In the realm of change management, it is common for the leaders of the organization to recruit someone to help make the change happen. This arrangement takes the form of a triangle structure. Each point of the triangle represent individuals involved in the change, with the following roles:

Sponsor: The manager with responsibility for the change, and the owner of the project.

Facilitator: Commonly known as the change agent.

Target: The people who are the object of change initiative.

In the triangle, the facilitator and the target of change both report to the sponsor. In more complex relationships, there may be multiple sponsors and targets.

Where the facilitators reside in the organization varies depending on the type of change required and the structure of the organization. Some examples of facilitator jobs are organizational effectiveness, human resources, strategy management, information technology, and process improvement, among others.

In a recent presentation, Daryl Conner, author of Managing at the Speed of Change, mentioned that these triangle relationships are ineffective in bringing about change about 80% of the time. (Keep in mind that 70% of change initiatives fail to meet expectations, to put that number in perspective.)

The reason for ineffective triangles is inappropriate delegation of sponsorship duties to the change facilitator. The blame is two-fold. Leaders are quick to assign accountability for the task to someone else, and facilitators are all too eager to take on the responsibility. After all, it is easier to control something when you are in charge of it. Unfortunately, change targets will not look favorably on a facilitator that they do not report to who is trying to tell them what to do.

There is a delicate balance of relationships that will end in successful change. Maintain the following balance to optimize the relationships in the change triangle:

Sponsor – Target:

The sponsor of the change needs to be seen as the owner of the project. He or she is tasked with motivating the targets to implement the change, and with holding them accountable for doing so. The sponsor provides the answer to “Why are we doing this?” Although the facilitator may orchestrate communication between the sponsor and target, the sponsor should usually be the messenger.

Facilitator – Target:

The facilitator provides the target with the means of changing. This includes education and training, resources, and information. The facilitator provides the answer to “How are we going to change?” While the facilitator is responsible for making the change happen, the sponsor must be seen as the one who wants it to happen and step in when motivation or accountability is required.

Facilitator – Sponsor:

Besides taking on many of the tasks involved with the change initiative, the primary role of the facilitator in regard to the sponsor is to provide feedback. Feedback takes the form of both objective information, such as survey results or progress reviews, and more personal observations that show the sponsor how well they are performing the sponsor role. There is no one better suited to see what the sponsor is doing to inadvertently sabotage the change than the facilitator. The expectation of feedback should be built into the facilitator – sponsor relationship from the outset. If avoided, the balance of the change triangle may be permanently disrupted.

Agree on roles and relationships when embarking on a change initiative, and determine up front how to maintain the balance. Monitor the perceived relationships from the target’s perspective, and take corrective action when the facilitator is seen as more of an owner than the sponsor – before the targets become confused, resentful, or decide that the boss doesn’t really believe in the project.

About the Author

Heather Stagl is founder of Enclaria, LLC. Her mission is to equip individuals to lead organizational change, focusing on helping change agents influence change without authority.

Find additional resources, including templates, assessments, articles and fresh ideas on implementing change at http://www.enclaria.com

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