Change Management Execution Toolkit
How to guide and sustain change
The process of executing change should be iterative. As you strategize and develop plans for execution, we recommend reserving time to test and make improvements (iterate) throughout the process.
We recommend working closely with those who are affected by the change to understand potential barriers and incorporate components that will be met with openness. Foundationally, it’s essential to agree upon the criteria for success. This includes knowing which data indicates that the change must happen, how progress will be tracked, and which measures will signal success.
To set up yourself, the change sponsor, and the organization for success, i4cp recommends applying the components of change management strategy with the research-backed method to drive change described in our best-selling book, Culture Renovation®.
Each step of the phases—Plan, Build, Maintain—attends to one or more components of your strategy; sponsorship, enablement, measurement, and/or sustainability.
Phase 1: Plan
Before starting the plan phase, ensure that the change sponsor interview is complete. Data collected in the plan phase may affect agreements with the sponsor, so return to them with new information that could alter the project scope or delivery. For large-scale changes, you will likely collaborate with a change team, but if not, ideas can be tested with peers or affected groups.
Toolkit authors and enterprise change practitioners Kirstin Queen and Judy Albers discuss the Change Execution Framework and the Plan phase in this 12-minute video.
We recommend these steps to execute the plan phase.
🟢 OPEN ACCESS indicates content that is publicly available
| Step | Resource & Format | What it is & When to Use it |
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1. Review what employees are saying |
Sponsor Interview Guide (Word template) |
A guide to align all essential project topics with sponsor. Use to communicate work to others and reconnect with sponsor based on any new findings in the Plan phase. |
| The Alignment Conversation (6-page PDF) |
A framework for alignment conversation between client and HRBP (alternative to sponsor Interview) | |
| Supercharge Your Listening Strategy (16-page PDF) |
Learn how to gather employee sentiment outside of traditional sources, critical elements of an effective listening strategy, and integrate it in efforts (such as change). | |
| Ford’s Employee Sentiment Strategy (Article) |
A case study on how listening can be used to gather, understand, and take meaningful action. | |
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2. Determine how
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Change Strategy Canvas |
Ensure everyone involved in the work is aligned on the inputs from the sponsor and the outputs desired. Track progress with the team using this tool as a north star. |
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How to Determine KPIs that Align With Business Goals |
This 1-page article is an excerpt from The Alignment Conversation tool. |
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3. Determine what is working well |
Data Collection Plan in the Change Execution Workbook (Excel) |
Identify and collect the data needed to understand the baseline and post-change measures. |
| Data Collection Guide (6-page PDF) |
A guide to help determine the best type(s) of data to leverage. | |
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4. Assess the cultural implications |
From-To Plan in the Change Execution Workbook (Excel) |
Helps assess how the change will impact (the culture) people, processes and systems |
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Your Workforce Hates Change, How Can You |
Learn the characteristics of a future-ready culture (employee-focused, mission-driven, and change-ready) and consider how your culture is impacted by pending changes. | |
| How Microsoft Overhauled Its Culture With a Growth Mindset (Article) |
Learn about the tech giant’s transformation journey, what makes for successful change, and the impact of behavioral shifts and a growth mindset on sustainable change. |
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5. Define the desired behaviors post-change |
Exercise: How to Define Post-change Behaviors (Facilitator slide deck) | Facilitated exercise to identify behaviors for large-scale changes), that can be used to define behaviors on the change curve, and to inform communications and learning plans. |
| Behavioral Change Journey Plan in the Change Execution Workbook (Excel template) |
Identify and plan for the experiences you will create to ensure people can successfully move from awareness to adoption and ownership of the change. | |
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Leadership Behaviors and the Cultures They Support (list)
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Define leadership behaviors for the type of culture this change requires (collaborative, agile, innovative, inclusive). |
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| How F5 Networks Defined its Behaviors (Article) | Case study to help you identify and reinforce desired behaviors to drive success of your change initiatives. |
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6. Identify influencers and blockers |
How to Identify Influencers (Article) 🟢 OPEN ACCESS
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Tactics using Organizational Network Analysis with links to ONA resources. |
| Change Readiness Plan in the Change Execution Workbook (Excel) |
Identify anticipated resistance to the change and suggestions for managing resistance. | |
Phase 2: Build
The Build phase requires patience and flexibility to refine your change execution plan. Take a human-centered approach: work with those impacted by the change to co-create communication and learning plans that build capacity and enthusiasm. Test these plans with both blockers and influencers to ensure they resonate and support lasting implementation.
Toolkit authors and enterprise change practitioners Kirstin Queen and Judy Albers discuss the Build phase in this 6-minute video.
7. Leverage key influencers |
How to Activate Change Champions (2-page PDF) |
Steps to activate a network, or leverage an existing one, to share experiences and resources to help the organization better adopt a large-scale organizational change. |
Revisit these tools in the Change Execution Workbook with testers (both blockers and influencers) to see where improvements can be made:
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| Usability Testing Templates (toolkit) | Design and implement user experience testing to leverage feedback for continuous improvement. | |
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8. Collaborate openly to create something greater |
Process Impact Plan in the Change Execution Workbook (Excel template) |
Identify processes impacted by the change and what will happen to them because of the change. These should be accounted for in communications and training. |
| Introduction to Design Thinking (Video) |
Expert i4cp members share with the Employee Experience Exchange in these recorded sessions
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| Creating Journey Maps (Video and slides) |
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9. Clearly communicate the vision |
Vision Writing Workshop (Facilitator slide deck) |
Process to communicate the vision of change so that it is shared. |
| Communication Plan (Excel template) |
Ensure all communications are well-organized and consistent with this template for scheduling and coordinating them. Leverage the sponsor where most impactful. |
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Crafting Effective Communications Job Aid |
How-to resources from leading practitioners. | |
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Change Storytelling Canvas (2-page |
Use this tool a storytelling tool to inspire action by honoring the past and connecting the present state to the vision. | |
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10. Help people learn the new skillsets and mindsets |
Learning Plan in the Change Execution Workbook (Excel template) |
Organize the learning planned to help move those experiencing the change, along the change curve. |
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Phase 3: Maintain
The final phase of change management is often abandoned, yet it’s critical to demonstrating business impact. Revisit impacted processes and work with process owners to ensure they align with the change. Celebrate successes through recognition activities and review the measurements set during the Plan phase to assess progress and make necessary adjustments.
Toolkit authors and enterprise change practitioners Kirstin Queen and Judy Albers discuss sustainable change in this 8-minute video.
11. Recognize the best early adopters |
Use your organization’s established recognition practices to celebrate individuals who are embracing the change and progressing toward ownership. Highlight their efforts to give them visibility. At the executive level, i4cp’s research found that 54% of organizations with successful culture transformations focused succession planning on those who exhibit the desired behaviors. |
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| Employee Recognition and Innovation at HPE (Video) |
Ideas on how to innovatively reward/recognize the behaviors you want to see become normalized. | |
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12. Assess and adjust |
Review practices impacted by the change, assess measurements, and determine what is going well and what needs to adjust. Return to the data and processes you identified in steps 2, 3 and 4. Are there pivots the team needs to make to ensure goals are achieved? What needs to be communicated back to the people experiencing the change? Ensure your sponsor is aligned. |
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| Change Closeout Exercise: Celebrate and Reflect (Facilitator slide deck) |
A structured way to help the project team reflect on learnings from the project and provide closure to the work. | |
| Sustainability Issues Log in the Change Execution Workbook (Excel) | Use it to track and resolve challenges. It captures root causes, impacts, and resolutions to ensure sustainable change. | |
Updated 09-Oct-2025
