As change management consultants, we’ve had a chance to work with some great Sponsors. When we see leaders who are consistent in what they are Expressing, Modeling and Reinforcing the new behaviors, the change projects we work on move much faster. But we also find our share of leaders who just don’t get what they need to do as leaders of change.
As the question of sponsorship keeps coming up, I thought that I would re-post this blog.
Just how important is sponsor contracting to successful transformational change? Don Harrison, IMA President and developer of AIM (Accelerating Implementation Methodology) will tell you that all failed transformational change can be traced back to poor sponsor contracting with the Authorizing Sponsors.
AIM Goes Virtual
In the implementation of an organizational change, everyone has a role. In fact, many people have more than one role. In the AIM Change Management Methodology, I’ve deemed the Who’s Who of organizational change a “CAST of Characters.” Each of the four roles, Champions, Agents, Sponsors and Targets has a specific job to do:
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times…Sponsorship is the single most important factor in a fast and successful implementation. But what exactly is Sponsorship? And why is it so important?
I have a little secret to tell you. If you are a Change Agent it is probably something you don’t want to hear, but I’m going to let you in anyway. Ready? Here it is… your Sponsors don’t care about change management.
When most people think about change management, they automatically assume preparing targets is the most important activity a Change Agent should be doing. But we all know you should never assume (and we all know why, too!) The fact is, having visible and active Sponsors at all levels of the organization who are actively demonstrating their commitment to a change, both publicly and privately, is the most important factor in a fast and successful implementation.
Whether it is digital transformation, continuous improvement initiatives such as Lean Six Sigma, culture change or a shared services implementation, the success of any change project depends on the demonstrated Expressed, Modeled and Reinforced commitment of all the managers and leaders who have direct reports that are impacted in some way by the change. This cascade of behavioral Sponsor commitment is the single most important factor in a fast and successful implementation.
Don Harrison, the developer of the AIM Change Management Methodology, has spent his 40+ year career working with global organizations on how to implement complex change. He specializes in delivering tough messages to senior executives on their role as Sponsors. Not an easy task!
You’ve heard it time and time again: Project Sponsorship is the most critical success factor in ensuring a fast and successful implementation of any type of business change. But Sponsorship is not just one executive leader who signs the check and authorizes the launch of an initiative. It’s also not a steering committee of key leaders tasked with making strategic decisions along the way.
