Have you ever been responsible for a significant organizational change, like a new system or process? You’re excited about the positive effect this will have on the business’ efficiency and productivity — only to encounter a surprising amount of change resistance.

It's easy to get frustrated when you're on the implementer's side of the change fence — but it's important to remember that change can be challenging for some (if not most) teams. 

And for understandable reasons.

Many employees are seasoned veterans invested in a legacy they've spent years creating. They may fail to see the holistic picture of how new changes benefit them. Especially if they had no say in the decision.

And worse, those resistant to change are less likely to trust new processes and systems from a leader who isn't in the weeds alongside them every day. In fact, change advisor and author Rick Maurer shared that lack of confidence in leadership isn’t talked about enough as a primary reason for change resistance.

Teams are much more likely to respond well to a peer who understands their world — simply because they live in it. Meaning, growing organizations need to look within their teams for trusted champions who can advocate for change in relatable ways and exemplify the spirit of continuous improvement. 

In the operations world, we call these people “change champions.” 

What are change champions?

Change champions take a vested interest in the success of the company. They devote their time, energy, and knowledge to ensure the successful adoption, implementation, and execution of new systems, processes, and policies as the company scales.

In simpler terms, they embody a unique set of characteristics and qualities that set them apart from their peers and play a pivotal role in managing change as the business evolves. 

Recognized as subject matter experts in the area undergoing transformation, champions are equipped with the necessary skills and experience to promote adoption and bring about successful outcomes for both the company and their team.

And while a champion’s characteristics are distinct, the programs they serve may look different depending on the needs of your organization. You might opt to build a champion program more fixed in nature. Take Zoom’s Community Champion program for example. The program is continuous and focuses solely on community support. You might apply this type of programming to a Culture or Process Champion program within your organization. Your champions would advocate for the general ideas and values of these areas with varying micro-focuses throughout the life of the business. What's important to note is that these roles should likely be a semi-permanent part of an employee’s role.

Other champion programs are more flexible in design. If you're launching a new technology or specific process, you might create a short-term champion program around a more focused initiative. Say for example you were launching Trainual in your organization. You could establish Trainual Champions for the first year using Trainual in the company.

However the program is structured within your organization, it should be well established with your top-performers and recognized by the majority.

Note: Rather than calling them a "Change Champion," you could frame it as "[Insert the change/cause] Champion.”

It takes only 10%-20% adoption of an innovation for rapid acceptance by the majority to follow. Rather than trying to convince the entire company of a change in one fell swoop, we can instead look to our champions who represent a small but powerful percentage of the organization and build our success from there.

Here are five reasons to cultivate change champions in your business and how to get started.

1. Champions are organizational advocates.

Champions serve as the voices and advocates for their teams. They’re great at communication and use that skill to identify inefficiency and productivity gaps through various feedback methods. 

Teams rely on champions to collate and surface feedback effectively, empowering them to act quickly. This streamlined approach significantly reduces the time required for leadership to provide direction and strategy, enabling project teams to build processes and systems from the perspective of the people who would use them every day. 

By amplifying the voices of individuals within the business, champions help ensure that the heart of the organization remains at the forefront of every decision.

2. Champions are training experts.

Most organizations have some level of training deficiency. In fact, nearly 59% of employees claim they had no workplace training and that much of their skills were self-taught.

However, champions can help combat this issue by dedicating regular time each week to 1-on-1 training and content development. 

By carving out this time for focused learning, they are better equipped to build and share knowledge with their teams — improving efficiency and productivity. Moreover, champions are resourceful and know how to find answers when needed. 

Whether through internal or external resources, they are committed to continuous learning and development, allowing them to stay ahead of the curve and contribute to the overall success of the organization.

3. Champions are great beta testers.

If you're looking to assemble a team to fine-tune a process or poke around your products or services to find issues, look no further than your champions. They possess the knowledge and experience necessary to identify potential improvements and provide insightful feedback to project stakeholders. 

This can help developers catch minor issues before your goods and services are released internally or to the general public — preserving trust and confidence in the business all around.

4. Champions create a positive workplace culture.

Champions are great at fostering a collaborative environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing feedback. They inspire their peers to maintain a positive attitude and work together effectively. With their proactive approach to problem-solving, a champion rarely encounters a challenge they can't overcome with the help of the team.

Champions are also valuable assets in times of uncertainty. They are adaptable and can pivot quickly to address new challenges or unexpected obstacles. They’re quick to identify potential roadblocks and can develop creative solutions to keep initiatives on track.

Furthermore, champions can have a cascading effect on the rest of the team. By setting a high bar for performance and accountability, they inspire their colleagues to strive for excellence and continuously improve. They can act as mentors and role models, sharing their expertise and guiding their team members to achieve their highest potential.

5. Champions help to reduce costs.

Champions bring significant benefits to an organization beyond their ability to implement change — they can also have a substantial impact on the company's profitability.

These top contributors are skilled in their area of expertise and deeply understand the systems and processes required to achieve their goals. As a result, they can reduce costly learning curves and minimize the time required for new team members to get up to speed. 

By leveraging their knowledge and experience, champions can help the company achieve budgetary goals by implementing cost-saving best practices and streamlining workflows.They often align their efforts to support company key performance indicators (KPIs) and work to drive down operational costs by continually improving processes and product performance.

Here’s how to implement a champion program in your business:

Get leadership buy-in.

Leaders are the champions of all champions — literally. They set the tone for the organization, advocate for the champions they call on and legitimize the change champion program through advocacy and positive reinforcement. They’re responsible for the direction of and knowledge fed into the program and thus vital to its outcomes. Their encouragement and consistent nurturing of the change champions establish change as a part of a healthy growing organization. Building this into the foundational requirements of leadership hiring and promotion will solidify its importance to your business and those whom the program aims to benefit.

Plan to incentivize champions.

Champions are a valuable asset to any organization, and it's essential to recognize and reward their contributions. However, it doesn't have to cost a fortune to offer a meaningful incentive. A small token of appreciation, such as bonus compensation or public recognition, can go a long way in showing champions that their hard work is valued and appreciated.

Beyond material rewards, being part of a champion program can offer numerous opportunities for personal and professional growth. Champions can gain exposure to new skills and experiences, which can be invaluable in advancing their careers. They can also develop a reputation as a trusted partner, which can lead to additional opportunities for leadership and mentorship.

Therefore, it's important to provide champions with opportunities to grow, develop, and succeed. By investing in their professional development and providing them with new challenges, organizations can ensure that champions continue to thrive and make valuable contributions.

Identify and select team members.

It typically requires little thought to identify a champion. As mentioned, these individuals stand out from their peers as the changemakers of the organization. Leaders will have a good understanding of who has the knowledge, skills, and aspirations to serve as an agent of change. 

You can either have your leadership team select potential champions or have interested team members complete an application process for selection. Either way, your leaders will be empowered to select and develop the right individuals on their teams.

Implement a structured program.

Change champions are organized and intentional — naturally, they’ll expect this in return. Expectations, commitments, and incentives should be documented and agreed to by each change champion at the start of the program.

Once champions understand their role, each new initiative should follow a simple program structure to validate knowledge and understanding of the system, process or policy going into effect, align messaging, and reinforce the champion program’s mission and values.

Here’s a free change champion template to get started.

When implemented thoughtfully, change champion programs can shape the success of an organization. Investing in and nurturing change champions can lead to significant mutual benefit beyond just effective management. 

Well-established champions instill operational efficiency, improved performance, and an overall growth mindset in the business — all while teams benefit from leadership development opportunities and a more adaptable, supportive, and collaborative place to work.