Step 5| Assemble Your Agents of Change

Change is always ‘just around the corner’ and to maintain a competitive edge within the industry, your organisation must adapt accordingly. In turn, this will help you and your team strive towards, or maintain, success. To state the often overlooked obvious, nothing changes if nothing changes!

Often, the biggest challenge when undergoing Change is the detractors amongst your organisation, and so identifying the strongest members of your team, your Agents of Change, to push you over the hurdles that you are almost guaranteed to stumble across, is key when trying to successfully manage Change!

This article discusses the Who and What, breaking down How you Assemble your Agents of Change into 3 steps. In the later stages of the article we put this into real life case study so you can see the methodology at work.

The knowledge we share at Change Consulting Scotland makes up around 30 years of experience. The 9-Step Change Cycle is our own approach to Change Management — a hybrid of Kotter’s Change Principles and Lean Six Sigma, that is further supported by the insights and lessons we have learned whilst working in this industry. Through sharing this series of articles with you, we hope to strengthen your understanding whilst offering you guidance and inspiration to initiate Change in your own organisation and, crucially, make those changes stick!

We have already covered Steps 1, 2, 3 and 4 and so if you haven’t already, we recommend you take some time to read through them. We offer Top Tips along the way that will help you get to this point in your process of Change — be sure not to miss out!

WHO| Identifying your Agents of Change

At this stage of the Change process it is important to identify who your Agents of Change will be. Your Agents of Change will guide the progress of your change initiative. Their skills should be unique, and their expertise diverse. The key successors in your organisation are good fits for this role — they are usually people who others look up to for direction and inspiration throughout their career. Leading by example, your Agents of Change bear the responsibility of executing the change strategy, sticking to the vision, involving stakeholders, and effectively managing any hurdles that may appear along the way.

If your team lacks the knowledge or expertise that is required, then that is what the professionals, like ourselves, are here for! Please do not hesitate to call in the experts. Whether you are looking for training, hands on experience or some guidance throughout your organisation’s Change, we can be sure to help you and your team.

With the hopes of achieving successful Change, everyone involved in the process needs to be empowered, igniting them to act on the vision that as a team they have collectively agreed on. Since employees will be at the forefront of changes and how they are implemented, it is essential that they have the necessary knowledge, skills, resources, and confidence to carry out the process effectively.

Top Tip: Keep individuals on all levels of the organisation in the loop (especially key stakeholders), ensure they feel part of the team whether they are the receptionist or the CEO — everyone plays a part!

“Change agent networks are the bridge, the translators between the inner workings of a project and the rest of the organisation.” — Jeff Skipper

WHAT| What does ‘acting on the vision’ look like?

Acting on the vision can often be overwhelming. We have broken this down into three, easy to understand steps that should help you and your team maintain focus and motivation.

  1. Clear the Way
  2. Implement the Change Strategy
  3. Upskill Employees and Provide Resources.

Read on to take a closer look…

  1. Clear the Way
Step 1 of Acting on your Vision; ‘Clear the way’ helps to get rid of any detractors aka naysayers throughout your organisations process of Change! (Photo taken from designinterventionllc.com)

Firstly, clear the way! Get rid of the obstacles that are holding you and your team back from change. If the obstacles come in the form of employees that have concerns around the Change, then aim to reinforce your vision — ensure they know what’s in it for them. It is also vitally important for the Agents of Change to understand what is concerning their colleagues and how they can help manage any issues.

Top Tip: Obstacles will continue to arise throughout the entire process, Agents of Change should keep an eye out for them and should be prepared to take action and knock down any challenges that pop up.

2. Implement the Change Strategy

Step 2 of Acting on your Vision; Implementing a change strategy is a must and is made easier when a passionate group of people are involved! (Photo from 3c.com.co)

Once the path for Change is clear, and your detractors have turned into advocates of Change, your focus should be on implementing the change strategy. The Change strategy (that is defined in steps prior to this one) will act as a roadmap to guide all employees through the complex process of Change. The purpose of this strategy is to ensure clarity, alignment, engagement and effective resource management. The job of the Change Agents is to ensure the Change Strategy is heard and understood across all areas of the organisation and at all times during Change.

3. Upskill Employees, and Provide Resources

Step 3 of Acting on Your Vision; Upskilling and educating individuals on the Change is key. Wherever possible, fill in any knowledge gaps! (Photo by FreePik)

Finally, provide people with the knowledge and resources required to make this Change a successful one. Where individuals may lack technical skills or knowledge, provide them with training opportunities to fill in those gaps. We recommend providing training or workshops. Additional resources may include new technology or even just a place for questions to be asked. The important part is that the members in your organisation feel supported — your Agents of Change hold the responsibility of ensuring that this in fact is the case.

Now, let’s see this in real life and take a look at a well-known example.

Case Study| The Suffragette Movement

The Suffragette Movement is a historic example of political and systemic change, that aligns with this step in The 9-Step Change Cycle. (Photo courtesy of Library of Congress)

From the exclusion of women from The Great Reform Act in 1832, all the way through to 1928 when the voting rights of women became equal to that of men, the Agents of Change in the Suffragettes Movement maintained momentum and alignment to the Suffragette vision.

Suffragettes had a clear vision: achieving the right to vote for women. Change Management principles at play, the Agents of Change were vital in the success of this movement. The Agents of Change communicated the vision and the purpose that the Suffragettes were so passionate about.

Who were the Agents of Change in this movement?

The agents of change during this movement were the everyday people that fought for females to gain the right to vote. They cleared the path, implemented the strategy that was voiced by the leaders and importantly, they educated the public on their beliefs. Some key leaders of note in leading the agents are:

  • Emmeline Pankhurst; a leading figure in the Suffragette movement and the founder of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) . She, along with her two daughters Christabel and Sylvia, played a central role in the organisation’s militant advocacy for women’s suffrage.
  • Emily Davison; known for her extreme activism. She gained international attention when she stepped in front of King George V’s horse during the Epsom Derby in 1913, suffering fatal injuries. Her death became a symbol of the suffragette struggle.
  • Millicent Fawcett; Leader of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) from 1897. Her unique leadership made it a substantial and influential force in the campaign for women’s votes.

Who were the Naysayers?

  • Mary Ward (Mrs Humphrey Ward); leader and founder of the Women’s National Anti-Suffrage League from 1908, Ward argued that women’s involvement in politics would undermine their traditional roles and family life. Her leadership led to the organisation merging with the Men’s League for Opposing Women’s Suffrage in 1910.
  • Lord Curzon; also recognised as Evelyn Baring, was a leader of the anti-suffragette cause, serving as the president of the Men’s League for Opposing Women’s Suffrage.
  • Lady Jersey; a prominent British socialite and anti-suffragist. She was involved in organising events and campaigns against women’s suffrage, using her social influence to promote anti-suffrage views.

What was done to deal with the Naysayers and drive Change?

Public Education and Advocacy: Suffragettes engaged in public education campaigns to counter misconceptions about their movement. They organised lectures, distributed pamphlets, and wrote articles to present their case and address concerns raised by naysayers. Education was a key tool to sway public opinion.

Engaging Male Allies: Some suffragettes actively sought the support of male allies who could advocate for women’s suffrage from a different perspective. Engaging men who were sympathetic to the cause helped counter the perception that suffragettes were solely interested in advancing women’s interests.

Counter-Propaganda: Suffragettes countered anti-suffrage propaganda by creating and distributing their own materials. They used newspapers, leaflets, and visual propaganda to shape the narrative and challenge stereotypes associated with women’s suffrage opponents.

Militant Action: The Suffragettes employed militant tactics as a means of drawing attention to their cause and pressuring the government for women’s suffrage. Some key dates

  • The “Black Friday” Protest (1910):

On November 18, 1910, suffragettes engaged in a peaceful protest that turned into a violent clash with the police and counter-protesters. The day became known as “Black Friday.” Suffragettes, led by Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughter Christabel, attempted to march to the House of Commons to petition for women’s suffrage. The police and male counter-protesters met them with force, resulting in numerous injuries among the suffragettes. The events of Black Friday highlighted the intensity of the suffragette struggle and the opposition they faced.

  • The Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) Window-Smashing Campaign (1912):

WSPU suffragettes engaged in a window-smashing campaign as a form of protest. This involved breaking windows of government buildings, shops, and public spaces to draw attention to their cause and create a spectacle. Many suffragettes were arrested during these protests.

The Outcome

Females casted their votes for the very first time in 1928 after the decades of campaigning in support of The Suffragette Movement. (Photo courtesy of Library of Congress)

The Representation of the People Act (1918); In the UK, the Representation of the People Act was a landmark piece of legislation that granted voting rights to certain women over the age of 30 who met specific property qualifications. It was a significant step toward women’s suffrage.

Further down the line, after another decade of campaigns, in 1928, the Representation of the People Act was further amended, granting voting rights to all women over the age of 21 on the same terms as men. This marked a crucial victory for the suffragettes.

Over the years, the suffragette movement had gained broader support, and public opinion had shifted in favour of women’s suffrage. The efforts of the Suffragettes and the Agents of Change involved, were pinnacle in the successful outcome that saw women gaining an equal right to vote to that of men.

The decades of campaigning was worth it, and the vision they had once pictured is now a reality.

Managing your Change

Not every process of change yields quite as triumphant a tale as this one. The process of Change is difficult. If it was easy, then everyone would just do it and celebrate transformational success frequently, and that certainly isn’t the case. If you need help making change happen in your organisation, whether to set up and run your entire Change Cycle, or simply Assembling Your Agents of Change, feel free to book a free 30-minute chat with us, send us a message, or visit our Resources page for downloadable resources!

We hope this article has been somewhat helpful, and your knowledge around Step 5 in our Change Management cycle is stronger now than it was at the top of this webpage. The next article will cover Step 6, Rethink Governance, which takes a closer look at how functional your processes are and whether or not they support Change!