“There are three groups of employees in any change journey: ‘Advocates’, ‘Observers’ and ‘REBELs’. Each reacts differently to organisational change and will have different levels of resistance”
👏 Happy Friday!
On this day, October 28, 1971, the principle of European Communities membership was debated in Westminster Parliament, leading to a vote of 356 to 244 in favour of joining. This majority of 112 exceeded most predictions. The House of Commons approved Her Majesty’s Government’s decision in principle to join the European Communities on the basis of arrangements which had to be negotiated. The United Kingdom later joined the European Communities on January 1, 1973. As the years passed, public dissent over Europe simmered. In 2016, the Conservative leader, Prime Minister David Cameron, bowed to pressure from within his party and called a new referendum. The result of the referendum was that 48 per cent of the British people voted to remain in Europe while 52 per cent voted to leave. Brexit ended 47 years of European membership on January 31, 2020. The debate between the leavers and the re-joiners continues.
✅ People took different views over Brexit. Before the referendum, Barack Obama warned that the UK would be at the “back of the queue” in any trade deal with the US if the country chose to leave the EU. Donald Tusk sparked fury in Britain when he said there would be a “special place in hell” for “those who promoted Brexit”. Nigel Farage commented, “We can celebrate the fact that free from the constraints of the EU, we once again will be able to find our place in the world.” People Have Different Change Standpoints.
👉 When implementing organisational change, it doesn’t matter which continent I am working on; I typically encounter three-employee change standpoints: Advocates, Observers and REBELs. However, to successfully implement organisational change management, we must engage, communicate, and entice these three employee groups to get buy-in, change adoption and benefits realisation.
Rebels: Tend to resist change blindly, sometimes this can be a natural reaction even if the change is to their benefit. The default reaction is that change is a bad thing and will put them at a disadvantage.
Observers: Monitor the ‘Advocates’ and assess if the change is benefiting them. If this appears positive, they will tend to move towards being receptive to the change.
Advocates: Similar to the change agents with their positivity towards change. Their energy should be captured as they can play an effective role in leading and rolling out the change. The coalition of change agents and ‘Advocates’ can work together to lower resistance in the other groups.
Have a fantastic weekend with the ones you love and care for, enjoy some fresh air, exercise, eat drink and be happy.
Further Reading: Change Management Handbook - Leadership of Change Volume 3
Peter consults, speaks, and writes on the Leadership of Change®.
For further information please visit our websites:
Peter F Gallagher is a Change Management Global Thought Leader, Guru, Expert, International Speaker, Author and Leadership Alignment Coach.
Listed #1 by leadersHum Top 40 Change Management Gurus You Should Follow in 2022 (Mar 2022).
Ranked #1 Change Management Global Thought Leader: Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Change Management (2022-2021-2020) by Thinkers360.
Ranked #2 Business Strategy Global Thought Leader: Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Change Management (Dec 2020) by Thinkers360.
Ranked #2 Leadership Global Thought Leader: Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Leadership (Aug 2020) by Thinkers360.
Business Book Ranking
Change Management Behaviour - Leadership of Change® Volume 6, listed among the 50 Books from Thinkers360 Thought Leaders to read in 2022.
Change Management Adoption - Leadership of Change® Volume 5, listed among year-to-date’s (Jul 2021) most popular books on business and technology from Thinkers360 member thought leaders.
Change Management Handbook - Leadership of Change® Volume 3, listed among the 50 Business and Technology Books from Thinkers360 Thought Leaders to read in 2021.
Change Management Pocket Guide - Leadership of Change® Volume 2, ranked within the top 50 Business and Technology Books (Jan 2020) from Thinkers360 Thought Leaders.