Definition: Change Agent.

A change agent is a person from within the organization

or brought in as an outside consultant who helps bring about organizational
transformation through focus on organizational effectiveness, improvement, and
development. ... The ultimate goal is to create a renewed organization.

The human resource function played an important role in setting up basic operations,
with a focus on providing adequate resources for services like staffing and payroll. In the
following years, as the sector welcomed the wireless mobile devices, which brought in
revenues with every minute of usage, it was the sales, distribution and marketing teams
who led the sector on its growth path. As the sector learnt to stride the growth path,
talent was hired in great numbers. But while business grew and revenue margins
broadened over the next few years, HR witnessed a growing trend of employees
graduating from these nurseries and moving to other companies across sectors. The
telecom sector and economy continued to grow at a rapid pace and this trend of exiting
employees plagued HR managers.

In response, the sector quickly adopted policies to address the fundamental question:
why does an employee switch to another company? HR proactively devised solutions to
motivate, train and engageemployees, while building a strong employer brand , enabling
employees to connect and align themselves with the company s goals. The focus also
shifted to streamlining and putting in place processes to standardise systems and
practices to leverage synergies of scale for HR operations.

These practices were introduced across verticals within HR to support business which
was constantly breaking new ground and making novel demands on the HR function.
The challenge was to position telecom as an employer of choice, and living up to the
brand promise and positioning. Around this time, Airtel launched the Young Leaders
Programme envisioned to hire the best managerial talent from top B-schools in the
country to build a solid leadership pipeline, an investment which has started to yield
tremendous results now. This young and ambitious talent was ring-fenced with attractive
and innovative reward programmes and other long-term investments like leadership
development programmes. While the young talent was being groomed by a variety of
experiences to take on leadership challenges in the future, mid-career professionals
from across industries were attracted to the promising telecom story. Thus, people from
banking, insurance, FMCG organisations started joining telecom pioneers in sales,
customer service, etc. This diverse set of talent had challenging assignments as the
industry constantly innovated on products and processes.

he value of business expansion is reflected not only in the financials but also the
opportunities that we can afford to give our employees across functions, businesses and
geographies, especially in the uncertain regulatory times of today. But usually, such
variety of opportunities is often associated with uncertainty and ambiguity. These twins
are enough to erode any value that HR processes may create over a period of time and
hence need to be dealt with effectively. This is where the HR function and line managers
shook hands and clearly articulated not only level progression but also career
progression to talent within the organisation. Career paths for various functions were
introduced as a ready reckoner for any employee keen to know what critical experiences
he or she needed to gather to reach a particular destination within the organisation.
These career paths continue to evolve with the roles in the organisation as the industry
keeps making fresh demands of its talent.
Important

The role of an HR executive is more complex today than ever before, given the
increasing workplace demands and growing diversity. Where once a human
resources department may have focused primarily on recruiting and retaining
employees, its duties have since evolved to include training, increasing productivity,
managing health and safety, and fostering a positive workplace environment.
In recent years, HR executives have functioned as change agents for a corporation,
helping it adapt to the social and economic challenges of a dynamic marketplace. It’s
vital to fully understand this emerging facet of human resources if you’re considering
a career in the field.

What Is a Change Agent?

Senior management has high expectations of HR administrators whose work stems
from the following directives:

 Find and retain the best talent.

 Manage benefits and workplace safety.
 Oversee training.
 Resolve conflicts.
 Implement employment policy.
 Lead the transformation of corporate culture and processes.
As a change agent, you’ll help the workforce prepare for, and better adapt to, any
potential changes your organization may experience. You may even initiate changes
for a more cohesive company culture and greater productivity.
HR specialists make excellent change agents because they oversee and deal
directly with a company’s most important resource — its people. As they often have
a better sense of societal shifts and cultural politics, they can better predict the need
for change — be it in company culture, employee motivation or workplace
productivity — and propose ways to implement it.

How You Can Be an Organization’s Agent for Change

— Understand your company’s short- and long-term goals.
Having this understanding will help you hire the right people, foster employee
development and create a positive work environment. Knowing what drives the
company can help you play a key part in realizing its vision and its strategies for
success.
— Make hiring decisions with an eye to the future.
Be sure to look beyond a job outline’s strict parameters when you select employees.
The goal is to develop a cohesive workforce that can help a company meet not only
its present needs but also reach its potential.
Know your company’s growth plans to better understand the training and staff
development you’ll need to provide.
— Take a proactive role in directing change.
Because the HR department is in touch with all levels of staff, it may have a more
nuanced sense of productivity issues, including possible workplace discontent.
Leverage your communication and interpersonal skills to succinctly communicate
staff ideas and issues to management as well as management’s goals to the
workforce. Change is much easier to accept and navigate when employees trust and
respect you.