Internal change agents: boundaries spanned and the implications for change agency

Academic focus on change events has often featured the work of external consultants and comments have sometimes been less than favourable on their operations and the outcomes for the organizations concerned. More recently the work of the internal change agent has been mentioned as a more focused approach to the management of change. We have sought to place our research in the context of the work of boundary spanners. In this paper we have researched the accounts of eighteen internal change agents in organizations both in the UK and Australia. Our findings suggest that the varied previous experience of internal change agents gives them credibility with the people they work with; it requires careful political management; draws on personal and professional confidence and is time-limited. We also contribute to the debate about change agents’ influence on organizational effectiveness and individual development.