Senior stakeholders are pushing back on project changes. How can you navigate their resistance effectively?

In my experience as a consultant and in delivering projects and programs, it is important to establish a real rapport with senior stakeholders. This means working to understand the motivations they have while ensuring you communicate your role effectively (ie not an 'order taker' but the guardian of benefits and outcomes). This is done by getting to know the 'whole person' and not just their work persona. Do you have any shared interests? What lights them up (at work, or in their personal life)? You don't have to be their friend, it's just to be clearer on why they think and behave. Done effectively, you are then able to demonstrate (and navigate) how you are keeping their interests and concerns aligned with the goals of the deliverables.

To effectively manage resistance from senior stakeholders, first seek to understand their concerns. Listen actively and empathize with their perspectives. They may have insights or information you haven't considered, which could be crucial for the project's success. By demonstrating that you value their input and are willing to incorporate their feedback, you create a foundation for open dialogue and mutual respect. Further establishing a win win solution would help bring closure to the problem.

Listen carefully and understand their concern as they may have more information and insight being senior stakeholders. Try to aligned their feedback and explain them pros and cons, navigate trade off with mitigation plan. Collaborate with open mind, embrace changes, give/take proper actionable feedback.

Approach which always works in this kind of scenario is proposing the change wrapped up with WIFM { WhatsApp In For Me ) from their perspective.

Here are some strategies to consider: Understand Their Concerns: Start by listening carefully to their objections. Understanding the root of their resistance—whether it’s related to budget, timeline, scope, or other factors—will help you address their concerns more effectively. Communicate Clearly: Present the rationale behind the proposed changes with clarity. Use data, facts, and logical arguments to demonstrate how the changes align with project goals, mitigate risks, or capitalize on opportunities. Involve Them in the Process: Engage senior stakeholders in the decision-making process. By involving them early on, you can gain their buy-in and address their concerns before they become major roadblocks. Build Strong Relationships.

Alignment of business objectives/benefits should be identified in the Project Blueprint so it can be referred to when presenting changes

Once you have listened to your stakeholders concerns, it can be helpful to reflect those concerns back to them to ensure you have heard correctly and are making the right interpretations.

Communication is the key. Getting one one-on-one with senior management to explain the numbers is always the most effective way to explain.

In my experience, when addressing stakeholder requests for changes, it's essential to approach each 'yes' with clarity about its implications. As a change professional, providing alternative options effectively means articulating the consequences and trade-offs of each choice. By clearly outlining these impacts, stakeholders are empowered to make informed decisions, shifting the responsibility back to them and ensuring they understand the strategic alignment and operational effects of their choices. This approach not only enhances decision-making but also reinforces stakeholder involvement and commitment to the project's outcomes.

Por experiencia, puedo decir que ofrecer diversas alternativas a la hora de proponer o afrontar cambios, ayuda a flexibilixar la resistencia. Permite a las partes interesadas identificarse con alguna de estas alternativas y sentirse libres de proponer las sullas. Tener diferentes alternativas para el cambio ayuda a no estar sesgados con una unica ruta.

Always offer alternatives. It should never be a one-sided analysis to get through a predetermined viewpoint. The alternatives may indicate a better result from the anticipated change. But it has to be presented to be a fair analysis of everything.

Durante un proyecto en una mulinacional, me tope con la implementación de un nuevo programa. Durante meses se sintio forzada la participación de todos. Luego se creo una insignia y el CEO aparecio en la reunión semanal con esta isignia. A la semana siguiente se hicieron largas filas en la oficina para suscribirse al programa y adquirir la insignia. Realmente el apalancamiento es algo que debemos probar en la gestión de partes interesadas.

I've found outside champions to be the most effective- whether it's community champions for the organisation to support publicly or lobby behind the scenes or major players that can exert influence, the 'web' of supporters can amplify and exert influence strongly and crucially breakdown resistencd and bring more supporters into that web. I work closely with elected politicians and their officers, but importantly also their constituents to garner support. I also work with key community groups to embed the organisation and also build consensual support

To effectively overcome resistance, it's crucial to leverage your existing rapport with key stakeholders and preemptively build consensus around proposed changes. Start by generating a detailed debate among senior stakeholders on all viable options, ensuring you clarify the strategic implications of each. Prior to board or committee discussions, align with influential stakeholders to secure their endorsement for your recommended options. This strategic alignment should happen early, ensuring that by the time proposals reach the boardroom, they are merely formalities rather than points of contention. This approach not only streamlines decision-making but also reinforces the impact of your influence in steering outcomes positively.

Identify and enlist the support of influential stakeholders who are on board with the changes. Their backing can help sway others. For instance, when Microsoft shifted to cloud services, they leveraged the support of key executives who could articulate the strategic benefits and build consensus.

While leverage works to some extent, facts are what will finally help get an understanding of the issue on hand and provide a resolution.

Engage in negotiations with a mindset of finding common ground. Be prepared to make compromises that do not undermine the project's core objectives. During IBM's transition to service-oriented solutions, effective negotiation and addressing stakeholder concerns about job security helped ease the transition.

Have a clear understanding of what you and your organisation need to achieve from the project, what you can and can't negotiate on. Preserving good relationships with stakeholders is always key, but there may be times when the changes your stakeholders are asking for take a project in a direction that just doesn't work for your organisation. If you can't find common ground towards agreed outcomes, then negotiate an agreed endpoint with relationships and trust intact.

Finding a common ground is most important. My experience resulted in providing the senior leadership team the option to move business away and lose thousands of years of experience in product manufacture at the plant designated for shutdown.(certain staff had been with the organization for 30 years) or invest in another location, with no experience in the kind of products manufactured. The common factor was that investments were required to replace aging machinery, the question being which location would be more meaningful. That was a skillful negotiation of facts

Keep the project moving forward despite resistance. Highlight small wins and maintain regular communication to show progress. When Amazon faced pushback on Prime's expansion, they kept momentum by showcasing early successes and continuously improving the service based on feedback.

Be open to the possibility that some team members might not be available on revised timings and be ready to navigate that with options such as additional sprints or engage different skill sets. Keep in close contact with stakeholders and be prepared for further course correction.

Trust and rapport and being balanced is critical and this starts with the stakeholders feeling like that are being heard and understood. Once trust is there, then respect can develop and stakeholders are far more likely to hear your ideas and suggestions. I try to remember that the project or programme is not “mine” - I am the custodian to help bring it forward and leverage the best out of the collective to do so.

Discuss and understand the project scope, changes to be implemented. Define, prioritise and effective execution based on project requirements helps to build smooth relationships with senior stakeholders. Avoid miscommunication and misunderstanding by explaining the hurdles involved upfront/when & wherever required and way to move forward for achieving the tasks.