Managing change:
most common
mistakes made by
sponsors
3.
2005 change management data on executive
sponsorship
According to data from the 2005 Change
Management Best Practice Report, active and
visible executive sponsorship is the number
one contributor to change management
success. This tutorial will provide the most
common mistakes made by executive sponsors.
For additional information about executive
sponsorship check out the resources below:
•
•
•
Tutorial on "Creating your sponsor
roadmap"
Register for a free webinar on "Developing
your change management sponsor"
2005 Change Management Best Practices
Report with a complete "Sponsor Role"
section - Report will be ready the third week
in June.
•
Other projects took priority.
•
They moved on to the next "flavor of
the month."
Executive sponsors did not build a
sponsorship coalition:
•
They assumed support from other
business leaders would be there; they
moved too fast without ensuring that
key managers were on board.
•
They underestimated resistance and
the impact of the change on
employees.
•
They assumed the message trickled
down; they assumed everyone
understood the need for change.
•
They failed to set expectations of other
business leaders.
•
They tolerated resistance from midlevel managers.
Participants also listed other mistakes that
executive sponsors made during major change
initiatives.
Most common mistakes made by executive
sponsors
•
The top three mistakes made by executive
sponsors as cited by 2005 Change
Management Best Practice Report participants
were:
•
1.
•
Executive sponsors failed to personally
engage as the sponsor for the change:
•
They abdicated sponsorship to lower
level managers, the project team or
consultants.
•
They failed to communicate the need
for change and risks of not changing.
•
They were absent or ignored the
project, failed to stay involved and
track progress and were not visible
after the initial kick off.
•
2.
•
•
•
Preparing your sponsor
They failed to reinforce a consistent
message throughout the project.
Below are three "how to" action steps for the
change management team to follow when
preparing the primary, executive sponsor.
These actions taken by the change
management team will help the executive
sponsor minimize their risk for mistakes:
Executive sponsors changed priorities midstream:
•
They did not recognize the need for
change management early in the
project.
They did not see change leadership as
a skill gap among managers and
business leaders.
They failed to identify and manage
change overload (too many changes all
at one time causing employees to
reach change saturation).
They dictated the change with little or
no communication.
They rushed the change without
adequate preparation and planning.
They let the project move along without
celebrating milestones; they failed to
acknowledge efforts and express
appreciation for efforts upon
completion of the project.
Their commitment wavered or support
dwindled.
1
Copyright 2005. Prosci. All rights reserved.
www.change-management.com
1.
Prepare a roadmap for your primary
sponsor using the template provided in the
tutorial on "Creating your sponsor
roadmap" as your starting point. The
complete package of sponsor materials and
resources is found in the Change
Management Toolkit (hardcopy) or
Change Management Pilot (online
version).
2.
Provide the primary sponsor with the
completed plan. Also provide the primary
sponsor with sponsor checklists organized
by the target audience and timing for the
change. The complete checklists are found
in the Change Management Toolkit or
Change Management Pilot.
3.
Facilitate and assist the sponsor in
completing activities in the sponsor
roadmap and completing items on the
checklist. The change management team
will be an ongoing aide to the primary
sponsor to:
•
provide support to the project team.
•
develop management sponsorship with
critical sponsors and the leadership
team (sponsor assessment results
done in Phase 1 are used to support
this step, sponsor assessments can be
found in the Change Management
Toolkit or Change Management
Pilot.)
•
provide direction and create awareness
with employees.
Summary
This tutorial provided most common mistakes
made by executive sponsors. It also provided
three action steps for preparing your sponsor.
For more in depth information on executive
sponsorship and their role in change
management, register for the free webinar
focused on "Developing your change
management sponsor", check out the new
2005 Change Management Best Practice
Report on its release date in June and look into
the resources provided in the Change
Management Toolkit or Change Management
Pilot.
2
Copyright 2005. Prosci. All rights reserved.
www.change-management.com
Resource guide
Benchmarking Reports and Toolkits
Books and Resources to distribute
Best Practices in Change Management:
288 companies share experiences in managing
change and lesson on how to build great
executive sponsorship. Includes success
factors, methodology, role of top management,
communications, team structure and more. The
report makes it easy to learn change
management best practices and discover the
mistakes to avoid when creating executive
sponsorship.
Change Management: the people side of
change: a solid foundation in change
management perspectives, theories, activities
and practices.
Employee's Survival Guide to Change:
answers questions most employees are
unwilling to ask and uncovers what it takes to
survive and thrive in today’s changing
workplace. Employees will learn the ADKAR
model and become effective change agents,
instead of difficult change barriers.
Change Management Toolkit:
a comprehensive change management process,
including templates, worksheets, assessments,
checklists and guidelines - a must have for
change management team members and
consultants.
Change Management Guide for Managers
and Supervisors: a guide specifically designed
for managers and supervisors dealing with
change - complete with team and individual
coaching activities, best practices findings and
frequently asked questions.
Online tools
Change Management Pilot: a fully electronic
version of Prosci's popular change management
toolkit with templates, worksheets,
assessments, checklists, eLearning modules,
ready-to-use presentations and guidelines.
Change Management Pilot Professional:
a fully electronic version that combines the
Change Management Pilot with the Change
Management Guide for Managers and
Supervisors and Employee’s Survival Guide - a
combination that allows you to reach each level
of the organization.
3
Copyright 2005. Prosci. All rights reserved.
www.change-management.com