Today, digital visibility is no longer achieved solely through centralized communications or isolated content on the intranet. A successful employee experience thrives when information originates where it is relevant—within specific locations, regions, teams, and departments.
As a result, decentralized editorial networks are moving into the spotlight. They help companies broaden the scope of their internal communications, bring topics closer to employees, and ensure digital platforms remain relevant in the long term.
In this article, you will find information on:
- why editorial networks often fail without change management,
- the roles played by champions, executives, and clear processes,
- how companies can build a sustainable editorial network and keep it running after the go-live.
- Conclusion
Why Editorial Networks Fail Without Change Management
From automating repetitive tasks to personalizing outreach, AI is driving a fundamental shift in internal communications. Yet, how can organizations harness the potential of this technology without losing the human touch that is so crucial for credible, effective communication?
A central communications team of five people. A company with 100,000 employees. The math simply doesn’t add up—no matter how motivated the team may be.
The obvious solution: a decentralized editorial network of multipliers who create content for their specific location, region, or department alongside their regular duties. It sounds simple. Unfortunately, it isn’t. Establishing such a network is not merely a content project; it is a change management initiative. And that aspect of managing change is frequently underestimated.
An editorial network is not a system that is set up once and then simply runs
It is like a relationship, and that doesn’t maintain itself.
Three patterns frequently seen in practice:
❌ No handover: An employee transfers to a different location or leaves the company, and local communication breaks down completely. Without defined succession processes, the company is caught off guard every time.
❌ Invisible extra work: "Champion" roles are an addition to one’s actual job. If this effort goes unrecognized, motivation quickly plummets—a classic risk in change management that many only notice when it is too late.
The term "Champion role" refers to employees who act as local ambassadors and points of contact for the intranet: they introduce topics from their specific areas, encourage colleagues to use the platform, and translate central communication goals into their teams' day-to-day operations. In doing so, they serve as a crucial link between central communications, specialist departments, and the workforce, acting as a key driver for effective change management.
❌ Role conflict in the communications department: Internal communicators often view themselves primarily as the ones doing the communicating. Leading and developing a network, rather than producing content themselves, represents a genuine shift in role—one that is easily underestimated.
The common denominator: None of these three points are purely communication problems. They are change management issues that cannot be solved by a traditional content strategy alone.
Change management begins with establishing the editorial network
For a project with the Hamburg-based travel retailer Gebr. Heinemann, SUNZINET established a decentralized editorial network spanning 60 locations. The key takeaway: successful networks are not created through a formal tender process, but rather through targeted stakeholder management.
✅ First, develop a clear role profile – what skills and what level of closeness to colleagues does the "champion" role really require?
✅ Then actively approach the right people instead of waiting for volunteers. Those who wait rarely get the right ones.
✅ And above all: secure sponsorship at the leadership level. Without a firm commitment of time from a supervisor, any network will eventually collapse—no matter how good the individual champions are.
This is pure change management craftsmanship: turning those affected into active participants, visibly anchoring responsibility, and securing leaders as sponsors—rather than simply informing them.
Post-Go-Live Change Management: Why the Real Work Only Begins Then
The biggest mistake: believing that a network you’ve built will sustain itself. It won’t.
What keeps a network alive in the long run relies on the same levers found in any change management process: regular forums for exchange, clear processes, the sharing of best practices, and visible recognition. If a local editor does an outstanding job, this should be communicated throughout the network and brought to the attention of leadership. Here, appreciation is not merely a "nice-to-have," but the mechanism that sustains motivation over months and years.
Conclusion: Successful intranet adoption requires Change Management
Intranets rarely fail due to technology. They fail because of a lack of roles, processes, and a culture of shared responsibility—precisely the issues addressed by change management.
Viewing a decentralized editorial network as a change process from the outset, rather than merely a communications project, lays the foundation for an intranet that remains relevant in the long term—especially when AI enters the picture.
In short: Change management is not merely a supporting communication component; rather, it is the foundation for ensuring that an editorial network functions effectively, content remains relevant, and digital platforms are used in the long term.
As a change management consultancy, SUNZINET supports companies in precisely this area: We not only assist with the strategic setup of appropriate processes, roles, and communication structures but also provide implementation support where needed—ranging from stakeholder management and roadmapping to training, activation, and ongoing support for the editorial network.
