Winning grass-roots support for change

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Winning grass-roots support for change

Persuading an executive team or the whole organization to make a fundamental change may take more than just a business case. Alastair Ham, director of organizational development at Norwich Union Insurance, learned this while guiding managers through a change process to help them become more effective team leaders and communicators. "At the time, this approach was so far away from the prevailing culture of the organization and the ingrained habits of managers that few would listen to the idea."
The trick, he says, was seeking commitment from stakeholders outside the executive team, creating a buzz and then waiting for a tipping point to be reached in terms of winning wider support. Here he offers five ways to win grass-roots support for changing behavior:
1 Be committed:
Before you start, ask yourself some questions. Do you believe the change you're trying to introduce is fundamental to the future of the organization? Is it totally aligned to the strategy? Are you prepared to invest yourself in making it happen? Don't start unless you believe in the importance of what you're trying to achieve and are prepared to put your job on the line.
2 Don't start at the top:
If possible, don't present a business case to your executive team. The risk of rejection is high and once leaders have said no, they'll defend their decision making it almost impossible to move forward.
3 Create converts:
Look for other stakeholders who can help – such as business unit or department heads and managers – and turn them into your supporters. What you're trying to do at this stage is set something up in a small part of the business that not only proves your point but creates emotional converts who can convert others.
4 Take it slowly:
It's not how fast you move, but how quickly you reach your goal. If what you're creating is genuinely a cultural change, few people will convert to it quickly or easily. They'll need to experience it for themselves and be given time to adjust to a new way of working.
5 Create a buzz and don't force it:
If you've been successful, your work will get noticed. Not as a dry business case, but as a genuine emotional experience demonstrated and talked about by the people involved in it. This is the kind of experience that drives change. Even if you do secure executive approval, don't use it as an excuse to force the change on everyone else. If the change is that fundamental, people will come to it at their own pace.

This is an edited extract from an article appearing in Strategic Communication Management.

Blogged on 1:49 AM by Upay

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