Engaging employees is key to successful organizational change. Lack of engagement often causes 70% of change efforts to fail. To boost engagement, companies should create a diverse team of "change champions" from different divisions to gain insights and support change. This "Catalyst Community" works with leadership to define the change approach and messages. They encourage debate to identify concerns and resistance early. As true ambassadors, the champions lead grassroots initiatives to engage others in developing and implementing change activities across the organization. Regular collaboration and recognition are important for sustaining the champions' efforts.

1. Engaging Employees during Change

2. Reasons for failure
Experts estimate that 70% of change efforts fail
A key reason for change projects failing is lack of engagement, connection or
action across the organisation.
In today’s world of constant change employees are tired of new change
programmes and confused over the specific actions required or intended
outcome of new initiatives. Employees often dismiss change as just the next
management cause or ‘programme of the day’.
A truly effective change programme will connect with employees throughout
the organisation, involve them and encourage collaboration.
Employees who are passionate about the purpose of a change will not only
initiate change themselves but also become champions for change across the
whole organisation.

3. Create Change Champions
Build a diverse team of change champions
Create a team of change champions, a
‘Catalyst Community’, to support
engagement across the organisation.
Detractors
Healthy
Restless
Handpick this team from each division or
group affected by change.
Innovators
Actively seek out sceptics, influencers and
supporters to create a diverse team who
can provide insight into local practices and
possible areas of resistance.
Connectors
Mirrors
Create connection through the
organisation by identifying and uniting
a team of change champions

4. Co-create and share ownership
Create the ‘tipping point’, through local influence
Engage with the Catalyst Community to co-create change – work together to
define an effective change approach, communication messages and explicit
behaviour changes at the ‘grass-roots’ level.
Encourage healthy debate to highlight any concerns or potential resistance to
change enabling rapid response and reaction.
Empower your change team to become true ambassadors of change – leading
initiatives at a local level to engage others in developing change activities.

5. Key steps to create a Catalyst Community
Define Purpose & Gain
Support
Define the purpose of the Catalyst Community and gain Senior
Leadership support.
Select Change Catalyst
Team Members
Identify selection criteria for members of the Catalyst
Community, select volunteers / recruits (with line managers.)
Conduct Kick-Off
Session / Training
Hold a kick-off meeting, set the community charter and
objectives, provide the team with training to support change.
Communicate to the
organisation
Make the organisation aware of the Catalyst Community and
provide methods or tools for easy interaction.
Collaborate
Set up tools for on-going collaboration and meet regularly,
virtually or face-face, to co-create aspects of of change.
Reward & Recognise
Say thank you for the contribution and efforts of the Catalyst
Community, reward and recognition are key.

6. About Purple Change
Purple Change are organisational development and change specialists
working with clients to accelerate change and optimise performance in
their organisation.
Benefits we deliver are:
• Rapid benefits realisation through accelerated pace of change
• Reduction of the costly impact of change from poor motivation and low
productivity
• Change Capability development for your leaders and managers
For further information please contact us at:
info@PurpleChange.co.uk
www.PurpleChange.co.uk

7. Thank you