Initiative 5. What impact does the initiative provoke?

Some stakeholders expected the change in question, indeed. Others did not, hence the widespread idea of a natural , inevitable "resistance to change". Beware of our propensity to filter out facts that oppose our conviction: if "resistance to change" is my motto, I’m bound to sub-esteem those stakeholders who actually wish to change.

What can the initiative do? We have seen initiatives reduce uncertainty relevant for an actor. provide a solution to a difficult problem an actor has been struggling to solve. On the other way round, initiatives can further increase the uncertainty of an actor. The latter has to manage the change without losing face, find a way to justify his salary.

Assumption. Initiative implies impact on the job and impact on responsibilities—and gains, not just pain.

Tools. ADKAR = Desire questionnaire, Stakeholder register.

ADKAR model designers show that the desire for change is something you can build. The architect of desire is the direct supervisor of the operator concerned who can’ wait for checking how the initiative impacts them with someone who understands and supports them, as appropriate.

Experimentation. Document a draft of impacts and gains at individual stakeholders’ levels.

Strenghtened by discovery interviews (see Environment), 1 - analyze benefits (for the team, for the individual) and impacts (on activities, responsibilities) for each stakeholder in the initiative and 2 – get to each of them in order to confirm / amend , with supervisor’s assistance.

Where to start? By supervisors themselves, top-down—the opposite of the former bottom-up approach of discovery based on the most realistic levels first, operators, up to the big boss, the sponsor.

References. ADKAR .

HIATT , J. M., ADKAR Awareness -Desire -Knowledge -Ability , Reinforcement , A model for change in business , government and our community , Loveland, Colorado, Prosci Learning Center Publications , 2006

Stakeholder responsibility. Stakeholders.