The keys to successful stakeholder management
Change has an impact - It impacts people, ways of working, and the overall organization. Thus change efforts, even if they touch ONE part of the organization, create ripples and impact other functions and domains. For example: A purchasing department developing a new org, competence, processes, and systems as part of digitizing might seem function-centric - but ripples of the change will be faced in sales and operations. Therefore stakeholder management is a key component of successful change management.
While there are lots of resources on HOW to map out stakeholder systems and integrate these into change efforts, it’s interesting that there are fewer resources on HOW to engage with stakeholders, and how to optimize outcomes for the change effort for different stakeholder types.
Stakeholders, often senior people, tend to fall into one of four categories and will require different approaches to truly make them champions for the change effort. Change teams are often enthusiastic about their proposed change effort, and more often than not, the standard approach is to present and evangelize the opportunities taking up most of the talking space. Rather, we suggest identifying WHICH TYPE of stakeholder you are facing and adapting your approach.
Stakeholder 1: “All smiles, little interest”
Friendly, engaged, but ultimately, very much concerned with other things. Chances are, you’ll walk away in high spirits - only to find, down the line, there is little interest in truly contributing or supporting the change effort. To counteract this, make sure to:
Create customized materials that highlight the “what's in it for me”. The lack of interest is the key topic here, make it about the individual and his/her function; what is there to gain? How will things improve? It might seem like not taking a “helicopter” perspective, but doing so ensures commitment and interest.
As part of the dialogue, set aside ample time for the stakeholder to reflect on how this change effort might be beneficial to his/her area/role - Let the individual “come up” with the positive upsides, rather than you laying them out
Stakeholder 2: “Preaching to the choir”
Perhaps this stakeholder was part of designing the business case or somehow has a vested interest in the upcoming change effort. It’s easy to just tick the box since you are so aligned on the need for change and the route to success. This, however, is a bit dangerous and while the support will be there, it can probably be magnified.
Ask questions, not “preaching” the gospel of successful change but rather allow the individual to detail: “What do you see X years out, following this change?” or “What do you think is the key win following this change project?” or “From your perspective, once the dust has settled - What do you see as the next step?”
Your aim is to go beyond the initial positive approach and anchor a more deep connection to the change effort and its impact - Effectively creating an even more involved stakeholder
Stakeholder 3: “Uhm, yeah, I heard about that - It’s that… New thing, right?”
Let's face it: Your enthusiasm and engagement for this change effort might not be shared by all. Some stakeholders are completely neutral and likely “moderately” aware of the urgency. The key here is to not create a perception of risk, challenge, or possible issues with sequencing for other projects - The stakeholder clearly has a lot on his/her plate, and the risk is that it is “safer” to take a more hesitant stance, solely based on not being informed enough.
Go back to square one and approach presenting the change effort in a _seriously_ simplified manner (if you fail to create a basic understanding, you will be challenged to see any effort) - Keep it seriously simple to allow the individual to get on board.
List benefits clearly, and set aside time to let the individual reflect and comment on these. Do the same with the risks, and ask the individual how he/she thinks risks might be mitigated. The outcome here is an understanding, participation, and contribution, effectively creating a feeling of the proposed change effort being “safe” and not adding to any headaches.
Stakeholder 4: “You know what would be great?”
It’s great with creative people - But it's equally infuriating with stakeholders that want to shift, change, or add shiny new things to a change effort draining resources and creating scope creep in an instant. While the stakeholders’ enthusiasm for the change effort is great, it's equally important to nurture it without harming the resource-constrained planning.
Listen intently for any and each great idea, clarify that the to-be planning will serve as the platform once up, running, and iterated, and THEN there will be great opportunities to take the next steps, even better to showcase how the process of ensuring developments going forward will look like (with an open invitation for the stakeholder of course)
Ask the stakeholder, based on his/her understanding of the change to highlight the top #1 or or top #3 things they feel are most important in relation to the change effort - This will focus and steer the conversation to the most important pieces, and also tell you what is TRULY relevant to the stakeholder in question
In reality, stakeholders rarely fit a specific profile 100% - it is bits and pieces of the different templates thrown together. The key thing for change management efforts and teams is to ensure that it's not a “one size fits all” approach to change management, and even more important - To take a step back from your own engagement and enthusiasm and try to walk a mile in the stakeholders' shoes. THAT is how real stakeholder engagement is created, allowing change management teams to create the largest possible impact and time to value.
