Kay glanced at the clock on her screen. There was another hour until the meeting with the CFO, Ricarda Blake. She knew this conversation was crucial.
The ERP project had become the talk of the company, with anxiety and speculation running rampant. The sponsors wanted more personal touchpoints in the change management program, but with such a small OCM team, Kay felt the pressure of such an increase in scope. Handling the people side of a massive tech, process and culture change project like this one is a labor- and time-intensive endeavor.
She leaned back in her chair, considering the possibilities. Clearly, the traditional top-down communication approach wouldn’t work this time.
She listened to the Hidden Brain podcast over the weekend and thought the current user population was exhibiting what the segment called psychological reactance⁰. Being told, “You must stop using the Oracle system and start using SAP,” solicited a resounding silent no from key stakeholders.
The culture was not one that would resist overtly, but the resistance was omnipresent. Kay agreed they needed more people to speak about the changes organically and personally. The question was, how could her team achieve that with their limited resources?
When the time came, Kay made her way to Ricarda’s office. Ricarda greeted her with a warm smile, though her eyes betrayed a hint of concern.
“Kay, I’m glad you’re here. I’ve been hearing from the other sponsors that there’s some worry about how we’re handling the change management aspects. They feel we’re not connecting with people on a personal level.”
Kay nodded, appreciating her directness. “I understand, Ricarda. The OCM team has been discussing this, and I believe we have a solution that leverages our strengths — specifically, the network of impacted leaders we’ve been working with you to cultivate.”
Ricarda raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Go on.”
“What I’m suggesting,” Kay continued, “is that we engage these leaders to designate champions within their teams. Our OCM team can mobilize these champions to distribute key messages, participate in hands-on experiences, and, most importantly, become advocates for the change. Instead of everything coming from the project, it would come from people they trust and work with every day.”
Ricarda leaned forward, clearly considering the proposal. “That sounds promising, but do you think it will be enough? We’ve got a lot riding on this project.”
Kay smiled. “I know, Ricarda, and I think it’ll work, and here’s why: change ‘by the people’ is not just a nice-to-have — it’s effective. Did you know that studies of hundreds of system initiatives show that when peers rather than top-down directives lead change, there’s a 30% higher chance of successful adoption¹? Additionally, by measuring the adoption behaviors of these champions, we can better assess change readiness across the organization.”
Kay paused, letting the statistics sink in.
“This measurement will allow us to identify areas where more support or intervention is needed, ensuring that we’re not just assuming readiness but actively gauging it. And by setting up these champions over the summer, we can solidify their influence in time for UAT prep and then deployment.
“By involving leaders across the organization, we’re not just distributing the workload; we’re building a coalition of advocates who can help us maintain momentum after we implement. It’s about creating a groundswell of support rather than pushing from the top, or from ‘corporate’ every time.”
Ricarda nodded, a thoughtful expression on her face. “I like it. It feels more personal, more connected. Let’s move forward with this plan. I’ll talk to the other sponsors and get their buy-in. I trust you and your team can guide these champions effectively?”
“Our champions will need to take on this advocacy work in addition to their regular responsibilities, and we know that everyone is already being asked to do more with less,” Kay said, observing Ricarda’s reaction.
Seeing her nod thoughtfully, Kay pressed on. “Even with the turnkey tools we provide, it’s still a significant commitment.
“So, when you ask your peers to select champions, what do you think about stressing two key points: first, encourage them to choose people who aren’t the usual go-to employees, and second, make sure the leaders give the selected individuals the time they need to focus on this important work — I suggest two-three hours a week from now until two months after go-live.”
“Hmmm. I see why this is important. Okay. Yes, I can do that. I’d want to communicate results of the change network engagement to the leaders though. Tell me, how can we test to be sure we’re on the right path?”
“I agree with how you’re thinking. I suggest using a Copilot bot to analyze the communication themes and frequency². My team has baselined the patterns recently, and we can track the trends as the champions come online.”
“Good deal. What else?”
“You know we make things seamless for our people,” Kay confidently replied. “We’ll provide them with the tools, messaging, hands-on demos, chances to influence design and build, and support they need, along with a framework to measure their departmental influence and readiness. This way, we’re empowering the people to drive the change themselves, which, as we’ve seen, is often the most sustainable approach.”
Kay felt a renewed sense of purpose as she left Ricarda’s office. She knew this approach would address the sponsors’ concerns and lay the groundwork for a successful ERP implementation. Change by the people, for the people — it was a strategy bound to succeed.
The Cold Hard People Tactics
Change Management best practices that I explore in this fictionalized account, based on my varied experiences in transformation initiatives:
✔ Take a Human-Centered Approach:
Empathy and Understanding: Recognizing the emotional and psychological impact of change on employees.
Personalized Communication: Tailoring communication to resonate with diverse audiences.
Advocacy from Within: Leveraging existing relationships and trust to foster buy-in.
✔ Make Engagement Meaningful:
Targeted Engagement: Identifying and mobilizing key stakeholders (champions) to drive change.
Collaborative Approach: Involving employees in the change process to increase ownership and commitment.
Measurement and Evaluation: Continuously monitoring change readiness and adjusting strategies as needed.
✔ Start with People Managers & Sanction The Time:
Leadership Support: Securing buy-in and active participation from organizational leaders.
Clear Communication: Providing consistent, transparent, and relevant messaging.
Resource Allocation: Allocating necessary resources, including time and support, to enable successful change.
✔ Use AI and Technology To Enable Change Management:
Digital Tools: Utilizing technology to streamline communication, collaboration, and data analysis.
Automation: Employing automation to reduce administrative burdens and improve efficiency.
Analytics: Using data to inform decision-making and measure progress.
✔ Keep Doing Better:
Iterative Approach: Adapting strategies and tactics based on feedback and emerging trends.
Learning from Experience: Applying lessons learned from previous change initiatives.
Agile Mindset: Embracing flexibility and adaptability in the face of changing circumstances.
By incorporating these best practices, organizations can create a more effective and sustainable change management process that drives positive outcomes.
⁰ About Psychological Reactance. Steindl, C., Jonas, E., Sittenthaler, S., Traut-Mattausch, E., & Greenberg, J. (2015). Understanding Psychological Reactance: New Developments and Findings. Zeitschrift Fur Psychologie, 223(4), 205–214. https://doi.org/10.1027/2151-2604/a000222. The Hidden Brain Podcast.
¹ “…when peers rather than top-down directives lead change, there’s a 30% higher chance of successful adoption.” Harrison, R., Fischer, S., Walpola, R. L., Chauhan, A., Babalola, T., Mears, S., & Le-Dao, H. (2021). Where Do Models for Change Management, Improvement and Implementation Meet? A Systematic Review of the Applications of Change Management Models in Healthcare. Journal of Healthcare Leadership, 13, 85–108. https://doi.org/10.2147/JHL.S289176
² Identifying trends helps anticipate customer needs and proactively address recurring issues—CoPilot in Power BI.
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