When instituting change, it is important that people understand their roles and responsibilities. Here are the five most prevalent roles to ease the change management process.

1. Change management resource/team role -Formulates a strategy and plan for the team and determines how big the change is and who will be impacted. They also have to develop an effective training plan to pass on their knowledge to future team members.

2. Executives and senior managers role -Employees have to see and hear the executives’ commitment and support to the change. Executives should participate aggressively and noticeably during the project and manage any confrontation. It is imperative that they communicate directly with employees.

3. Middle managers and supervisors –In any business there are two types of change regularly happening; senior leaders launching proposals and reactions to everyday demands from clients and employees. Middle managers and supervisors are crucial conduits for communication.

4. Project team -Has the duty of running the procedural side of the change. They are the people who propose how things will be done differently. Without a proper plan and training, the practical side of the project will not advance.

5. Project support functions –Project support functions have skills in a specialized area. These subject matter experts may include people from outside the organization as well as Operations, Human Resources, IT, Training, Communication, etc. These project support functions may also work as the change management team or resource. When roles are clear, change happens faster and easier!