Leadership and Buy-in

Many authors have associated leadership with making changes, but no leader can effect a change without having first “sold” their idea to the key stakeholders. The doyen of change management and leadership, JP Kotter, has argued that a lack of communication before, during and after the change is a common theme in the failure of change management projects. Focusing on the communication both before and during the change, he recently published a book with LA Whitehead entitled “Buy-in: saving your good idea from getting shot down” (Harvard Business Review Press, 2010).

Here’s a summary of how leaders ensure “buy-in” followed by further implications (et alors?)

Leadership and Buy-in

Instead of Q&A, the authors speak of A&R: “Attacks” that any idea for change is likely to encounter along with generic “Responses”. Twelve proposed A&R can be categorised as follows:

Problem Denial

A – We’ve been successful so far so why change?
R – Success is temporary and to succeed further we must adapt.

A – You imply that we have been failing!
R – No, we suggest we have been doing a good job within the current limitations.

Solution Denial

A – What about this, and that, and this, and that…?
R – All good new ideas eventually raise questions which cannot be answered.

A – You are abandoning our core values!
R – The plan and the accompanying change actually uphold our core values!

A – No one else does this!
R – Do your homework or prove that you are the very first!

A – We tried it before and it did not work.
R – That was then. Conditions and context have now changed.

Implementation Denial

A – Good idea, but this is not the right time.
R – The best time is now and this is urgent, because…

A – It’s just too much work to do this!
R – A real challenge is a good challenge and this is a priority because…

A – It won’t work here; we’re different.
R – Relative to this particular problem and solution, we are similar because…

A – It puts us on a slippery slope to disaster.
R – This change will not lead to disaster in any form because…

A – You’ll never convince enough people.
R – That’s almost never possible; but I would like you to be convinced because…

A – We are simply not equipped to do this.
R – We already have much of what we need and we can get the rest because…

Et alors?

Some readers might liken the above generic responses to Schopenhauer’s “The art of being right: 38 ways to win an argument”, however, here, it is meant to be a sales technique to ensure buy-in rather than anything more intellectual, manipulative or even Machiavellian. Indeed, the real key to success is to have done your homework before making your pitch. What is interesting in the above categorisation is that the “implementation denials” really have to be supported with specific facts in addition to the generic response. It is also interesting to note that it might be better to spend more time on the solution than the problem and more time again on the implementation plan!

It should however be noted that the “buy-in” is only half the journey. Once sold, the change project actually has to be achieved (and continually communicated). In organisations with very strong and formal hierarchies, the “effecting change” part of the equation can often be overlooked! The “buy-in” is key and once approved by the “top,” the change implementation is sometimes neglected on the false premise that since it carries the badge of most-senior approval it can be implemented by simple “command”. Worse, when this approach becomes part of the corporate culture, too much time can be spent doing homework and getting everything impeccably correct before approval is sought. That can kill innovation and slow down the organisation’s adaption with the changing environment: ultimately, it can impede the competitive advantage of the organisation.  

With competition amongst many ideas, lots of initiatives and a pragmatic perspective on innovation (ie try-and-see), it is likely that some American leaders might need to be better prepared to achieve a “buy-in” of their idea within a corporate culture typically seen in the USA. Hence this (American) book! On the other hand, whilst this guide might be useful for leaders in all corporate cultures working in any part of the world, another problem arises where corporate cultures are very formal and very hierarchical (such as can be found in Europe), namely that too much time is spent on the “buy-in” and nothing else! The pitch has to be good and it has to be well supported with solid facts; but in such cultures, perhaps the onus is on the buyers as much as the sellers to get the “buy-in” just right within the dynamic of the changing environment…