How to celebrate successes with managers during a change

Celebrating successes with managers is a practical reinforcement intervention: it helps people see that the new way of working is noticed, valued, and worth continuing. In change management, reinforcement is the work that prevents people from drifting back to old habits; Prosci lists performance measurement, project-sponsored celebrations, rewards and recognition, feedback, corrective actions, and accountability mechanisms as standard reinforcement activities [Prosci, 2024]. (prosci.com)

This matters because adoption is behavioral. People do not only need awareness, training, and tools; they also need signals that the organization is serious about the change. McKinsey’s influence model similarly identifies formal reinforcement, role modeling, conviction, and skills as key levers for changing mindsets and behavior [McKinsey, 2016]. (mckinsey.com.br)

Celebrations also make progress visible. Amabile and Kramer’s “progress principle” research found that progress in meaningful work is a powerful contributor to motivation, emotion, and performance at work; even small wins can improve people’s inner work life [HBS, 2011]. (hbs.edu)

This action is a structured way to recognize managers, team leaders, supervisors, and their teams for behaviors that support the desired change. It is not a party, a generic “thank you,” or a communications blast. It is a facilitated reinforcement moment that names the behavior, explains why it matters, connects it to the change outcome, and encourages repetition.

Use it when the change has produced visible progress: early use of a new process, improved data quality, active coaching by supervisors, successful completion of training, reduced workarounds, or a team solving a barrier in the new way. Kotter’s guidance on short-term wins is relevant here: wins should be collected and communicated early and often, and effective wins are relevant, meaningful to others, visible, tangible, and replicable [Kotter, 2018]. (kotterinc.com)

Adapt the timing by phase. During readiness, celebrate learning, participation, and constructive feedback. During deployment, celebrate first correct use and peer coaching. During sustainment, celebrate consistency, measurable benefit realization, and managers who transfer ownership into business-as-usual routines.

Before facilitating recognition, define the exact behavior you want to reinforce. Recognition is strongest when it is specific and linked to important work; Gallup recommends clear, purposeful, targeted recognition, and SHRM emphasizes frequent, specific, authentic, and timely recognition [Gallup, 2023; SHRM, 2026]. (gallup.com)

Prepare the following: the change outcomes, a short list of desired behaviors, current adoption data, two or three credible success examples, manager names or team examples, and any inclusion or privacy considerations. Decide who will deliver the recognition. Gallup reports that memorable recognition most often comes from an employee’s manager, followed by a high-level leader or CEO, so a useful pattern is sponsor recognition for strategic importance and manager recognition for local behavior [Gallup, 2024]. (gallup.com)

Choose a normal business forum where managers already gather: a manager huddle, steering meeting, go-live stand-up, team leader call, or operational review. Keep the celebration short and evidence-based. The goal is to reinforce adoption, not interrupt delivery.

Imagine a customer service organization implementing a new case-management workflow. Two weeks after go-live, adoption data shows that one frontline team is resolving cases in the new system with fewer reassignments. The change manager reviews the data, interviews the team leader, and learns that the supervisor has added a five-minute daily coaching routine.

In the weekly manager huddle, the sponsor says: “This is the behavior we need: coaching in the flow of work, not waiting for monthly reporting.” The change manager then shares the example, shows the before-and-after case flow, and asks the supervisor to explain the routine. Other managers are asked to try the same coaching pattern for one week and report barriers.

This is a celebration, but it is also a reinforcement loop: it makes the new behavior visible, links it to the business outcome, spreads the practice, and gathers feedback.

The change manager designs the recognition approach, validates examples, coaches leaders, and ensures the celebration reinforces the right behavior. The sponsor connects the win to strategy and signals that adoption remains a priority. Middle managers and team leaders identify local examples, deliver personal recognition, and translate the win into team routines. Project leads provide data and confirm that the recognized behavior supports the solution design. HR or communications partners help ensure recognition is inclusive, fair, and aligned with company policy.

Measure both the recognition process and the adoption effect. Useful indicators include manager participation, frequency of specific recognition, number of shared examples, quality of behavior-to-outcome links, adoption KPI movement, reduction in workarounds, training-to-use conversion, employee sentiment, and resistance themes.

For pulse checks, adapt items from recognition research: whether managers show appreciation, acknowledge performance, appreciate effort, congratulate achievements, and take interest in employees’ work [CIPD/CEBMa, 2022]. (cipd.org) Also look for whether recognized behaviors spread to other teams; CIPD found evidence that recognition can create positive spillover effects on other team members’ performance [CIPD/CEBMa, 2022]. (cipd.org)

Recognition script:
“Thank you, [name/team], for [specific behavior]. When you [action], it helped [stakeholder/team/customer] by [impact]. This matters because our change is intended to [change outcome]. The behavior we want to see repeated is [future-state behavior]. What helped you make this work, and what should other managers try next?”

30-minute agenda:
Opening context, five minutes. Success example, seven minutes. Manager reflection, eight minutes. Group discussion on replication, seven minutes. Next actions and measures, three minutes.