When a major utility company set out to modernize its timesheet system, success wasn’t guaranteed. The technology itself was sound. The training modules were ready. The executive team had signed off. Still, one question lingered: would the change take hold?
It did, and then some.
In just a few weeks, 90 percent of employees completed training. Submission errors dropped by 70 percent. What drove those results wasn’t just project planning or technical readiness. It was people. Specifically, it all came down to 40 Change Agents across the organization who became catalysts, translators, and trust-builders when the change became real.
This post is about the unsung heroes of transformation, and why your next change may rise or fall based on how well you activate the people inside your walls.
Change Agents (and why they matter)
Change Agents are the bridge between intention and adoption. They are the colleagues who help others make sense of what’s changing, why it matters, and how to move forward. Often they are not the loudest voices in the room. Instead, they are trusted peers, informal leaders, and connectors who people naturally turn to when things feel uncertain.
In the utility company’s case, these Change Agents weren’t just observers. They were embedded in the rollout from day one. They answered questions before confusion turned into resistance. They surfaced issues that could have gone unnoticed. They helped normalize the new system by modeling it in their day-to-day work.
This is the difference between launching change and landing it.
Organizations that rely solely on top-down communication miss this vital layer. People hear the message, but they don’t always internalize it. Change Agents translate strategy into everyday reality. They bring empathy, context, and support where it’s needed most. Without them, even the most well-designed change effort risks being misunderstood or ignored.
In short, Change Agents are your secret weapon because they don’t just push change forward. They make it stick.
The utility rollout case: Change Agents in action
When the utility company introduced its new timesheet system, the challenge wasn’t the technology. It was the adoption. The system touched nearly every employee, from field technicians to finance. Training alone wouldn’t be enough. Success would depend on what happened after the rollout began.
The organization identified and prepared 40 Change Agents across departments and locations. These were not additional hires. They were existing employees who were known, respected, and trusted within their teams. Each one received targeted support, clear messaging, and practical tools to help guide their peers through the transition.
As the system went live, these agents played a critical role. They answered questions that hadn’t been covered in training. They caught early signs of confusion and relayed them to the project team. They reassured colleagues who were skeptical or anxious. Because they worked alongside the people experiencing the change, their influence felt authentic.
The results tell the story. The training compliance, reduction in errors, and reduction in support calls all hit unprecedented improvements. Most importantly, the change felt owned by the organization, not imposed on it.
This kind of outcome doesn’t happen by chance. It happens when change is supported by the people who live it every day.
The power of a support network
Even the most committed Change Agents cannot succeed in isolation. What made the company’s effort so effective was the ecosystem of support that surrounded those 40 individuals. They were not just sent out with good intentions. They were backed by a deliberate structure that reinforced their impact.
Executive sponsors helped legitimize the role. When leaders acknowledged and elevated the work of Change Agents, it signaled to the rest of the organization that this was a priority. It also gave agents the confidence to lead.
Communications teams ensured consistency. The messaging was aligned across departments, so agents didn’t have to interpret or improvise. Instead, they could focus on helping people process and apply the change.
Project leads created regular touchpoints. These check-ins gave agents a space to share what they were hearing on the ground and to flag patterns early. It also kept the feedback loop alive, allowing the organization to adapt in real time.
This kind of network does more than support a single initiative. It builds change capacity. When employees feel seen and supported during transformation, trust deepens, and future change becomes more possible.
Activating your own network of Change Agents
Every organization has potential Change Agents. They are not always in formal leadership roles. Often, they are the ones others turn to when navigating uncertainty. The key is to identify them, empower them, and surround them with the right support.
Start by looking for people who are well connected and respected. These are the employees who influence informally, who ask thoughtful questions, and who others listen to. Sometimes they are team leads. Sometimes they are simply trusted voices within a group.
Once identified, invest in their readiness. Help them understand the change at both the strategic and practical level. Give them a clear sense of their role and the impact they can have. Equip them with messaging, tools, and access to project sponsors so they are never left to interpret or guess.
Build structured opportunities for them to meet, share what they are hearing, and ask for help. A strong agent network functions as both a listening system and a change amplifier. Without connection and coordination, even the most willing agents can lose momentum.
Recognize their contributions. This kind of leadership is often quiet but deeply influential. Celebrate their impact publicly. It encourages others and reinforces the culture of shared ownership that makes change sustainable.
When Change Agents are activated with intention and care, they become more than helpful participants. They become force multipliers for every initiative that follows.
Bringing it together: Your hidden asset
In every transformation, there are visible drivers like technology, process, and policy. But often the biggest difference is made by something quieter. People who raise their hands, lean in, and help others through. Change Agents are your hidden asset. When supported well, they shift the tone, the energy, and the outcomes of your most critical work.
The utility company’s success wasn’t just about systems. It was about people who took ownership, connected the dots, and brought others along. That is what made the difference, and it’s what can make the difference in your organization too.
So ask yourself:
Who’s driving change on the ground in your organization?
Are they equipped? Are they supported? Do they know their impact matters?
If the answer is unclear, the opportunity is clear.
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Ready to set up your own network of Change Agents?
Contact us to schedule an integration readiness consultation or request our Change Agent Toolkit.
