Change Agents

The individual or groups who undertakes the task of introducing and managing a change in an organization.

 

Internal Change Agents

• Advantages :
  • Know past history, political system, and culture.
  • Must live with results of change so will move carefully.
• Disadvantages :
  • May be associated with factions, accused of favoritism.
  • May be too close to situation to be objective.

External Change Agents

•  Advantages :
• Outsider’s objective view.
• Neutrality.
• Disadvantages :
  • Limited knowledge of the organization’s history.
  • May be view with suspicious

To succeed they must be perceived as trustworthy, be experts with proven track records, be similar to those they are working with.