How do you make a persuasive case for change?

I have found that taking time to understanding the problem in the eyes of the different stakeholders is time invested well, I have also found the tool known as the Value Proposition from Strategyzer being really useful in appreciating how the pains and gains can unlock a more thorough analysis of the purpose/ intent of the change itself.

As a Kotter Change Management practitioner this phase is called Step 1 : Creating Urgency. This is probably the hardest phase and needs the management team to buy in. We need to go in with a lot of work done earlier. Most Management teams need to understand if there is a major loss if we dont press the change ahead soon. If it is not impactful enough it usually gets postponed.

There are measurable and non measure benefits for each major change intervention and some of it keeps evolving. A regular cadence of communication and honesty helps people stay invested in the process.

In my experience the difficulty is in communicating the need for change that it appeals and make sense to all levels of the organization. People ask: changing from what to what !?! Often it is difficult to be precise without an assessment of the present approaches that the whole organization can relate to. Often a change is required to become more effective or efficient and it is important that leadership covers these aspects and provide a clear plan of execution and and continuously communicate the progress, who will be affected, how, when and any mitigating actions. Communication and clarity are key!

I agree, but in my experience most change journeys have a significant time horizon, describing benefits that are 3-5 years ahead of being realized could feel overwhelming. Change is the direction that a business is traveling in, the outcomes achieved being the destination. In my view outcomes should be the focus and staged incrementally so as to keep engagement and momentum with the very stakeholders involved. Having a strategy in place that helps an organization appreciate outcomes in ‘bite-size’ chunks could be useful, integrating adoption metrics with a target outcome for value, experiential, financial, quality, etc. taking the time upfront during design phases to assess and baseline the starting point is critical

An example of how to mitigate is to ensure to conduct extensive user research, this is so that you can start to consider your personas and their specific needs, mapping this out including beliefs, motivations, observed behaviors, preferences for how to engage, how to provide feedback etc could mean that the change narrative is more personalized to the type of persona that it serves

In my experience the vision should always be anchored with the business. Ideally also led out of the business in terms of shaping that vision. A practical way to onboard teams to the vision is to run open sessions where colleagues can help to input to the change vision in line with the business goals.

Trying to encourage time-bound CTA is a good approach, so what must happen now vs what would be nice. Making it clear what the ask is and using clean and uncluttered language is important. I have often used instant feedback tools to gage the understanding of the CTA with stakeholders which provides me feedback on how simple and clear the ask actually is. As the change driver being adaptable and fast in adjusting and communicating CTA approaches is a good way to continue building trust with stakeholders