Introduction: why this action matters for adoption
A forum focused on the change is a structured, recurring space where impacted people, managers, sponsors, project teams, and adoption leads work through the people side of implementation. It is not simply a town hall, a communications channel, or a status meeting. Used well, it creates governance for adoption: who listens, who decides, who removes barriers, who follows up, and how learning from the field changes the rollout plan [Deloitte, 2020; Prosci, 2023]. (www2.deloitte.com)
This matters because adoption depends on local sense-making, trust, manager support, and visible action on feedback. McKinsey’s transformation research finds that successful transformations are more likely to involve frontline employees, managers, and influencers, and that one-way communication is not enough to make change goals tangible [McKinsey, 2021]. CIPD similarly emphasizes that employee voice must allow people to express views and influence work-related matters, with follow-up that shows voice is affecting decisions [CIPD, 2026]. (mckinsey.com)
What this action is and when to use it
Establishing forums focused on the change means designing a practical operating model for adoption conversations. Common formats include a sponsor adoption council, a manager change huddle, a change champion network, an employee listening forum, or a cross-functional issue-resolution forum. The right design depends on the change’s scale, risk, and stakeholder complexity [Gallup, 2020; Prosci, 2023]. (gallup.com)
Use this action when the change affects multiple teams, creates role or process ambiguity, requires behavior change, or is generating resistance that cannot be solved through broadcast communication. For a narrow transactional change, keep the forum small and focused on the people directly affected; for a transformational change, include a broader mix of leaders, managers, informal influencers, and representative employees [Gallup, 2020]. (gallup.com)
Preparation: inputs, stakeholders, materials, timing, and decisions needed
Before launching the forum, gather the change impact assessment, stakeholder map, adoption risks, training plan, communications plan, readiness data, and known pain points. Translate these into three design decisions: what the forum is for, what it can decide, and what it must escalate. Deloitte describes decision rights as clarity about who decides, what decisions must be made, and how forums and procedures support decision-making [Deloitte, 2020]. (www2.deloitte.com)
Stakeholders should include the sponsor or delegate, change manager, project or product lead, people managers, representatives from impacted groups, and credible informal influencers. Prosci recommends selecting change agents who are willing, respected, influential, and knowledgeable about the impacted group, then enabling them with role clarity and ongoing coaching [Prosci, 2023]. (prosci.com)
Create a simple charter, a standing agenda, an action log, a decision log, a feedback theme tracker, and a “you said / we did / we cannot do because” follow-up note. Plan the first forum before major implementation decisions are locked, increase cadence near go-live, and continue long enough after launch to address adoption barriers and reinforce new ways of working [McKinsey, 2021; Prosci, 2023]. (mckinsey.com)
Step-by-step facilitation guide
Define the adoption problem the forum will solve. State whether the forum exists to surface resistance, clarify impacts, support managers, resolve adoption blockers, coordinate champions, or make readiness decisions. This prevents the forum from becoming a general project update [Deloitte, 2020].
Choose the forum type and membership. Match the forum to the audience. Sponsors need risk, decisions, and escalations. Managers need talking points, coaching guidance, and peer problem-solving. Employees need a safe place to raise practical impacts. Champions need early information, feedback routes, and enablement [Gallup, 2020; Prosci, 2023].
Write the charter. Include purpose, scope, membership, cadence, decision rights, escalation route, confidentiality boundaries, expected preparation, and success measures. Keep it to one page so it is actually used [Deloitte, 2020].
Open with safety and usefulness. Begin the first session by saying what will happen with feedback and what cannot be promised. Psychological safety is more valuable when paired with joint problem-solving, because speaking up has to lead to practical action [Bahadurzada et al., 2024]. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Facilitate around adoption, not status. Ask: “What are people being asked to do differently?”, “Where is the change unclear?”, “What would prevent adoption?”, “What decision is needed?”, and “What support would make this easier?” Capture themes without debating every comment.
Convert discussion into action. Each issue should become a decision, action, experiment, communication clarification, training update, or escalation. Assign an owner and date. Close every meeting by confirming what will be communicated back.
Close the loop visibly. After each forum, publish a short follow-up showing what was heard, what changed, what is still under review, and what cannot change. CIPD warns that employee voice is weakened when people do not see how input influences decisions [CIPD, 2026]. (cipd.org)
Example: how this could be applied in a real change initiative
A company rolling out a new customer relationship management platform creates three forums. A weekly manager huddle helps supervisors explain new sales behaviors and collect team questions. A biweekly champion forum tests job aids, identifies local workarounds, and reports adoption barriers. A monthly sponsor adoption council reviews unresolved blockers, readiness, usage, and policy decisions.
Two weeks before go-live, champions report that field sales teams do not understand when to log customer notes. The project team updates the process guide, the sponsor clarifies the expectation, and managers practice the message in the next huddle. After launch, the forum shifts from readiness to reinforcement, reviewing usage, data quality, help tickets, and examples of teams using the system well.
Roles and responsibilities
Role | Responsibilities |
Sponsor | Authorizes the forum, reinforces why the change matters, makes or escalates decisions, and removes barriers. |
Change manager | Designs the forum, facilitates sessions, manages the action log, tracks adoption themes, and connects insights to the change plan. |
Project or product lead | Explains solution constraints, confirms what can change, and owns technical or process decisions. |
People managers | Translate the change locally, coach employees, surface resistance, and test whether messages are landing. |
Change champions or representatives | Represent impacted groups, model desired behaviors, share feedback, and support peer adoption. |
Impacted employees | Raise practical concerns, test support materials, and identify where the change does or does not work in real workflows. |
Common mistakes to avoid
The first mistake is turning the forum into a project status meeting. Status may be useful context, but the purpose is adoption: barriers, behavior change, readiness, decisions, and follow-up.
The second mistake is inviting only enthusiasts or senior stakeholders. Forums need credible voices from the work, including people who understand resistance and operational constraints [Gallup, 2020; McKinsey, 2021]. (gallup.com)
The third mistake is listening without acting. If every issue is “taken away” and nothing returns, the forum teaches people that speaking up is pointless [CIPD, 2026]. (cipd.org)
The fourth mistake is unclear authority. If no one knows what the forum can decide, it becomes a complaint channel rather than an adoption mechanism [Deloitte, 2020]. (www2.deloitte.com)
Measures of success or adoption indicators
Track whether the forum is operating and whether it is improving adoption. Useful operating indicators include attendance from priority groups, coverage of impacted teams, number of issues raised, action closure rate, decision turnaround time, recurring themes, and manager readiness. Useful adoption indicators include training completion, process compliance, usage data, help-ticket trends, sentiment, proficiency, reduced workarounds, and sustained behavior after go-live [McKinsey, 2021; Prosci, 2023]. (mckinsey.com)
Checklist for the change manager
Define the adoption purpose of the forum.
Select the right forum type for the audience and phase.
Confirm sponsor support and decision rights.
Recruit credible representatives from impacted groups.
Prepare a one-page charter and standing agenda.
Establish an action log, decision log, and feedback tracker.
Create psychological safety and clear follow-up rules.
Feed insights into communications, training, readiness, and sponsor actions.
Review measures and adjust cadence as the change moves from design to deployment to sustainment.
Optional reusable template: 45-minute change forum agenda
Time | Agenda item | Facilitation prompt |
5 min | Purpose and updates | “What has changed since the last forum?” |
10 min | Field feedback | “What are people asking, misunderstanding, or resisting?” |
10 min | Adoption blockers | “What is preventing the new behavior or process?” |
10 min | Decisions and escalations | “What can we decide here, and what needs sponsor action?” |
5 min | Support needs | “What do managers, champions, or employees need next?” |
5 min | Close the loop | “What will we communicate back, by when, and through whom?” |
References
Prosci. “Does Your Project Need a Change Agent Network?” Published October 24, 2023; updated October 17, 2025. https://www.prosci.com/blog/does-your-project-need-a-change-agent-network
CIPD. “Employee voice.” Factsheet. April 6, 2026. https://www.cipd.org/en/knowledge/factsheets/voice-factsheet/
McKinsey & Company. “The science behind successful organizational transformations” / “Losing from day one: Why even successful transformations fall short.” December 7, 2021. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/successful-transformations
Gallup. “Proven Change Management Principles: How to Effectively Initiate It.” July 15, 2020. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/315602/proven-change-management-principles-effectively-initiate.aspx
Deloitte Insights. “Getting decision rights right: How effective organizational decision-making can help boost performance.” February 28, 2020. https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/topics/talent/organizational-decision-making.html
Bahadurzada, Hassina; Michaela J. Kerrissey; and Amy C. Edmondson. “Speaking Up and Taking Action: Psychological Safety and Joint Problem-Solving Orientation in Safety Improvement.” Healthcare, 12(8), 812. April 10, 2024. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11049972/