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How to Get Leaders to Support Change Management
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“By talking about what you deliver rather than what you do.” How to Get Support, Budget and Resources for Change Management To get commitment to change management in your organization, you must stop talking about what you do and start talking about what you deliver as a change practitioner. To keep conversations on the right track, be sure to provide context, focus on results, and choose the right words. 1. Provide context We must communicate that the people side of change is critical, that it’s a must-have and not a nice-to-have. We must communicate that change management is the right way to treat people in times of change because they are our most valuable assets. But it is important to remember that this information alone only builds conceptual support. Leaders may appreciate the idea that change management is important, but we call this “getting to the head nod.” To secure resources, we need to get past the head nod. To get past the head nod, we work to build contextual support and commitment, shifting the focus to the project or initiative’s success. This requires conveying why the people side of change and change management are important enough on this initiative to invest time, energy and resources in them. Stephen Covey tells us that priority is a function of context. To provide this context in change management, we ask: "What percentage of overall results and outcomes depends on employees adopting and using the change?" If you want to see leaders really start to think about change management in a new way, this is the key questionto ask because the adoption contribution for our most important changes is often quite significant . 2. Focus on results What are the actual problems our senior leaders, project teams, and organization in general are experiencing? How do we position change management as a solution to those problems? Leaders have too many things to focus on, such as innovations, managing expectations, and driving more value for customers.
“Shifting the focus away from day-to-day activities and toward the results we are attempting to achieve demonstrates the value of change management in terms that resonate with and motivate your leaders.” How to Get Support, Budget and Resources for Change Management To get commitment to change management in your organization, you must stop talking about what you do and start talking about what you deliver as a change practitioner. To keep conversations on the right track, be sure to provide context, focus on results, and choose the right words. 1. Provide context We must communicate that the people side of change is critical, that it’s a must-have and not a nice-to-have. We must communicate that change management is the right way to treat people in times of change because they are our most valuable assets. But it is important to remember that this information alone only builds conceptual support. Leaders may appreciate the idea that change management is important, but we call this “getting to the head nod.” To secure resources, we need to get past the head nod. To get past the head nod, we work to build contextual support and commitment, shifting the focus to the project or initiative’s success. This requires conveying why the people side of change and change management are important enough on this initiative to invest time, energy and resources in them. Stephen Covey tells us that priority is a function of context. To provide this context in change management, we ask: "What percentage of overall results and outcomes depends on employees adopting and using the change?" If you want to see leaders really start to think about change management in a new way, this is the key questionto ask because the adoption contribution for our most important changes is often quite significant . 2. Focus on results What are the actual problems our senior leaders, project teams, and organization in general are experiencing? How do we position change management as a solution to those problems? Leaders have too many things to focus on, such as innovations, managing expectations, and driving more value for customers.
“But if you want leaders to invest in change management, or continue investing in it, the better answer is, “I help our organization deliver the portion of project benefits that depend on employee adoption and usage.”” How to Get Support, Budget and Resources for Change Management To get commitment to change management in your organization, you must stop talking about what you do and start talking about what you deliver as a change practitioner. To keep conversations on the right track, be sure to provide context, focus on results, and choose the right words. 1. Provide context We must communicate that the people side of change is critical, that it’s a must-have and not a nice-to-have. We must communicate that change management is the right way to treat people in times of change because they are our most valuable assets. But it is important to remember that this information alone only builds conceptual support. Leaders may appreciate the idea that change management is important, but we call this “getting to the head nod.” To secure resources, we need to get past the head nod. To get past the head nod, we work to build contextual support and commitment, shifting the focus to the project or initiative’s success. This requires conveying why the people side of change and change management are important enough on this initiative to invest time, energy and resources in them. Stephen Covey tells us that priority is a function of context. To provide this context in change management, we ask: "What percentage of overall results and outcomes depends on employees adopting and using the change?" If you want to see leaders really start to think about change management in a new way, this is the key questionto ask because the adoption contribution for our most important changes is often quite significant . 2. Focus on results What are the actual problems our senior leaders, project teams, and organization in general are experiencing? How do we position change management as a solution to those problems? Leaders have too many things to focus on, such as innovations, managing expectations, and driving more value for customers.
How to Get Support, Budget and Resources for Change Management To get commitment to change management in your organization, you must stop talking about what you do and start talking about what you deliver as a change practitioner. To keep conversations on the right track, be sure to provide context, focus on results, and choose the right words. 1. Provide context We must communicate that the people side of change is critical, that it’s a must-have and not a nice-to-have. We must communicate that change management is the right way to treat people in times of change because they are our most valuable assets. But it is important to remember that this information alone only builds conceptual support. Leaders may appreciate the idea that change management is important, but we call this “getting to the head nod.” To secure resources, we need to get past the head nod. To get past the head nod, we work to build contextual support and commitment, shifting the focus to the project or initiative’s success. This requires conveying why the people side of change and change management are important enough on this initiative to invest time, energy and resources in them. Stephen Covey tells us that priority is a function of context. To provide this context in change management, we ask: "What percentage of overall results and outcomes depends on employees adopting and using the change?" If you want to see leaders really start to think about change management in a new way, this is the key questionto ask because the adoption contribution for our most important changes is often quite significant . 2. Focus on results What are the actual problems our senior leaders, project teams, and organization in general are experiencing? How do we position change management as a solution to those problems? Leaders have too many things to focus on, such as innovations, managing expectations, and driving more value for customers. “But the point is, the language of leaders is the language of “deliver,” and not the language of “do.”” Change Management Delivers People-Dependent ROI Do you want to gain support for change management or maintain it as a budgeting priority in your organization? Provide context. Focus on results. Choose the right words. What we do in change management can be quite nebulous to others. When working to gain commitment and support for change management in your organization, you have the power to shift mindsets. But only when you when you stop talking about what you do and start talking about what you deliver.