Making a Compelling Case for Change

Ideas and tools for promoting change

"Creating a Shift" is devoted to ideas that have helped change resistance into support and action. If you've had success with a particular strategy, contact author Rick Maurer (sending him a sentence or two description is fine), and he'll get back to you about presenting your approach to Journal readers. The idea can be simple or complex. It can involve two people, a small team, union/management, or an entire organization. You can reach Maurer at http://www.beyondresistance.com .

As readers of this column know, I believe that making a compelling case is the most important thing you can do to build support for change. There are four essential questions that individuals and teams should ask themselves at the beginning of any change. I'll cover the first two questions in this column, and I'll address the remaining two questions in the Fall issue of The Journal for Quality and Participation.

Does Your Own Team Feel Urgency to Change?

To conduct change successfully, you need to see the same picture. To understand what I mean, consider the groups that are leading change. For example, it's quite common for team members to disagree regarding the need for change. The leader may feel a sense of urgency, and because of his/her power, others go along. This can create major problems later in the change process, such as disagreement regarding priorities on budget and use of other resources.

I recall a group of health care professionals who all held slightly different pictures of what was needed in the coming years. These differing pictures led to dissimilar goals and priorities. They also led to many squabbles about where to invest time and money.

Listen Hard and Dig Deep

Listen to team members' varying points of view. It is quite possible that members of your group have access to different types of data or that individuals interpret the same data differently. To paraphrase Yogi Berra, "You can learn a lot just by listening."

Explore where you agree and disagree. Dig into differences of opinion. Different perspectives can offer insight on various facets of the issue. Take advantage of team members' outlooks to give everyone (you included) a richer picture of the current situation.

Because its critical that members of your planning team see the same picture, ask the following questions to stimulate discussion and build consensus:

* To what extent do we see a compelling need for this change?

* Where do we agree, and where do we disagree?

* What are the implications of our respective views on seeing why this change might be needed?

* Do we have significant differences of opinion?

* If there are significant differences of opinion regarding the need for change, how will we resolve these disagreements? Can we afford to go ahead with significant disagreement on our own team?

It's a big mistake to rush by these questions in the misguided belief that your entire team sees things the same way you do. Too many teams avoid disagreements, and then individuals work around each other, using Machiavellian tactics to get their own projects up and running. It's far better to have the tough conversations early in the process.

Once your planning group does see a compelling need for change, shift your attention to others in the organization, which leads to the second question.

Who Else Needs to Feel Urgency to Change?

It's one thing to make a case within your own group, it is quite another to make a case to all those who have a stake in the planned changes. Remember: Our research has shown that in 95% of successful changes, most stakeholders saw a compelling need for things to change.

The following stakeholder analysis instrument can help you determine others' views about the change. This tool offers a simple way to assess the support you need for a project compared to the support you actually have.

Rating Process

In the first column of the form, list all major individuals and groups that need to go along with the change. Planning groups often create a short list of stakeholders and then are surprised when people who weren't on that list are upset when new initiatives are announced. Be expansive in identifying possible stakeholders, and your analysis will be more helpful in heading off problems.

In the second column, rate the level of support you need from each of the listed stakeholders. Use the following scale for your ratings:

5 = This stakeholder must take an active part in the development and must be a vocal champion for the change.

4 = This stakeholder must take part in the development.

3 = This stakeholder needs to go along with whatever is decided.

In the third column, use the five-point scale shown below to rate the level of support you would expect to receive from each stakeholder today.

5 = This stakeholder will support and champion the change fully.

4 = This stakeholder will help develop the new initiative.

3 = This stakeholder will go along with whatever is decided.

2 = This stakeholder is likely to complain about the planned change.

1 = This stakeholder is likely to resist the planned change openly and strongly.

Analysis Process

Once ratings are assigned for all stakeholders, determine if there are gaps in the two ratings for each stakeholder. You need matches such as 5-5, 4-4, and 3-3 to be confident that the stakeholders are prepared for the upcoming change. Wider gaps such as 5-1 or 4-2 indicate a higher potential for issues to develop today and down the road.

Where gaps exist, ask the following questions to evaluate the potential problem:

* How large is the gap? Is the stakeholder fairly close to seeing the challenge or is there a long way to go?

* In your best judgment, what accounts for the gap? What are the implications of the gap on the success of the planned change? Bear in mind that gaps often indicate a different sense of urgency regarding the need for change.

* What will happen if the stakeholder ratings don't change?

Rick Maurer is an advisor to organizations on leading change. This month's column is adapted from his recent book, Making a Compelling case for Change. You can find information on this book as well as many free resources on his Web site, http://www.beyondresistance.com .

Copyright Association for Quality and Participation Summer 2004
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