Competency outline: Change Agent

Consider a secretarial pool in a large multi-national. Processes have been established which work. But everyone knows that things could be done better. Does anyone do anything about it? Or does everyone just accept the status quo? To be a change agent you have to be prepared to challenge the status quo and to achieve meaningful improvements in the process. It’s not easy, especially when it means persuading others to move beyond their comfort zones and dealing with conflicting personal ambitions. So it is for this reason that individuals who can successfully bring about change (with positive benefits to the business) are particularly valued by employers.

The example I gave at the beginning was to show that change can be achieved by anyone - it could just as easily be one of the secretaries who persuades the others that a new process will work well as the boss. Indeed the achievement would probably be greater for a secretary since she will have less authority to impose upon the others.

If you want to present yourself as a change agent, think of examples where you have been confronted with an existing way of doing things and have persuaded others of a better alternative. Take care to stress the positive results, and seek endorsement to show that others bought into your idea.