You’re working with a difficult stakeholder in change management. What’s the first step to success?

Understanding stakeholders is pivotal for change projects. Identifying their interests, influence, and expectations enables tailored communication and engagement strategies. Acknowledging diverse perspectives, including power dynamics and emotions, fosters collaboration and enhances project success.

When dealing with a challenging stakeholder the first step to success is to empathize and understand their perspective. Take the time to listen actively, acknowledge their concerns, and demonstrate genuine empathy. Building a foundation of trust and rapport lays the groundwork for effective communication and collaboration, paving the way for successful resolution of conflicts and alignment towards common goals.

In my experience, I agree with the person who separates ‘sponsors’ from ‘stakeholder’, the stakeholder being the person who is ‘impacted’ in either potentially a challenging way at first. I try to get to know that individual with one of my favorite CMF, (client messaging framework) approaches which is a single slide, 4-up, that sets the meeting stage for a very open thought provoking dialogue geared toward the client doing most of the talking and I the listing and asking questions based on assumptions I have made prior to the meeting through my through research. The dialogue validates those assumptions.

Any change impacts a whole range of people and each group is a stakeholder group with common needs, wants, expectations and demographics. A "persona" is a tool from human centred design which involves building a profile of each stakeholder group. Engaging with representatives from each group helps you empathize and deeply understand how they experience the world. Carl Rogers, a psychologist, founded the phenomenological approach initially as a therapy tool. It means deeply understanding the "lived experience of the other". [Techies and human centred people - we applied it in psychology before you "invented" it :)] Rogers prioritized the internal frame of reference and their perception of reality as they experienced it in their life.

The first step to consider when dealing with a difficult stakeholder is to actively listen and listen without judgment and immediate solutioning. It’s important to understand their concerns, motivations, and objections—what keeps them up at night? Be empathetic in your conversations, build trust and rapport in order to unravel their pain points and resistance to change. This process involves not just hearing their words, but also acknowledging their feelings and perspectives, thereby laying the groundwork for more effective communication and collaboration. Through active listening, identify underlying issues, align objectives, and develop tailored strategies, together transform resistance into support.

Step 1: Understand what is driving their perspective. Step 2: Align and contextualise within business strategy. Step 3: Understand whats wrong with the picture. Step 4: Work with them to figure out a mutually beneficial way forward. Step 5: Get them onboard and keep them there.

I put my suggestion and Stakeholder identification tool above. Understanding your stakeholders are the key for prioritising tasks and in time management. In other words you are gaining value from key stakeholders so your approach should be accordingly to theirs power and interest.

Understanding Stakeholders is People Expectation Management, all your Stakeholders have probably been in the organisation for longer than you have been, they all have their own agendas For their division, department or function It can be hard to understand why a Stakeholder or a Stakeholder Group are not aligned with the Program Focus and or Corporate Vision Please spend a lot of your time understanding your Stakeholders

People are at where they're at. You can't make someone jump from LA to Cincinnati in a heartbeat - ideally you start where they're at and walk with them from LA to Cincinnati, learning each other as you go in order to better identify a mutually agreeable solution.

Understanding stakeholders and articulating the reasons behind the change is crucial in a change management process, as it allows organizations to identify and address diverse perspectives, concerns, and expectations. Effective communication and engagement with stakeholders foster a sense of involvement, minimizing resistance to change. Developing a sponsorship coalition ensures consistent support throughout the change journey. Stakeholders play distinct roles, and tailoring strategies to resonate with their needs builds a unified front for successful change implementation. This alignment enhances credibility, fosters trust, and ultimately contributes to a smoother transition towards transformation.

Ask questions. Then, ask more questions! Being an active listener is critical to really understanding the frame of reference for your stakeholder. Do not assume they have the same view or experience as you and understand that it's likely they will therefore arrive at different conclusions as you. Avoid this by... yep, you guessed it... asking questions!

We will always find stakeholders who are not aligned to change agenda for various resources most often than not or is their insecurity regarding what change means to them. Sometimes people get too attached and emotional about their sphere of influence and territories that it becomes difficult for them to look beyond. We can start an honest and transparent discussion with them, using all our influence so as to have them start at the bigger picture. It may start slow but if you see a slight opening we should pursue with the conversations. If post your best effort, you find them not willing to let go of their position then it is time for difficult conversation or escalating the matter.

We have found that it is important to understand how a stakeholder may be impacted. It may be their influence is impacted or their control or perhaps they will go through an organizational change or report to a new manager or have to have themselves or team members learn a new system, tool or process. As Ginger wrote, trying to work with all stakeholders with a single approach will most likely not work as their motivators and fears are different depending on the impact.

Often stakeholders resist change (or its agents) because they don't feel seen, valued or safe. 1. Start by seeking to know them and their context, so you can hypothesize the gaps (aka threats) they perceive. 2. Once you think you understand this, ask non-judgmental, open questions to validate or refine your hypothesis. 3. Then, provide an *honest*, reflection of what you've heard, with context. 4. Don't make promises that may not be kept. Instead, empathize and offer clarity on the rationale/goals of the change effort, acknowledging the stakeholder's role in it. 5. Lastly, recall what Sun Tzu said about backing folks into a corner: they only fight harder. Instead, help them see they have a path forward. Above all: talk less, listen more.

The first step to success when working with a difficult stakeholder in change management is to understand the stakeholder. This involves learning about their goals, motivations, and concerns related to the change. By understanding their perspective, you can better address their concerns and work towards a solution that meets their needs.

There are many factors for a successful change management but these 2 are Key: 1) Clear Communication on the Change & it’s key reasons/ benefits, outcomes expected (the whys & the whats). 2) Transparency during the entire change process to build trust with all concerned/ stakeholders.

When segmenting your stakeholders into groups it can be common to not re-evaluate stakeholder groups during various phases of your initiative.? Its important to consider this factor and plan to reevaluate your groups to make sure they are still aligned as your assumptions may have changed.

Successfully managing a challenging stakeholder in change requires initiating respectful conversations, demonstrating genuine interest, and actively listening. Comprehending resistance, validating feelings, and aligning change goals with objectives build trust through transparency and honesty. Involving stakeholders, providing comprehensive information, customizing communication, and maintaining a continuous feedback loop foster collaboration and adaptation. Transforming a challenging stakeholder involves a comprehensive approach of understanding and effective communication for shared ownership of the change process.

A key ingredient to finding a path forward is to establish a shared understanding of what is in it for them and their organization. As depicted in the ADKAR model, desire for the change is critical. Each stakeholder needs to believe the change will lead to improved customer satisfaction and retention, increased staff productivity and engagement, increased revenue, and/or other goals that are important to them. Once they agree the change will support achievement of their goals, then it is just a matter of preparation and timing.

Absolutely agree with this. Being the good listener is absolutely a must. Addressing your stakeholders concerns, being cognizant and sympathetic to their needs and priorities is absolutely essential.

A foundational characteristic of a stakeholder is that they have a vested interest in a positive outcome for your (project/company/etc). A benefit of understanding your stakeholder is to understand their view on how your (project/company/etc) can win. The deeper understanding you gain from your stakeholders, the better your (project/company/etc) will be, and the higher likelihood you have to win!

The reason some stakeholders are called ‘difficult’ might be in some cases due to past situations and events they’ve experienced. They have developed ‘beliefs’ based upon those situations. Which they then subsequentially use to project opinions or critical feedback. That - although it’s still a bias - is understandable and relatable. A good technique to deal with this in a constructive way is called ‘the ladder of inference’. You use the events that created those beliefs, backwards step by step. While respecting your stakeholder, you use their own thought-pattern as a reversed canvas to make your points.

The success or failure of the program depends on Stakeholders You can put the tech in place, your Stakeholders will be there to continuously improve on what has been implemented Whatever you implement it can always be improved upon, the process, the People and the technology

Understanding stakeholders IS CENTRAL. I would almost say "You can forget everything about change management except stakeholder mapping". In the typology of stakeholders, "detractors" are identified. By understanding their obstacles or fears, they can become your best allies. Be attentive and positive and come back to them often to show that their feedback is taken into account. Except for the systematic "opposing detractors" who will say no to everything. In this case, I advise you not to do anything in particular because you would fall into time-consuming exchanges that drain your vital energy!

Knowing your stakeholder also makes you more prepared when going against what they desire. You can easier get buy in etc off-course by getting to know your stakeholder but sometimes the road ahead is quite the opposite of what they'll ever want or do. Truly understanding their expectations and wants then gives you a massive advantage in preparing the communication and strategies ahead to deal with their actions and reactions regarding this. Making it a better situation for everyone, including them.

"Difficult stakeholders"..hmm. I would break this into two things: 1. What difficult means? Is it meaning against/ resisting the change or demanding or not supportive,..etc based on an open conversation I can figure this out. 2. Stakeholders, which group with which level of infuelence? I would start off focusing on engaging the leadership group (change owners) which will make engaging the rest more easier. Pls refer to Diffusion of innovation theory

First define difficult... is that alignment, Understanding, position, resistant Every Stakeholder is on an influence and impact scale, where influence is high they you must understand what it is that is making them difficult and why, address the concerns and DEMONSTRATE you have heard them, suggest ideas that might be palatable to "Bring them around" Also consider your interpretation of difficult, rarely is someone "bloody-minded" for the sake of it... get under the skin of their concerns and if necessary look at leveraging other stakeholders relationships with them, also consider where the middle ground is and work from there

Applying change models and framework for different levels of change helps in ensuring success of the change strategy eg Kotter’s or Mckinsey’s change models for the overall change plan. But when it comes to managing change for stakeholders or individuals, Kluber Ross change model would be apt

People fear change so you need to make it as easy as possible for them to transition through the change. Map out what all the changes are and when they’re going to be shared. Identify other stakeholders who need the change messaging shared differently to other stakeholder groups and ensure you engage change champions throughout the change. Make it personal for all involved. Hand holding really helps. Sometimes the change seems huge but when you break it down it’s just a different way to how it was yesterday to what it will be tomorrow.

El primer paso es identificar y posicionar a las personas de influencia, su impacto y su disposición al cambio. A partir de esta identificación, yo agregaría una entrevista 1:1 que contemple una conversación para entender como está interpretando la dinámica del proyecto, la gestión del equipo, la importancia del proyecto y sus beneficios y las expectativas y compromisos de el hacia el proyecto. Tener está conversación es clave, para comenzar a alinear a los sh difíciles y ampliar aliados estrategicos en cada proyecto de cambio.