The Power of Informal Conversations in Diffusing Buy-in to Planned Organizational Change

Abstract

Researchers have recognized that informal, change-related conversations (i.e., interactions that occur outside of formal change-related events and meetings) play a key role in shaping the success of organizational change efforts. But to date, research has focused largely on the part that formal leaders play in initiating and guiding these conversations. We examined the informal conversations that took place throughout a planned organizational change effort in a global professional service firm, using four waves of interview and survey data. Our analysis suggested two other groups of actors, besides formal leaders, who emerge as key players in informal change-related interactions: content experts and stars. We develop hypotheses predicting that some actors will inspire whereas others will actually demotivate colleagues. We examine our hypotheses using survey data collected from more than 400 partners. The results provide a new approach to identifying and understanding who plays a crucial role in the informal interactions that foster or undermine support for an organizational change effort.