Are Key Stakeholders Holding Back Your Cultural Development?

Resistance to change is inevitable. As the person in charge of driving momentum for corporate culture change, having a plan for dealing with stakeholder concerns is crucial for maintaining momentum and avoiding derailment.

Korn Ferry’s guide to getting in front of stakeholder pushback is designed to help you answer common stakeholder questions and bring others along on the transformation journey.

Researchers at Harvard Professional Development believe that stakeholder resistance is the most common reason why many change initiatives fail. Every change initiative will come up against resistance, no matter how much time and effort you have spent building a coalition or crafting your communication strategy.

This is especially true regarding workplace culture, which touches every part of the business and shapes the very nature of day-to-day operations.

People resist cultural change because they may be afraid of the unknown or what it may mean for their roles and responsibilities. They may see the change as a threat to their job security, lack trust in the team driving the initiative, or disagree with the goals of the project. Some stakeholders may not see any issues with the cultural status quo.

Failing to address specific concerns can lead to a situation where resistance builds and derails your culture development, leaving the organization with nothing to show for its efforts.

We believe great change management is about creating a movement among your key stakeholders to drive the momentum of a new culture.

Get in front of stakeholder concerns

Looking for advice on answering common questions about cultural change or tailoring your business case to address different stakeholder needs? Download Korn Ferry’s practical guide to getting in front of stakeholder concerns here.