How to engage senior stakeholders in change management

It's important to know how to communicate the right way with everyone in the business. With change management, senior stakeholders can be the hardest to convince. Here is how you'll be able to engage senior stakeholders to make any change a smooth process.

Make them see the big picture

It's vital that you never go into any change with a blind eye. Everything needs to be planned ahead including detailing why the change was needed and what it'll mean for the future. If you make stakeholders see the bigger picture it'll make your life a lot easier.

Communicate in a meaningful way

When you are dealing with senior stakeholders, it's important to communicate in the right way. Sending an e-mail or a generic message might not be good enough. Sometimes it's best to communicate in a much more meaningful way which is going to make them feel more involved.

Negotiate conflicts

When it comes to large corporate change, there are going to be those that disagree. Rather than dismissing the thoughts of stakeholders, it's important to listen to them. Their points might be valid or it could be that they just need convincing.

Understand that they don't know it all

Senior stakeholders can often be a great source of information. Other times, they might be out of touch with the latest business trends. You have to be prepared to explain to them all the reasons behind the change that is happening. That way, you'll get everyone on board and it will make the transition a lot easier.

Consult, early and often

There is nothing that will anger senior stakeholders more than not being consulted on a change. If you feel that change is required, you should consult those in all areas of the business, as well as contractors and project management. This will ensure that there isn't any anger and will actually make them happy they are involved.

Compromise

You have to accept that the change that you are planning might not be perfect. If any amendments offered by senior stakeholders make sense then you have to be prepared to compromise. The result could be an ever smoother change and a better solution.