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If you want people to adopt something new, an email from a C-level executive won't do the trick. Neither will a snazzy project web site or a company-wide meeting. Maybe they'll help in some way, but none does a great job reaching the hearts and minds of those who are being asked to change. </p> <p class="text"> The real change influencers almost always come from among someone's own community, or circle of influence. Such communities may be organizational in nature, functional, geographic, or project-based. Although these people rarely play an official role in the proposed change, the influence they can wield is enormous. </p> <p class="text"> This article gives tips about how to equip "change ambassadors," or influencers, with what they need to help effect successful change. Although the tips below are based on an IT initiative rollout, you can apply these concepts to any kind of change. <p class="text"> <b>Look in unexpected places to find the real change influencers.</b> Ask people who they turn to, who they listen to, and who they don't. Observe people as they seek help to see if their actual behavior matches their perceptions. (Many people claim not to be influenced by those who really do wield influence, and vice-versa.) IT influencers might include executive administrators, business analysts, power users, or direct supervisors. Cast a wide net and look for mid-to-lower-level employees, who tend to have influence at the water cooler and are pretty accessible. Laura looks for influencers who are really jazzed about showing people how to use new technology---the type who clamor to get a new app before it's widely available. </p> <p class="text"> <b>Create a short list of influencers.</b> You want to equip your most important influencers with the content and tools they need to be successful. Not all influencer types will want or need the same things, so you'll need to target just a handful of influencer types. Involve people across the organization to help determine which influencer types merit most of your time and attention. Pay attention to "boundary-spanners" who work across regions or functions, who may be a in a position to influence multiple audiences. For each influencer type, articulate the desired role and the employee segments they are most likely to influence. </p> <p class="text"> <b>Validate the ability and willingness to help.</b> Find out from a representative sampling of influencers what role they can (or want to) play in this case. For example, do administrators see "IT change ambassador" as part of their jobs, or is it just one more responsibility heaped on an already full plate? Are most power users really enthusiastic about helping others navigate through the trickiest aspects of change? At Kraft Foods, where Laura is the IT liaison to the Professional Support Council, a council of administrators throughout the company, she constantly solicits feedback and ideas from administrators as to what they need to help them pave the way for successful change. </p> <p class="text"> <b>Streamline project communications.</b> Create a multi-pronged plan to get project-related information into the hands of your key influencers. Kraft Foods makes frequent use of blogs and discussion boards, as well as electronic boards that have replaced paper posters in a few locations. Websites are often used for strategic project-wide communications, including the companywide homepage as well as regional, functional and divisional websites. Kraft Foods IT often holds bi-monthly updates in the form of a showcase featuring tech updates and communication samples such as posters and reference guides. Depending on their role, some influencers need more details, more frequently, than others do. Create a communication matrix that lists preferred communication methods by project phase for each influencer. </p> <p class="text"><b>Create a customizable toolkit.</b> Now that you know how they want to receive information from the project team, you'll need to discover how influencers like to communicate with others. For example, will they be presenting or discussing in small groups or larger forums? Will they communicate in person, virtually or both? Will scripted PPT slides help guide their discussions? Would they make use of customizable templates to send emails or create blog copy? If demos are needed, which influencer types are most likely to lead the demo and what do they need? At Kraft Foods, for example, IT influencers are offered train-the-trainer training, which includes learning how to engage people in discussions. Such skills are valuable well beyond a particular IT rollout. In fact, many "repeat influencers" involved in multiple rollouts at Kraft Foods need less time and training, regardless of what's being rolled out. </p> <p class="text"><b>Now, teach them to fish!</b> With the pieces in place, give your influencers guidance as to how they can use the different tools in their training/communications toolkit. Think through what you're really asking them to do, and describe the type of behavior change you're asking them to influence, and how these tools can help. Create an easy-to-use "how-to" guide, which can be used independently, or as part of a training session. For each component of the kit, describe the objectives, optimum timing, and potential uses. Make the examples and templates easy to access and simple to customize. When a particular change is likely to meet resistance or cause confusion, make sure that key influencers (e.g., Admins) can act as quickly as they need to. </p> <p class="text"><b>Motivate, reward, repeat.</b> Even if acting as change influencer is part of someone's job description, it's important to recognize and reward great work. This can take the form of a thank-you email to influencers and managers, an end-of-project celebration (either face-to-face or virtual or both - use your imagination), a gift certificate or cash award for special efforts or official input to someone's performance review, for starters. Kraft Foods IT sponsors occasional outings and conferences for influencers who've made the difference. Many receive beta versions of new applications and special training so they'll be better prepared to help others, a big perk for many. As Laura puts it, influencers bring the passion and fireworks to most change programs, and they deserve special treatment in return. </p> <h4>Conclusion</h4> <p class="text">Some people don't mind the disruption change brings, as long as they're clear about the intended benefits. Others will resist change, overtly or covertly, even when they know that the future state will be somehow brighter. The key to making a smooth transition is to equip those who are regarded as clear, credible thinkers with the messages, content and tools they need to persuade people to let go of the old and embrace the new, as long as the "new" makes sense to them.&#9830; <br> <br> <b>Read more <a href="http://ittoday.info/ITPerformanceImprovement/index.htm"><i>IT Performance Improvement</i></a></b> </p> <!--DISCLAIMER NOTICE AND COPYRIGHT--> <p class="copyright"> <br> <br> Certain names and logos on this page and others may constitute trademarks, servicemarks, or tradenames of <a HREF="http://www.crcpress.com" TARGET="_parent">Taylor & Francis LLC.</a> Copyright &#169; 2008&#151;2010 Taylor & Francis LLC. All rights reserved. </p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> <td width="300"> <table> <tbody> <tr> <td> <table style="background-color:#E0E0D1;" cellpadding="10" margin="5" border="0" valign="top"> <tbody> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <a name="author"> <h4>About the Authors</h4> <p class="text"> <b>Nancy Settle-Murphy</b>, <a href="http://www.guidedinsights.com" target="blank">Guided Insights</a> founder and principal consultant, draws on an eclectic and varied combination of skills and expertise. She wears many hats, depending on the challenges she is helping clients to solve. She acts as meeting facilitator, virtual collaboration coach, change management leader, workshop designer, cross-cultural trainer, communications strategist and organizational development consultant. <br> <br> <b>Laura Riskus</b> is a seasoned change specialist for Kraft Foods, where she helps end-users adapt to new IT initiatives. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan=2> <h4>Related Book</h4> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td> <center> <img src="http://www.ittoday.info/catalog/images/covers80w/AU6333.jpg" Border=0> </center> </td> <td> <p class=text> <a href="http://www.crcpress.com/shopping_cart/products/product_detail.asp?isbn=9781420055207&AF=WAUER" target="blank">Best Practices in Business Technology Management</a> <br> <br>Stephen J. Andriole </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <p class=text>A nationally-known business technology veteran, Stephen J. 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