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Today's rapid, dog-eat-dog business world practically forces companies to spill the apple cart if they want to create new growth. But overseeing change isn't simple. It takes leaders with something more than a fleeting knowledge of management to get it right. In what seems like magic (but is really a mix of art and science), business leaders can somehow drive their organizations to better results through laudable change initiatives. Yet, the gains from these efforts are too often more hoped for than delivered. Why does that happen, and what can you do to amp up the "effectiveness" of your change leadership?
The sponsorship that successful change management requires is actually the support and guidance of "top-tier" executives. These are not just any executives. In most instances, they are the very individuals who are responsible for moving an organization forward – the ones who have the most to gain and the most at risk. So, they have to be behind the changes in word and deed. You can't just have a figurehead. These leaders must not only consistently espouse the virtues of change, but they must also be seen to adopt them themselves and adopt the behavior that change requires.
Why is effective sponsorship in change management so important to our organizations? This question has been asked many times in research literature and in too many project debriefs. Yet still, more often than not, the topic of sponsorship is relegated to the "too difficult to define" category, and consequently too often it is ignored in research and practice in favor of exploring communication channels, training programs, and team development tactics.
What is change management, and why is it so hard to manage once you know what it is? Everyone knows that people like to do things "the old way." The "old way" is familiar and comfortable; you understand it, and it is not difficult to execute. It is akin to driving your car to work each day: it is habitual and almost unconscious. Change introduces uncertainty and unfamiliarity. And that uncertainty and unfamiliarity lead to (at least) two very powerful behaviors: resistance and forgetfulness.
Success hinges on a sponsorship plan that works.
What is a sponsor? In the context of a change initiative, a sponsor is typically a member of an organization’s leadership team who has the authority to make key decisions and provide necessary resources for a change to be successful. Sponsors are critical to the success of change because they provide support and remove barriers for the initiative, clearly communicate the change across the organization, and hold the team accountable for achieving the desired outcome.
Change management needs a sponsor to be successful. This key individual enables the control and support of the desired change throughout the organization. Usually, the person in this role is an executive or leader of the highest rank and wields the necessary power and influence to make the change happen. Across any kind of organization, the sponsor serves as a vital go-between who must elicit not just the permission but also the support of those at various levels of the existing power structure.
Sponsors stand front and center as change agents, leading and actively supporting the process of change from beginning to end. And sponsorship is not a one-time thing: it is an ongoing commitment to ensure the change—particularly a structural change—makes it all the way through to the desired, sustainable outcome.
We provide leadership that is both visible and by example during these times of change.
When the people who are going to be impacted by a change understand the purpose and the good that can come of it, this special type of communication is known as “Vision." Visualizing the future makes it real to those who are being asked to help bring it about.
This study examines how sponsorship affects employee engagement and the adoption rate of new practices in an organization.
For a change to be successfully implemented within an organization, it is vital that the top executive or someone in a similar role actively and visibly support the change.
The most effective sponsor will dedicate a significant amount of their time to lead the change and work at putting the planned change into action. This chapter explores why sponsorship is the crucial factor in determining the success of an organizational change and what individuals in the executive suite can do to serve as effective change sponsors. The chapter goes on to offer some insights into the types of resistance to change that are most likely to be encountered.
The absence of assistance from top-level executives and sponsors who are not genuinely involved in a project will almost certainly impede its forward motion.
Having an effective sponsorship is very significant if we want to enhance employment commitment and the acceptance of change. If top management really supports the change and visibly demonstrates that support, employees are more likely to commit to the process, the i's and o's we might say, because we recognize that when we're personally invested in something, we open ourselves up to being changed by it.
On the other hand, if leaders seem not to care, vary their support, or are against the change, employees become confused, frustrated, or even cynical. They generally do not take the change seriously, often resisting it in any way they can.
The next three case studies provide examples of successful change that occurred because a company had an engaged sponsor. What does it mean for a sponsor to be engaged? In the context of a change initiative, it means that the sponsor's time, resources, and energy are positively associated with the initiative. The sponsor is not only paying attention to the change but also visibly and energetically supporting it.
The number of examples of flourishing change initiatives with good sponsorship is large. What follows are some detailed accounts (or "case studies") of the critical role sponsorship plays in managing change.
In 120 countries, a world-leading pharmaceutical firm unveiled a new global Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. This was not just a major IT initiative but also quite possibly the most extensive "change management" project the company had ever taken on. The CEO was the executive project sponsor and played a key role, articulating the purpose, the benefits, and the inevitability of the change to all who would listen. From there, it was a project of positive energy, even elation, right throughout the company. Our investment in people and the reform of how we did our work had paid off, and by almost every measure.
A large financial services company underwent a major reorganization. The firm's leaders merged two parts of the business, assembled a brand-new executive committee, and adjusted around several thousand positions in an all-out effort to reorient their core business strategy. Whereas most businesses under this amount of stress would nonetheless start to buckle under the threat of high-profile dissenters who incite fight-or-flight, this company not only maintained the faith of its employees in the strategic direction set by the company president and his new executive committee but also managed to avoid an economy-wide downward spiral.
A new quality management system was established by a small manufacturing company. This was done with the purpose of improving its products and processes. The process improvement work that went along with the system establishment was led by the company owner, who did so from the perspective of serving as the system implementation sponsor. The company was not ISO-certified and chose to implement the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence. This article will describe the steps involved in the implementation of the Change Process within a Quality Management System (QMS) that operates using the Baldrige Criteria and, at the same time, demonstrate to the effective change agents how success can be achieved.
Effective sponsorship requires thoughtful strategizing. To cultivate and maintain valuable sponsorships, organizations cannot rely on chance alone. Instead, they must lay careful plans and implement well-thought-out, deliberate strategies. Leaders of organizations should lead their staff in systematically using four primary sponsorship strategies: identifications, appeals, negotiations, and renewals. Proactive approaches at all stages are far more successful than waiting, hoping, and then praying for a sponsor to come along.
The successful implementation of any organizational change requires an enthusiastic and engaged sponsor. Unfortunately, not all sponsors are equal. Some invest themselves fully, ensuring the right kind of visibility and impact; others are more passive, thinking that their mere presence is enough.
How can leaders ensure effective sponsorship happens at their organization? Several strategies are worth considering.
It all starts with choosing the right sponsor for a systemic initiative. You must select a high-ranking individual who is an executive-level leader with the authority and influence to be a successful advocate for the change you're sponsoring. You also need to make sure this person "gets it"—really understands why the change you are initiating is not just a good thing but also absolutely necessary for the future of the business. And your sponsor must also have a very visible kind of "fire in the belly" that telegraphs to everyone that they are fully committed to the change, no matter how tough it gets.
More than power and loyalty, the person who funds a project must possess the right set of tools. They must be able to communicate effectively and build trust. They must be skilled collaborators and be able to get over hurdles—be they personal or professional—without creating resistance or obstacles.
"Effective sponsorship progresses by forming a coalition with other potent leaders and change agents" said Daryl Conner. The important and effective work of the sponsor cannot be done solo. Working with people who have a stake in the outcome, the sponsor identifies the many influential figures who can help make the change emerge. These leaders "sell" the change in various ways to the affected parties and very often stand to benefit when the change is successful. The sponsor, by herself, can't very well "sell" change to people; she needs other people to be in the vanguard.
The following text can be rephrased as: A culture of cooperation and mutual support within the coalition is to be cultivated by the sponsor and is to be appreciated and rewarded by the sponsor.
Successful sponsorships depend on clear communication and being seen. Clarifying a business's intent is central to effective sponsorship. When a company wants to make a real impact with its sponsorship spending, it first must clearly define its intent. Businesses that communicate what they hope to achieve through a sponsorship are more likely to achieve that aim. When sponsors "go dark"—spend money without clarifying for the event organizer or participant network what they hope to achieve—they are squandering a powerful communication tool. "We sponsored Event X" has zero communication value. "We sponsored Event X to be associated with the cutting edge of this field and to reach a network of critical influencers" has substantial value.
Achieving effective sponsorship requires two main steps: communication and visibility. Frequent and open lines of dialogue must be established between the sponsor and the stakeholders affected by the change. These lines of communication must deliver a clear, consistent message about the purpose, benefits, and progress of the change. And second, while the sponsor is maintaining an open and consistent discussion with key stakeholders, that same sponsor must also visibly demonstrate to those key stakeholders the same clarity about the change's purpose, benefits, and the progress being made.
Additionally, the commitment, enthusiasm, and visible support of the sponsor are equally crucial. For these reasons, it really pays off to convey the sponsor's commitments and enthusiasm through the percentage of the sponsor's brand integration in the message and in the types of benefits that the visibly-branded events can bring not just to the sponsor, but also to their audience.
Conquering problems with the sponsorship of change management is anything but easy. Indeed, the very accomplishment of understanding and then addressing such challenges, along with the leadership and political savvy it takes to sustain momentum once a change wave has begun to form, are part and parcel of any significant change effort. (That includes, of course, the effort to achieve change through the sponsorship of a "project" or by doing work collectively that an organization used to do in more fragmented ways.) If you had any doubts about this, the many unsuccessful--and sometimes disastrous--change initiatives you've seen in your own past should have banished them.
The success of change management depends on obtaining sponsorship. Yet this is far from easy. Leaders often resist change, as do employees. And even when sponsorship is secured, it still might not be enough to achieve the desired outcome, because change is unpredictable. In his forthcoming book, "Why Change Programs Don’t Produce Change," Dr. Jim Goldsmith dissects what it means to lead change. In this Harvard Business Review article, he focuses on the pivotal role that sponsors play and suggests some strategies that can make change a little less fraught.
Think about these tactics:
Opposition to change is a basic part of human nature. But when it comes to leading change, there is a way to help people move forward. Active sponsorship means more than just being an advocate for change. It means addressing resistance head-on, and the most effective way to do that is through active dialogue. That doesn't eliminate all the problems, of course, but it does spare the organization needless frustration and even anger and allows us to zero in on what really must be done.
Furthermore, it is really important to encourage and empower employees to embrace change. For businesses to succeed, change must occur. But major changes to an organization or its operations can be very disruptive and, by their very nature, can cause many employees to feel uncertain. To help allay those concerns, employees should be included and consulted throughout the change process to the fullest extent possible. They should see themselves as change agents, as part of the solution being put in place. Change is no one's enemy when they are part of the change process.
How sponsorship intertwines with adaptive change management is an ever-present, recurrent theme. It had to adapt-some would say metamorphose. It is no exaggeration to say that no organizational change can be considered successful unless it demonstrates the support and active involvement of those who have the reins of power in an organization. This remains true even when the "sponsor" is not part of the hierarchical power structure: foundations crumbling, harsh winds of change, et cetera.
The way organizations deal with change is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, they must be adaptable, iterative, and responsive to the ever-shifting needs and predicaments that arise both internally and externally. When these demands are met, we see "adaptive change management" in action. In this framework, the concept of sponsorship is being redefined and is required to be more "dynamic" or "agile", as it operates in a constantly changing business and operating climate.
It is crucial to get ready to modify strategies and tactics as the nature of the change becomes clearer. The change is going to bring on new challenges, and leadership must be prepared to address those challenges with the right strategies and tactics. Open and frequent communication with the various people in the organization is important for two reasons. It allows sponsors to maintain a clear view, with realistic input, of what is happening on the front lines and, in turn, with the rest of the organization.
Any project of change management carries with it a certain amount of danger, made all the worse when there is a fog of uncertainty around how the venture will actually work out. Proactive sponsorship—a partnership between the senior manager who pushes forward to effect the change and the senior top team members who go along—can work in advance to analyze these potential risks and figure out how to keep them from blowing serious holes in the ultimate outcomes likely to come from the change.
Sponsors can't anticipate every potential serious issue on the horizon, but they can try. And the more they do, the more they can squelch those that might appear, well before they actually do. Nonetheless, current high levels of uncertainty concerning how most things will actually play out have created a major legitimate reason for significant top management involvement.
The article has explored the critical part sponsorship plays in making change management initiatives work. We've made it clear that strong sponsorship requires active, visible, and vocal support; guidance and direction from executives that can and should be obtained in gaps in understanding, motivation, or commitment between them and those being led; and the kind of follow-through that demonstrates the intensity and duration of intent to make a change bring about a result.
Moreover, we've proven that employee engagement and the acceptance of new ideas are decisively affected, both favorably and powerfully, by sponsorship that works. When a change initiative is undertaken, there's usually a reason for it, and, in general, if you're not effecting change, then you're not doing your job. For there are all sorts of situations that might call for change in either a large or a small way. But whatever the situation, good, solid, robust sponsorship is essential. Almost always, you need a champion to secure any sort of a win. Indeed, for most change situations, you need someone to lead the troops.
This article furnishes plenty of insights and strategies to help you make the most of the power of sponsorship when it comes to effecting change. We hope it did just that—that it left you with a plan of action you're eager to implement, or that it generated at least one meaningful idea you can hang onto until you need it.
We also hope you'll stay in touch with us, either as a user of our products and services or as a member of our community.
Join our team today and start your life-changing adventure as a leader who drives change!
In today’s fast-paced world, the ability to stay calm, adapt, and lead confidently during uncertainty is what separates successful leaders from those who crumble under pressure. In The Agility Advantage: Why Most Leaders Fail Under Pressure (and How You Won’t), we uncover why traditional leadership models fall short in mission-driven organizations like healthcare, NGOs, and B-Corps—and how you can build the skills to thrive. Discover practical strategies for developing emotional intelligence, making quick decisions, and co-creating solutions with your team. Plus, learn real-world lessons from leaders who turned chaos into opportunity. Ready to embrace agility and ensure your mission’s success? This is your guide. Don’t just survive uncertainty—lead through it.
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