enemies.
Also, if you are responsible
for major changes,
this will not be a
nine-to-five job.
There just isn't time in
the normal working day
for all the formal meetings,
informal conversations
networking and schmoozing
that you will need to have.
This role may also spoil
your weekends too.
If you're offered
such a position,
consider your other
current commitments,
family and social
life as well as work,
before you accept.
Second, the role can be
challenging in a positive way.
It can be interesting, exciting
and can be a significant
learning opportunity.
Again, if you are leading
strategic changes,
you'll be exposed to and
become familiar with
aspects of the business
and to other people
inside and beyond the
organisation that you would
not encounter in a more
routine management position.
This creates opportunities
for networking and
self-development and opens up
future career opportunities.
But a word of caution.
In this important
and visible role,
you and your colleagues are
vulnerable if things go wrong.
Those in the driving seat get
the blame if there's a crash.
If you think that the
change may not succeed,
then you may want to pass up
the opportunity to champion it.
What knowledge, skills
and attributes are
