Seven strategies to sustain ‘championing behaviour’ during organisational change

New-generation employees tend to show ‘championing behaviour’ at the start of their careers. However, research reveals a dramatic reduction in their championing behaviour after a few days or months of work, particularly when organisational change commences. To cope with the challenges derived from change, fostering and sustaining a culture of championing behaviour among employees, especially newbies, is crucial for successful transformation in today’s dynamic market landscape. 

What is championing behaviour?

Championing behaviour is defined in different ways. For example, Herscovitch and Meyer (2002) defined employee championing behaviour as the extreme enthusiasm among employees for change, demonstrated by going above and beyond to ensure successful change in organisations, as well as promoting that change to others, i.e., colleagues (Lysova et al (2015)). 

Similarly, Bakari et al (2017) defined employee championing behaviour as a discretionary behaviour where an employee performs beyond expectations to ensure successful organisational change. Championing behaviour not only works for implementing change in the organisation but also promotes organisational change to both internal (colleagues) and external (outsiders) stakeholders, including customers, community groups, labour unions, suppliers, creditors and government officials (Chou, 2015). 

The current business landscape is unpredictable due to factors such as war, pandemics, the dollar crisis and climate change; therefore, organisations must remain prepared to embrace internal change in response to external demands. In this regard, it is mandatory to foster and sustain championing behaviour among employees, especially new employees. 

This article outlines seven strategies to promote and sustain such behaviour among employees, particularly newbies, to ensure they feel empowered and stay engaged during the change.