Why stakeholders make or break business change

Change is one of those topics that we always dip into. All three of us have worked in the area and have many thoughts and opinions on its success or failure. We even covered the Challenge of Change in season three of the podcast, but this time we decided to take a look at the critical role stakeholders play and how important it is for us to take the time to understand more about the various groups to effectively implement change. 

Now it was clear from the outset, that the term ‘change is constant’ didn’t sit well with some of us, but we did agree that developing a culture of change would enable some of the seemingly labour-intensive background tasks of understanding the impacts could be better addressed if there was a sense of normalisation to the idea of change across the organisation. 

If perceptions and approaches were to change, then perhaps it would lead to a more effective use of the models, an analysis and review of stakeholders, and the introduction of other strategic tools to gain insight on what’s happening for employees. This would ensure they are engaged throughout any change in a relevant and sensitive way.

There were a lot of takeaways on this episode, but here are some of the main ones that we hope you’ll find helpful.

A culture of change 

Change is much wider than programmes and initiatives and if we decide to look at it differently, we would be able to approach it with a lot more preparation. 

Recognise that it is now the norm and an integral part of everyday business. Traditionally it is treated separately the everyday and as a result isn’t always handled or resourced properly. Actively normalising it and building a culture of change might be the answer. 

Change cannot just be a bolt-on, it has to become an everyday part of work. If not people, teams, and those directly managing / supporting (e.g. HR, IT), will be unprepared to face change. 

If alignment isn’t happening in an organisation before significant change, then it becomes a challenge. If people aren’t aligned to change then taking them on that journey will be extremely difficult.

Develop a culture where relationships are built on trust, accountability, and integrity, then change won’t be difficult.

Horizon scanning: Looking outside information bubbles or echo chambers at the long-term unintended consequences of decisions by having diverse thinking and counsel will enable you to always act ethically and do the right thing.

It’s all about people impact

At the centre of change is how it’s impacting people, but much of the time this is overlooked and not reviewed with much detail. This is important to enable you to consider how to help people overcome the blockers to change, and also include leaders and those indirectly involved in the change.

Use different ways to discover how change will impact people like interviews, focus groups, surveys etc. Get creative and make it an exercise for people to get interested in what’s happening rather than avoid it. 

The big excuse here is around not having time to delve deep into the detail, but if the true impact to people is unknown then it is likely that change will fail. Allowing time will enable an understanding of what the change is, how communications can do it justice or where challenge is needed. Be curious about the why.

Make the time to get it right 

Build discovery time in your change programme and ensure all the right stakeholders are involved. Remove the excuses by planning it in ahead of time and ensure there is the correct resource to handle it.

Developing a consistent culture around change will mean that insight activities will be done regularly and there will be sufficient knowledge about the people in the organisation to provide a head start when it comes to developing specific change. 

In reviewing, failures to change programmes are often attributed to technology, when in reality, it’s the people element. Give people enough time to understand the change and ensure there is sufficient budget and resource to effectively engage employees and complete the change.

Communication and strategic tools 

Even when hiring a change consultant, it’s imperative that everyone involved in the programme is aware of the frameworks and models available to make change work.

Using stakeholder mapping tools like heat maps will help to explore what’s happening in environments where things keep changing. Also, rather than just doing the mapping exercise and leaving it to one side, ensure you follow through on the process and insight it is providing. 

Look at other strategic tools like SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) and PESTLE (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental), which will provide a wealth of knowledge and insight. 

In communications it’s important to have a channel matrix in place – why, who gets what, when, and what’s relevant. Use this alongside a change model for e.g. ADKAR framework for change (Awareness, desire, knowledge, ability and reinforcement).

Frameworks work. Find one that works for you. Have it in place. Become familiar with it. Upskilling will bring confidence. 

For communicators

The volume of change can be overwhelming, but with the privilege of an umbrella view of the organisation, communicators have a duty to represent the voices of employees and the responsibility to ensure leaders are informed about what is going on.

Remember, you are there to help leaders to communicate with empathy through what can be a very difficult time. 

Be part of the conversation: It’s your responsibility to make sure you are heard at a leadership level. Sometimes this involves taking your own seat to the table or being more assertive.

Segment your audience, analyse personas, and personalise communications for each stakeholder group. Ensure that you are sending out communications that are relevant, rather than just sending it out to tick a box.

Avoid adding to the noise, use the channel matrix, communications plan and audience review to ensure information is timely, clear and not overwhelming.

Connect, engage and lead

Be clear on and explain the ‘why’ change. If you and your senior team don’t know this, then it’s hard to engage employees and for them to adapt and adopt the change. 

Don’t let fear prevent you from engaging with people. It’s easy to hide behind the process, but success comes from facing the change you are introducing and being bold to take people with you.

Engage key teams early: Get the communications team etc., involved as early as possible. Gain their insight on where employees are to determine the right message and tone. Engaging stakeholders is critical for success. 

Change shouldn’t be difficult if leadership and organisations develop a culture of change – a preparedness around who your people are and how they will be impacted will give you the advantage. 

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