Utilizing Change Champions In The Workplace

My AI lesson of the week: The tech isn't the hard part…it's the people! During my prior work at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), we talked a lot about how any technology, whether a new drug or a new vaccine or a new information tool, would face challenges with how to integrate into the complex human systems that alway at play in healthcare. As I get deeper and deeper into AI, I am not surprised to see that those same challenges exist with this cadre of technology as well. It’s not the tech that limits us; the real complexity lies in driving adoption across diverse teams, workflows, and mindsets. And it’s not just implementation alone that will get to real ROI from AI—it’s the changes that will occur to our workflows that will generate the value. That’s why we are thinking differently about how to approach change management. We’re approaching the workflow integration with the same discipline and structure as any core system build. Our framework is designed to reduce friction, build momentum, and align people with outcomes from day one. Here’s the 5-point plan for how we're making that happen with health systems today: 🔹 AI Champion Program: We designate and train department-level champions who lead adoption efforts within their teams. These individuals become trusted internal experts, reducing dependency on central support and accelerating change. 🔹 An AI Academy: We produce concise, role-specific, training modules to deliver just-in-time knowledge to help all users get the most out of the gen AI tools that their systems are provisioning. 5-10 min modules ensures relevance and reduces training fatigue.  🔹 Staged Rollout: We don’t go live everywhere at once. Instead, we're beginning with an initial few locations/teams, refine based on feedback, and expand with proof points in hand. This staged approach minimizes risk and maximizes learning. 🔹 Feedback Loops: Change is not a one-way push. Host regular forums to capture insights from frontline users, close gaps, and refine processes continuously. Listening and modifying is part of the deployment strategy. 🔹 Visible Metrics: Transparent team or dept-based dashboards track progress and highlight wins. When staff can see measurable improvement—and their role in driving it—engagement improves dramatically. This isn’t workflow mapping. This is operational transformation—designed for scale, grounded in human behavior, and built to last. Technology will continue to evolve. But real leverage comes from aligning your people behind the change. We think that’s where competitive advantage is created—and sustained. #ExecutiveLeadership #ChangeManagement #DigitalTransformation #StrategyExecution #HealthTech #OperationalExcellence #ScalableChange

If you’ve ever led a change effort, you know this truth: Pushing people to change rarely works. But if you can create a pull, that changes everything. One of the most powerful tools I’ve used in my continuous improvement work is a model first introduced back in 1962 by a professor named Everett Rogers. It’s called the Diffusion of Innovation theory—and while it’s been around for decades, it’s gotten renewed attention thanks to leaders like Simon Sinek. The model explains how new ideas and behaviors spread across a population. The curve breaks out like this: 🧠 Innovators (2.5%) 🔥 Early Adopters (13.5%) 😐 Early Majority (34%) 😬 Late Majority (34%) 🛑 Laggards (16%) Most people aim for the majority, but I start with the early adopters and innovators. When I roll out Lean or CI initiatives, I look for the innovators and early adopters—those naturally curious, influential team members who are excited by possibility. I invite them in early, give them training, coaching and tools, and empower them as change champions. Because when they start to model the new behaviors... When they start getting wins and sharing stories... The rest of the organization starts to take notice and that’s when change becomes contagious. We don’t have to force change. We just have to spark it in the right people.

Do you have an Experience Champions Program? It took me several years after the initial launch of the CX practice to realize my job was largely about change management. As a CX leader in a newly launching program, I knew I needed to get a LOT of help.  I need to figure out a way to “turn light bulbs on.”  By that I mean creating a desire in others to be an integral part of the change required to build a CX engine.  The Experience Champions program was one of my proudest accomplishments because the graduates shared their feelings after the program and they all felt it grew them personally and professionally. (btw- experience included both employee & customer experience) Here are the basic components, along with a shortened list of benefits to the employees and the bank where I worked: Basic components: ▪ 18-24 cross functional employees ▪ 8 month commitment ▪ Explain why they want to be a part of the program ▪ Can commit between 5-10 hours per month in addition to their daily workload 🏆 Benefits to the Employee: ▪ Get an opportunity to learn about and apply EX and CX ▪ Get to network with others outside of their area ▪ Get to facilitate internal meetings and share what they’ve learned with their teams ▪ Add to their value and profile for career progression ▪ Become a CX advocate (light bulb turned on) 🏆 Benefits to Company: ▪ Deeper pool of upwardly mobile candidates for leadership roles ▪ Embedding CX into the culture ▪ Developing a common language ▪ Easier acceptance of CX and EX initiatives ▪ Breaking down of silos ▪ Improve employee retention ▪ Better customer experience We had three programs over a four year period, and over 50 graduates🎓 🎓 🎓 🎓 🎓 . They all have made significant contributions. Many have been promoted since. I’m curious if you have had any experience with Experience Champions programs and how they turned out?  #customerexpeirence #employeeexperience #experiencechampions #changemanagement #leadership #management