How to reach the key agents
Before you start working with equality in your organization, the key agents of the process need to understand and approve on the strategy. But who are those key agents? And what do they need to get on the right track?
1. The first group of key persons are the decision makers. Depending on your organization they might have different titles: CEOs, board members, GDs or politicians.
- In order to make the right decisions they need good information. Information should be relevant and accessible.
- You need to find facts and evaluate which of these facts might call the attention of the decision makers.
- And, most important, make sure you reach their facilitators, the people who are preparing the basis for the decisions. If you get that person on your side, you will surely reach the decision maker too.
2. The second group, often forgotten, are the implementers. Implementers are the front line people, those of your coworkers that transform plans and policies into actions.
- To reach this group you need to address their operative managers. The operative manager is the one that distributes time and resources between different work tasks, establishing priorities and making things happen. If the operative manager is not interested in equality work, it will not be done.
- So, how can you raise the interest of the operative manager? You might use your pathos, giving speeches and information until they understand that justice has to be done. Or you might just ask for results. Once again, you need the decision makers with you on this. If they ask for results, as they do when it comes to all other targets, I promise you magic will happen.
Using this combined top-down/bottom-up approach, recognizing both groups as important key agents in change management, but with different tasks and conditions, with middle levels as facilitators and support, you will have very good chances for building a long-term efficient e-Quality work in your organization.
Christina Ahlzen, Medida