How can you manage stakeholders who are unsupportive of your product innovation project?

Unsupportive stakeholders should be expected to innovation. Innovation is change. An object at rest remains at rest, and an object in motion remains in motion at constant speed and in a straight line unless acted on by an unbalanced force. Innovation is a force we are enacting on our stakeholders and it must overcome the natural resistance and friction to change. To do this we have to demonstrate value to our stakeholders, especially the ones whose lives we're going to change the most. Demonstrating value is simply showing someone how their life is going to be better because of our change. This requires empathy because we must understand what trade-offs are value-added versus value-destructive and adjust based on feedback.

1. Prioritize stakeholders Categorize decision-makers, influencers, contributors, others. Prioritize based on interest/impact/influence. 2. Present, Listen Present innovation idea. Anticipate questions based on past interactions. Practice active listening. Acknowledge concerns without getting defensive, build trust. 3. Formulate action plan Collate market research to substantiate proposal. Create a matrix - stakeholders + motivations + objections. Craft strategies to address concerns. 4. Present proposal Present roadmap, key deliverables, timelines. Highlight value prop, PMF, competition, ROI Address concerns. Call out limitations/challenges. Present action plan to mitigate risk. Finally, keep communication lines open

Step 0 should be to ask yourself "why?". Stakeholders resisting is a good signal for you to stop and think why are they resisting. Often, it's either your goals are not aligned, the ROI from their perspective isn't worth the risk/ investment, they question your analysis / strategy / execution, you are ignoring implications on other teams, or they really just don't understand. Cheet sheet: 1) often teams get caught in their own goals and metrics and loose touch with what the bigger org cares about. Are you making a dent in a meric they care about? 2) Walk them through the assumptions to pinpoint the misalignment 3) agree on intermediate milestones 4) understand their concern - resources? Different risk appetite? ... 5) share the success.

In corporate or family-run businesses, it's often difficult to get support or funding for an innovation project or idea as the appetite for change or experimentation is low. Hence, it's always good to build a prototype and utilize existing resources' 10-20% time to play with the idea, test it with real users to get raw feedback and build a case to earn support from conservative stakeholders. It's also essential to identify what matters to your stakeholders and what problems they are trying to solve for themselves. If you can assess this and demonstrate how your idea/solution will ease their pain, they are most likely to be supportive.

- Ask questions and LISTEN to understand concerns/objections/alternatives - Acknowledge and address concerns - Share data - primary and secondary information - and other inputs from team - build trust that should lead to consensus. But, understand that you may not get everyone on board.

Managing stakeholders who are unsupportive of a product innovation project can be challenging but knowing their concerns first of all can help you address them directly. If it is about costs, or maybe the potential for failure, the key is to communicate clearly to ensure that stakeholders understand the value proposition and how it aligns with the organization’s goals. To back up your talk, show examples with maybe case studies or data so they can see the potential success of the innovation. Also involve them in the process, and keep communication open so they are as part of the process as possible.

I believe with unsupportive internal stakeholders that you need to understand their objectives and KPIs and then pitch how your innovation is going to support these and over what timescale. If there is no overlap then you need to look to see if either your or the unsupportive stakeholder’s objectives are not aligned with the company’s strategic objectives.

Manage unsupportive stakeholders for your product innovation by effectively communicating your vision, emphasizing the potential benefits and aligning it with their interests. Address concerns transparently, showcasing how the innovation contributes to long-term success and organizational goals to foster understanding and garner support.

Managing unsupportive stakeholders in product innovation demands a strategic approach. Identify stakeholders, assess their influence, and engage early for trust. Clear, tailored communication is crucial - address concerns promptly and build positive relationships. Proactively address objections and demonstrate project value. Identify advocates and adapt your approach to maintain support.

Understand Their Concerns: Engage with the stakeholders to understand their reservations. It could be due to a lack of understanding, fear of change, or conflicting interests. Communicate Effectively: Keep all stakeholders informed about the project’s progress and how it aligns with the organization’s goals. Use clear and concise communication to address their concerns. Seek Common Ground: Find aspects of the project that align with the stakeholders’ values and interests. This can help in gaining their support or at least reducing opposition. Be Flexible and Adaptable: Be willing to adapt your project based on stakeholder feedback, as long as it doesn’t compromise the core innovative aspects.

Managing unsupportive stakeholders in product innovation requires strategic engagement. Involve them early to address concerns. Understand their perspectives by actively listening. Clearly communicate project vision, emphasizing alignment with goals. Tailor communication to stakeholder preferences. Proactively address objections with evidence. Encourage ongoing input and feedback. Build trust through regular updates. Identify project advocates. Remain flexible and adaptive. Effective stakeholder engagement is crucial for garnering support.

Engage means share your idea and find a common area where both or multiple parties can benefit from all or from elements of your idea or new process. Talk about efficiencies or opportunities to co-design together and that keeps them engage. They could be your greatest champions.

In my experience, engaging key stakeholders earlier in the process makes it easier overcoming the resistance due to collaboration in uncovering pain points. The origins of the resistance can be attributed to a chasm between early adopters and the late majority, as explained by Geoffrey A. Moore in his book Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers or simply Crossing the Chasm,

On the stakeholder management map, you can find one of the strategies for stakeholder engagement - from the think tanks to the workshops. The main thing I learned is to understand stakeholder needs, and the more important the stakeholder is, the more tailored the approach to engagement and communication there should be. If we are talking about your company CEO, who needs to be informed about some product - create short but "meaty" reports on the progress. If the CEO is the key partner in your product - make tailored workshops. Also, remember about one group of stakeholders who will usually not help you move further - those are saboteurs who don't like changes. If they influence your product - you need to find an engagement strategy too.

Firstly, initiate private discussions to understand their reservations. Often, resistance stems from concerns about risks, costs, or alignment with the company's strategic direction. If its needed or warranted, 'the data doesn't lie' so consider presenting the data-driven insights as to address concerns related to viability and potential ROI.

Manage unsupportive stakeholders for your product innovation by effectively managing expectations through clear communication, setting realistic goals, and addressing concerns proactively. Demonstrate the potential benefits and value of the innovation, highlighting how it aligns with broader organizational objectives to garner support and mitigate resistance.

Provide evidence of success. Use data and examples from past successes, either from within the company or from industry benchmarks, to demonstrate the potential of your innovation project.

Time and time again, we fall in love with an innovation and get lost in it. It becomes our darling. And then we go into broadcast mode with stakeholders. “See!” we say, “See the perfect beauty of this game changer!” And beautiful it may well be, but if a stakeholder questions the value of the project - for their department or for the business as a whole - then you’ve got to listen to their concerns and come back with convincing answers in their language that acknowledge their objectives. That’s the biggest thing: don’t sell on your terms, sell on what matters to your stakeholders. Question your darling from their viewpoint.

Deliver on your commitments - so it is better to underpromise but overdeliver. Communicate about the challenges and problems in advance.

Manage unsupportive stakeholders for your product innovation by proactively addressing concerns, actively listening to their feedback, and demonstrating the value of the innovation through tangible results. Build trust by fostering open communication channels and involving them in decision-making processes, ultimately aligning their interests with the project's objectives.

In my experience, trust and a good relationship with stakeholders is the most important criterion. If this exists, the points mentioned (identification, communication, involvement and managing expectations) are basically given or much easier to achieve. In addition to the clear expectation that an innovation will provide stakeholders with an added value, I believe it is extremely important that the idea provider is passionate about the idea. Stakeholders need to feel that! The best idea won't take off if the stakeholders get the feeling that the idea provider doesn't believe in it themselves.

“It takes a village.” You might be the best communicator to your stakeholders and have done everything in the book to get more engagement from that unsupportive person or people, but still no traction. Then you might need to start looking into WHO bears the message to this stakeholder more than the message itself. It becomes a stakeholder team effort, where people sold on your vision can relay the message to the skeptical stakeholder, and this can be an effective strategy in certain scenarios.

Stakeholders never say no to innovation they say no to investments, time, risks. As long as these things are taken care, with basic negotiation strategies empowered through trust, it can be efficiently managed.

To manage unsupportive stakeholders in a product innovation project, start by understanding their concerns and perspectives through one-on-one meetings. Communicate the benefits and potential impact of the project, addressing misconceptions and fears. Provide evidence of the project's value and engage in ongoing dialogue to keep stakeholders informed. Identify allies within the stakeholder group and leverage their support. Be open to feedback and willing to make adjustments to address concerns, fostering trust and demonstrating the project's value to gain broader support.

First of all do not manage them. The moment stakeholders realises that you are trying to manage them. You are gone, you messed up towards impossible. To do same innovation you need another person to present. You lost your chance. Be genuine.... Just do one thing. Listen them. By listening to your stakeholders, listen to understand them. Understanding the reason for being unsupportive is a solution to reinforce your innovative. There must be a point of view from your stakeholders for being unsupportive. This will reinforce for sure and listing them and re-presenting them will solve the most of the contradictions.

We first ask inputs and feedbacks if we missed earlier anything, If they say that details will create scope of work to complete and build trust with each other. Building trust with two ways are best opportunities to retain them !! Even more they are unsupportive, if you have valid points during the legal agreement or mutual client agreement What it was mentioned vs stakeholder showing unsupported details anything have deviations First be a advocste with your strong human sense of points !! So go with sharing the facts of How you are looking for fair enough supports from them with trusting of legal agreements or mutual agreements with them, by covering where deviations are went. Share empathic view of How much you tolerated