CDOT’s Change Agents - 100+ Strong!

By Cynthia Case, Process Improvement Intern

May 17, 2018 

Change Agents are:

• Advocates of change

• Change management experts

• Communicators of change

Change Agents work by:

• Coaching: helping managers and supervisors to apply for the CLARC (Communicator, Liaison, Advocate, Resistance Manager and Coach) roles.

• Supporting: listen and provide help with change management tools.

• Liaising: facilitate two-way communication, respond to feedback and questions.

Why does CDOT have Change Agents?

Change Agents take on a leadership role, acting as a role model for change in terms of adoption and use. They promote change internally by acting as change champions and by supporting their assigned managers and supervisors.  They provide credibility to the projects being implemented and are considered contacts for all things change at CDOT.

• Change Agents increase buy-in, by being a positive force regarding the change.

• Change Agents identify areas of resistance and work with their assigned managers to evaluate where their employees are in the process of accepting change and help to create coaching and resistance management plans.

• Change Agents provide feedback to project teams and serve as channels of honest 2-way communication.

Information and action needed for changes are disseminated to the regions from project managers through our Change Agents who then meet with their assigned managers and supervisors.  Change Agents then gather and provide feedback about any concerns they may have learned about in their areas to the project teams. Each month project & change managers, change agents and sponsors come together to ensure that questions are answered, feedback is received and information flows in a 2-way fashion from employees being impacted to project teams who are implementing the changes.  

For successful changes to be possible, it is critical that changes experience in person 2-way communication early and frequently.  We encourage all of our employees who are impacted by the change to ask questions and voice their concerns. Frequent and effective communication is the only way to ensure that we are on the right track when implementing changes.  Our project teams are coached to consider all feedback and provide current relevant information about the impacts their projects are creating.

Back in 2011, CDOT had only twenty change agents.  Today we have over 100! Our goal is to ensure that 100 percent of our managers and supervisors are assigned to a change agent who can support them as they manage the change that is impacting them and their employees.  Michelle Malloy, CDOT’s Change Management Program Leader, has noticed a difference over the years in how changes impact employees. “I remember a time when all changes tended to make employees feel left out or even angry.  Today, we have pathways for employees to voice their concerns and ask questions. Our managers and supervisors have all been trained in their roles in change and now when changes happen, employees have a voice and are connected to those creating the change.”  Thanks to the hard work of all CDOT’s Change Agents, CDOT continues to work hard to ensure that everyone impacted by the change at CDOT is successful with that change. CDOT is working to become a more efficient, effective and responsive organization each and every day.  

Want to learn more about Change Management at CDOT? Check out our improvement efforts at the Office of Process Improvement’s website!