Driving Change from Within the Team: The Multiplier Concept

In times of frequent technology induced change processes, the multiplier concept represents a cost-effective and, above all, successful way to manage change processes from within the team, based on the reciprocal influence of employees on a horizontal level. By using a qualitative approach within a German state police force, we investigate the impact of multipliers on the implementation of an Enterprise Social Network. Building on ability, benevolence, and integrity as attendances of trust, we derive important managerial implications on how to successfully integrate multipliers as knowledge mediators, communication link, and active persuaders, in order to promote change. Multipliers are instrumental to successfully transform aversion and fear into eagerness for knowledge and high adoption rates. Furthermore, we highlight the connection between research on in-house education and communications sciences in the context of organizational development, providing an alternative approach for the successful implementation of new technologies.