Title

Employees CAN Make a Difference! Involving Employees in Change at Allstate Insurance.

Authors

Vales, Elizabeth

Abstract

The current rate of technological change has created an environment that is incapable of remaining still. Change has become just about the only constant. Organizations clearly understand the need to put focused time and energy on navigating change and spend an inordinate amount of time trying to thoroughly analyze, design and plan for change. However, many of these change efforts fail. This failure is largely caused by employee resistance to change. To overcome resistance to change, employees must be involved early and often in the change. Involving employees directly in change is one intervention the Allstate Technology organization has utilized to decrease employee resistance to change and implement sustainable organizational changes. The Allstate Change Agent Network was launched by the Allstate Protection Technology organization to directly involve individual contributors and front-line managers in understanding, experiencing and providing input into change. Participation in the Change Agent Network involves approximately four hours a month of employee time with a one-year commitment. This involves monthly meetings and participation in task forces to provide input and ideas about key change initiatives. Change Agents are enabled to participate directly in organizational change initiatives and their input goes directly to leadership, enabling them to make a difference by having a voice in the firm's future. Change Agents have played an active role in multiple change initiatives, including the rollout of a position and competency model, the reorganization of the technology organization and several culture change initiatives. Their input and leadership have impacted the engagement of their peers and the implementation and consistent impact of change.

Subjects

ALLSTATE Insurance Co.; TECHNOLOGICAL innovations; CHANGE management; ORGANIZATIONAL change; RESISTANCE to change; EMPLOYEE attitudes; JOB enrichment; ORGANIZATIONAL structure; MANAGEMENT

Publication

Organization Development Journal, 2007, Vol 25, Issue 4, pP27

ISSN

0889-6402

Publication type

Academic Journal