When implementing change in an organization, the change team is the focal point. Every member of the change team is assigned tasks and all members have to do their jobs well in order for a change project to be successful. What is not given a lot of focus is how to keep executive support in place consistently throughout the process. This tends to be both a common and unfortunate oversight because top management should be leading change. Question: How can executive support be kept consistent all throughout the change process?

In most business settings there are regular meetings, often weekly but at least several times a month, devoted to discussing current issues related to running the business. This is a good way to maintain the business and prevent problems from getting out of proportion. This could also be effective if this mindset is adopted for change initiatives. Regular meetings should also be held to focus on the topic of business change alone.

To conserve time, one meeting could be divided into two different sessions. For example, if there is an all-day, run the business meeting scheduled for Mondays, that time can be divided into a morning session and an afternoon session wherein the first portion of the day is devoted to resolving run the business issues. This gives a dual purpose. First, it lets the executives get the pressing current needs off their minds. Second, by incorporating a recess in between the sessions, the team can have a little bit of time to disassociate themselves with the issues that were tackled in the first session, in preparation for the next session.

The second session should be devoted solely to change the business. By giving a special time to focus on issues regarding change, it can put the executive level on the forefront and makes it easier to maintain executive support needed for the change. If a roomful of execs are incapable of describing, at least in broad strokes, where the current change initiatives are, it is a signal that insufficient time is being devoted to those projects. Holding a meeting that will focus on implementing change alone, will not only draw executive support but will provide a chance to tackle problems and drive change initiatives forward.

For more information on business change management, please check out our website: Implementing Change