We're all interconnected today, more than ever before. Building and nurturing strong relationships is becoming more and more important. As the world gets bigger we need to work harder to ensure we're reaching the right people. This is especially true when it comes to driving successful change initiatives. In previous articles, we've explored the critical role of networks in change management. For today's Saturday Catch-up, let's summarise exactly why networking is critical to the effective implementation of change.
Published on 26 September 2024, Building Strong Networks for Successful Change summarised how both formal and informal networks play a pivotal role in organisational culture - as a force for cut-through and positive outcomes. We took a close look at the crucial role of networks in change management, uncovering the benefits of fostering strong connections, and exploring effective strategies to harness their potential in change initiatives.
The change agent network or change community will be familiar to many change managers. Depending on implementation, Kotter's volunteer army concept may not be exactly the same as a change agent network. Change Agent Networks can include formal roles that are embedded within the organisational structure; and the volunteer army may not - they might just be a group of committed individuals who participate from a sense of belief in the vision and purpose for the change. Read more in War Stories with Kotter, Part 2: Enlist a Volunteer Army from 10 April 2024.
More specifically, Building a Change Agent Network: A Strategic Approach is a concise guide on creating the kind of change agent network that can effectively drive organisational change. For organisations and change managers working towards large-scale changes, a change agent network can be a great tool.
Now that we've built informal networks, a coalition of support and a more formal Change Agent Network, What's in your Change Agents Toolkit? gives you practical ideas to arm your change agents with the tools they'll need to handle engaging and communicating about the change with their teams. Published 3 June 2024.
The pace we're working at can be a factor in the success of getting stakeholders on board. Go Slow to Go Fast: Slowing down to build relationships makes change faster was published 28 December 2023. Going slower gives more time and space for stakeholders to become familiar with the change through informal channels: corridor conversations, coffee and catch ups. And informal conversations often elicit more honest feedback than formal channels. It may seem counterintuitive that slowing down to build relationships makes change faster.
Spread the news in this Saturday Catch-Up: Networking is Critical
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Please enjoy your Saturday catch-up.
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