Get Your Key Stakeholders on Board

Despite the inevitability of change and the need for organizations to adapt in a rapidly evolving market because of technological advancements such as AI, a recent poll shows that 66% of organizational change initiatives fail.

Resistance to change is common in organizations. To manage it effectively, organizations must identify the sources of resistance, analyze them, and strategize ways to secure participation during the change management process.

Problem

In my July 29, 2024 blog post, I wrote about employee resistance. This week, I am addressing potential resistance from key stakeholders in general. Failing to engage key stakeholders often results from not correctly identifying them, not understanding their interests, concerns, and influence, and not creating a compelling, shared vision for the change.

Solutions

There are ways to address stakeholder resistance:

 1.    Have a clear understanding of the potential impact of the change on your organization, and then identify those individuals or groups who will be affected by the change within your organization or in the community. These individuals can be C-suite executives, board members, managers, team leaders, supervisors, department heads, employees, suppliers/vendors, community groups, customers or clients, etc. Assess their level of influence on the change process;

 2.    Establish open, transparent, and timely communication with stakeholders to explain the change (rationale, need, benefits, and implications) and gather their feedback, ensuring you understand their interests, expectations, and concerns;

 3.    Create a shared vision for the change using stakeholders’ feedback and input. A shared vision fosters stakeholders’ commitment to the change.  Involve the stakeholders in the decision-making process, to ensure commitment, resolve conflicts or disagreements, and achieve an agreed-upon vision and change management plan;

4.    Implement and manage the change, keeping stakeholders informed with regular updates; and

5.    Evaluate the change, analyze its impact, and gather stakeholder feedback to assess effectiveness and satisfaction.

Contact me at ruth@bedellconsultingllc.com to discuss effective stakeholder management for your organization's change.