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Authority for change ?

the role of leadership during change


Do you have a project sponsor named, but lack the true sponsorship you need to succeed? When project leaders and change managers are asked to name the number one success factor for project success, they respond with a resounding: active and visible executive sponsorship. In six separate studies conducted over a 12 year period with more than 2000 participants, active and visible sponsorship was cited as the number one success factor for change management in every study. In the 2007 and 2009 editions of the study, sponsorship was cited four times more often than any other factor. Sponsorship is central to success. However, a large percentage of projects have a senior leader named as the project sponsor, but they lack the true sponsorship required for success. To see if this is true on your project, first consider why executive sponsorship is important and what ponsorship?means. Project leaders are looking for executive sponsorship to ensure that: y y y y y Sufficient resources and funding are available for the project Priorities are established between competing initiatives Other senior leaders are sponsoring the change in their area Employees understand why the change is being made and how the change aligns with the vision for the organization Managers who resist the change have a productive channel to resolve their objections

When project leaders lack executive sponsorship, they often experience: y y y Increased resistance from employees, including key managers in the organization Unavailability of resources to support the project Slow adoption of the change or complete rejection of the change by some parts of the organization

In name vs. In practice


Now consider a project that you are supporting today. If you concur with the statements above (you might even think we are simply stating the obvious), and if you have a senior leader sponsoring your change, you might assume that you are ood to go.?Unfortunately, the research data does not support that assumption. In the 2009 edition of Prosci Change Management study, 575 organizations cited ineffective change sponsorship as the number one obstacle to change. When you investigate why, the project leaders and change managers did not say that they lacked a sponsor in name. Instead they said: y Our sponsor was at the wrong level or in the wrong part of the organization to support this change (they did not have control over the people and systems impacted by the change) Our sponsor was invisible (they were not involved with the project team nor did they communicate to employees) Our sponsor did not build a coalition of sponsorship with other business leaders (we encountered resistance from managers throughout the organization) Our sponsor wavered in their support mid-way through the project (they found a different project that took priority) Our sponsor did not manage resistance that surfaced during the change

y y y y

So when we conclude that executive sponsorship is the number one success factor for change, the mere assignment of a senior leader as a sponsor does not constitute having effective sponsorship for your change.

A simple sponsorship checklist


Below is a checklist that you can complete to determine of you are well-positioned to have the required authority for change for your project. Score each question on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 represents o?or complete disagreement with the statement, 5 represents es?or complete agreement with the statement, and 2-4 represents varying degrees to which the statement is true for your sponsor. If you score between 40 and 50, AND you scored the first three questions a 4 or 5, then your project has the ingredients for effective sponsorship. If you scored below 30, your project lacks the required executive sponsorship for success.

My sponsor has the ability to provide the needed resources and funding for the project. My sponsor has direct control over the people and processes being impacted by this change. My sponsor has direct control over the systems and tools being impacted by this change. My sponsor is willing and able to be active and visible throughout the entire project. My sponsor will build a coalition of sponsorship with key leaders and stakeholders in the organization. My sponsor will manage resistance from other managers and remove barriers to the success of the project. My sponsor will communicate directly to employees about why this change is being made and the risk of not changing. My sponsor will implement the necessary reinforcements to sustain the change including modifications to performance objectives and performance evaluations, and rewards and recognition for employees that adopt the change. My sponsor is credible and respected by employees and managers within the organization (employees embrace the leadership of this individual). My sponsor will remain in the organization throughout the implementation of this change. Total:
* Checklist comes from Prosci's Sponsor Competency Assessment and the 2009 edition of the Best Practices in Change Management benchmarking report

If you scored low


If you scored low, several steps need to be taken to address the root cause. If you scored low on any of the first three questions, then your sponsor is likely not at the right level given the scope of your project. If this is the case, a careful assessment of the sponsorship coalition would be necessary to determine if this project is in jeopardy. If it turns out that your sponsorship coalition is also weak, then you have two options: 1. Identify the right person to sponsor this initiative and begin to build the necessary sponsor coalition.

2. Redefine the scope of your project to fit or align with the sponsorship you do have. Simply continuing with the project is typically not a viable option as the consequences overall will be negative to the organization and to employees, and the probability of project failure is high. If you score low on questions 4 ?8, then your sponsor will need coaching on the role of sponsorship during change. You could either have a sponsor that is willing but does not know what effective sponsorship means, or you could have a sponsor who would prefer not to be directly involved. This latter issue will be harder to overcome, but with the right information and approach, most sponsors quickly see the importance of their role and are willing to get on board. If, on the other hand, your sponsor is willing but uneducated as to the role of effective sponsorship, the project leader or change manager can directly coach and assist the sponsor in carrying out this role. If you scored low on questions 9 or 10, these situations often require special tactics for approaching the project, including careful use of a strong sponsor coalition who can carry a strong message to employees and who will be there throughout the entire project. If your sponsor is on a fixed term such as with military organizations or government agencies, you may want to consider breaking the project into phases, and focus on the phase that falls within the term limit of that sponsor.

Key lessons for change managers:


1. Active and visible sponsorship for change is the number one contributor to success 2. Having a project sponsor named for your change and having the required ponsorship?for a successful change are not the same thing. 3. A majority of executive and senior leaders lack the understanding and knowledge around the roles of effective sponsorship to provide the actions required for successful change. 4. Effective change management requires a deliberate and proactive effort to create a healthy sponsor coalition.

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