The foundation for any NIATx improvement project is a strong, well-balanced change team. Ideally, this will be a group of people who understand the process you want to improve.
Why the Change Team Matters
As an African proverb reminds us:
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
The right team brings agility, experience, and multiple perspectives. It should include members from an array of managerial and non managerial roles who are affected by the process you want to change. While very small teams of two or three people may struggle to make progress, teams larger than 10–12 tend to lose focus. The “sweet spot” for a NIATx change team is five to seven members.
Three Key Roles on Every NIATx Team
Although not directly part of the change team, the executive sponsor plays a critical leadership role. They:
With guidance from the Executive Sponsor, the project stays grounded in key organizational priorities.
The Change Leader facilitates the entire change journey. Their responsibilities include:
Include people who do the work: staff who are directly involved in the process you want to improve. These are the people who know the process best. They bring real-time insights and practical knowledge of what is happening on the ground.
It’s also recommended for your team to include a customer or someone who represents the customer voice. This could be a client, peer specialist, community partner, or someone with lived experience.
The change team's role is to:
Tip: NIATx recommends assigning a data coordinator early in the project to help with metrics and reporting.
What about “extra” work?
A common concern agencies raise about undertaking a change project is finding time for it amid already full workloads. One effective strategy is to embed project tasks into work that staff are already doing–for example, collecting data during normal workflows. You can also embed change team discussions into already scheduled staff meetings, so the team doesn’t have to find additional time to meet.
Step 1 may be just the beginning of your NIATx change journey, but it sets the tone for everything that follows. With the right team in place, supported by leadership, grounded in shared purpose, and equipped with clear roles, you're ready to move forward to defining your Big Aim in Step 2.
Action Step: Assemble Your Team
Download the NIATx Change Charter tool and use it to identify:
Continue Building Your Improvement Skills
Access all the NIATx Change Leader Academy eLearning modules at NIATx Training & eLearning
Prefer a guided experience? Join us for an upcoming webinar-based NIATx Change Leader Academy, where NIATx coaches present the model step-by-step and answer your questions live.
Spring 2026 session: March 12, 19, 26 and April 2, 1–2:30pm CT. Register today!
The opinions expressed herein are the views of the authors and do not reflect the official position of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), SAMHSA, CSAT or the ATTC Network. No official support or endorsement of DHHS, SAMHSA, or CSAT for the opinions of authors presented in this e-publication is intended or should be inferred.