Picking up from my previous post, how can you ensure your programs are effectively supported by your leaders and your organization?
I noted earlier that people ask three questions when faced with change in their organizations and work-lives:
- Is this program credible (will it really happen)?
- What does this program mean to us?
- What does this program mean to me!
Examination of a sample of projects Meridian has supported sharply illuminates the key perceptions that differentiate programs that enjoy broad, effective support from programs people oppose.
Strongly Supported Programs
39% of our sample
- These initiatives are credible—people largely believe their organization is capable of pulling off the program.
- People are informed—communications are informative and believable.
- There are concerns about what the program means for “me personally” but the concerns are manageable. For example personal concerns dogging one ultimately-successful program included the addressable perception “I think my workload will increase significantly as a result of this program.”
Moderately Supported Programs
40% of our sample
- There are usually holes in program credibility, typically related to past attempts with similar initiatives or questions about the true quality of executive support for the program.
- Persistent information gaps—people say they do not know what they need to know about this program—are common to virtually all weakly supported programs.
- There is also very little information about expected program impacts; naturally, given today’s work environment, these impacts are largely assumed to be a net negative to individuals.
Resisted Program
21% of our sample
- Resisted programs (“Heck no, we won’t go”) are not credible, suffering fundamental questions about program purpose (“Why are we doing this”).
- Resisted programs are also persistently undermined by deep personal mistrust of what the program means to individuals, usually laced with fear of loss of prestige, power, or jobs.
Take Action!
Taking a step back I’d say the keys to ensuring your programs are really supported include:
- Credibility is the first gate: you simply must make people believe you can and will complete what you have started, even if this has not been true in the past.
- The importance of information cannot be over-emphasized—the actionable difference between a moderately and strongly supported program is what people know and believe about your program.
- Never underestimate how quickly concerns become personal—always keep in mind people naturally need to know “what this means for me” before they consider landing in your corner.
A note about the sample underpinning this post
Measures of support (strongly/moderately supported, resisted programs) are backed by hard data provided by Meridian’s Readiness Quotient. The sample supporting this post includes over 360 Readiness Quotient sessions with clients undertaking large-scale change programs including acquisitions, technology implementations, shared-services implementation, and other significant organizational consolidations. Our sample includes direct input for over 23,000 individuals worldwide.
