Walking into the meeting it wasn’t quite clear what to expect.  The only agenda item was a new team calendar.  It sounded like management decided on a new calendar tool and we were all going to start using it soon.  Anne, the meeting facilitator, was a peer and there was no upper management representation in the meeting.  When Tom, a coworker, asked Anne why we were meeting she explained her desire to set up a new calendar that would keep our team informed of each other’s activities.  Tom reminded her we already published a calendar and revised it several times a week.  My jaw dropped at Anne’s response.  According to her the way we were communicating was stupid.  She didn’t review the existing calendar because she didn’t like the format.  Instead Anne wanted the rest of us to begin using her tool of choice.  Perhaps the biggest surprise was Anne’s inability to understand why the rest of us weren’t embracing her vision for change.

Getting Commitment to Change

Managers often talk about building team buy-in.  Generally what they mean is getting people to embrace and support a new idea.  Discussed less are the various levels of buy-in.  Here are a few degrees of buy-in to consider.

• Non-Compliance:  Non-Compliance is really the complete lack of buy-in.  At this level the individual does not agree with the proposed change and resists it.
• Compliance: Compliance indicates an individual is willing to do what they must to avoid being punished for not supporting the change but they will do no more.  At this level the individual does not see a compelling reason to accept the change.
• Enrollment: Enrollment occurs when an individual believes the change is worthwhile and will actively support it.
• Commitment: Commitment is the ideal state of change acceptance.  At commitment an individual not only accepts the change but proactively supports it and encourages others to do the same.

Because change adoption is so difficult, many organizations are satisfied if they get people to compliance.  Not everybody will reach the commitment level but organizations need to strive to get people there.

Building Buy-In

In their book “Influencer: Power to Change Anything”, authors Patterson, Greeny, and Maxfield explain there are two questions a person must answer before they will accept a change:

1. Is the change worthwhile?
2. Am I capable of making the change?

If you cannot convince another person the answer to both of these questions is “yes”, you will need to work extremely hard just to get them to compliance.  If you are able to show them the change is worthwhile and they are capable of making it, many people will quickly move to enrollment or commitment.

Tips for Getting Commitment

Here are a few tips and techniques for getting people to the commitment stage of change acceptance.

1. Help people understand the need for change.  Explain to them the potential negative consequences of maintaining the status quo as well as the expected benefits of implementing the change.
2. Let people experience the change.  This can be done through various techniques from demonstrating the positive effects of the change, visiting other organizations that have already adopted a similar change, developing prototypes, or conducting limited change pilots.
3. Focus on specific actions people should take to implement the change.  Simply telling people the results they should strive for usually fails.  You need to train them on specific, critical activities required to be successful.
4. Get the team actively involved in the solution.  The focus should be on the desired results rather than specific solutions.  Key influencers in the organization must be included so they can help spread the word and build grass-roots support for the change.

Conclusion

Reflecting back on the meeting described in the beginning of this article, here’s how things might have been different.

• Rather than tell us our current system was stupid and ineffective Anne could have explained why she saw the need for a change and described the benefits of implementing it.
• Instead of seeking a solution to a problem Anne was pushing her idea of how to solve it.  Had she engaged the group on the problems she was having, the team would have entered into a dialog about possible solutions.
• The group wanted to see the new tool but it wasn’t ready to be demonstrated.  If Anne had come to the meeting and shown us what she was proposing, we may have been able to answer the question “am I capable of using this tool?”
• Finally, if Anne worked with an influential member our team before the meeting, she may have had support selling the idea to the rest of the team.  Instead she was forced to defend the need for change and spoke in abstract terms about how easy it would be to adopt.

People are naturally resistant to changes they don’t understand or don’t see as necessary.  The next time you need to implement a change, remember to help people understand why the change is worthwhile and show them they are capable of making the change.  If you can get these two points across your job as a change leader will be much less difficult.

30 Seconds About Silvercloud Consulting

Every organization is faced with changes.  Some changes are proactively initiated in pursuit of a benefit.  Other changes are imposed, such as government regulations and shifts in the market. Most organizations implement change best through the appropriate application of project management principles.  Silvercloud Consulting uses a “right sized” approach to project management to help companies of all sizes deal with change.  Our clients range from a two-person internet start up to a multi-billion dollar corporation with over 120,000 employees.  If you’re organization is facing change and needs assistance planning, implementing, tracking, or delivering results, contact us today to see how we can help!