“Whether sourcing or implementing some other major change program, middle managers can be your strongest ally or your weakest link,” says Ben Trowbridge, CEO of
Alsbridge, Inc.A recent benchmarking study revealed that middle managers play several key roles that contribute to an organization’s success including: communicator, advocate, coach, liaison and change manager. However, the irony is that these same managers were also cited as the most resistant group to change. If middle management resists a change, their direct reports will follow, causing resistance to take on a viral quality as it spreads throughout the enterprise.
Trowbridge recommends a common-sense approach for transforming middle managers into change agents. He says, “Successful change occurs when you have buy-in, marketing support, and you define and address any resistance to the change in a positive and proactive manner.”
He continues. “First, bring middle management into the conversation by enlisting their vast operational knowledge of the organization. Second, convey your value and trust in them. And third, set expectations and keep them well informed about the change. Middle managers will serve as your messengers and ambassadors and influence other viewpoints within the organization.”
Marketing also plays an important role as new initiatives are deployed throughout the enterprise explains Trowbridge.
“Employing a marketing approach to change programs forces the change team to think about how impacted groups view the change effort, similar to using a focus group to test reception of a new product. Concentrating on marketing to an uninformed audience helps avoid becoming complacent and internally focused.”
“Fear of change is contagious,” concludes Trowbridge. “Positive participation from middle management helps employees see the broader picture and the impact of change beyond their own individual interests. By transforming middle management into your change agents you can smooth out potential bumps in the road.”
Additional insight can be found in a new whitepaper from Alsbridge titled, “The Political Realities of Resistance to Change.”
About Alsbridge Inc.Alsbridge provides world class sourcing advisory and benchmarking services for the CIO, CFO and CPO. We’ve helped hundreds of companies reduce costs and get more value from their vendors. Our experienced consultants leverage proprietary tools and information databases to identify and engage the optimal vendors for your situation, negotiate best practice terms at fair market prices, and improve the way you work with your vendors. Alsbridge clients utilize the most cost effective and value added sources globally for IT infrastructure services, hardware and maintenance, network services, software and maintenance, application support and development, business processes and cloud services. Our commitment to delivering value to our clients has made Alsbridge a distinguished member of the 2010 Inc. 500 fastest growing privately held companies in America. Alsbridge was also ranked #1 on the 2011 list of World’s Best Outsourcing Advisors put out by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP®). To learn more, visit http://www.Alsbridge.com
