Rally Change Without Immediately Gaining Universal Consensus
Change can be a tough sell, but people are passionate about their ideas. The problem comes when it's someone else's idea they resistance, especially when they feel it's being forced upon them. This is one reason why many transformation efforts fail. Leaders trying to create a sense of urgency might think convincing everyone at once is the best approach, but it's not.
Starting with a big announcement is more likely to trigger resistance or indifference than get the majority on board. Instead, focus on identifying enthusiastic people who want change to succeed and starting with a select small group. Show results and let the word spread, creating a successful momentum that will bring everyone onboard.
The traditional thinking is that managers need to gain approval for their budget, recruit additional specialists, and then expect to generate quick wins. However, this can often be seen as heavy-handed and create a false sense of urgency, pushing people to do something they're unwilling to do. Research shows that it's not necessary to gain the approval of the majority for an idea to take hold. Rather, it takes only 10-20% of the people who accept or adopt an innovation for its success.
Once you've identified your early adopters, focus on a significant milestone with a tangible goal, and multiple stakeholders. Make it a low-risk effort that a failure would not impede the overall change effort. Showing success makes selling the idea unnecessary as everyone can see that the idea can benefit everyone.
Change doesn't happen linearly and gets transmitted through social media through individual/group networks. Any failure will get transmitted immediately, killing the idea before it takes root. But success can lead to greater success as social media helps magnify the benefits and get more people on board.
In short, to implement change, you don't need to convince everyone at once. Start with people who are enthusiastic about the change, show results, and let the success build on itself naturally.
*In order to avoid overloading the content with excessive details, the following enrichment insights are incorporated:
- Critical mass: the point at which an innovation or idea gains enough momentum to become self-sustaining.
- Diffusion of Innovations Theory: segments the population into five groups: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards.
- Adoption rate: the rate at which an idea is adopted can influence its success. Faster adoption rates, especially after early adopters have embraced the idea, can lead to reaching critical mass more quickly.*
- To successfully implement change in a business setting, it's more effective to begin with a group of enthusiastic individuals who are willing to accept the proposed innovation, rather than convincing everyone at once.
- By focusing on a select few, demonstrating tangible results, and allowing the success to spread organically, leaders can achieve critical mass and bring the rest of the team on board—a strategy that aligns with the Diffusion of Innovations Theory.
