Strategy Execution is a Change Process - Part II

In this series of posts, I am viewing a Strategy Execution implementation through a Change Management lens.

For those needing a review, I'm comparing the ESE concepts against Kotter's latest installment, where he outlined the eight "Stages of Change."  They include:

1. - Sense of Urgency
2. - Guiding Coalition
3. - Developing a Vision
4. - Communicating the Vision
5. - Empowering Employees
6. - Short Term Wins
7. - Consolidating Wins
8. - Anchoring in the Culture

In my last post (part 1) I wrote about Sense of Urgency. So now let's discuss the Guiding Coalition. It represents the vertically integrated people who will ensure that the project succeeds, even in the tougher times. First let's talk about 'who.'

At the top, the Coalition needs a top-echelon senior executive who thoroughly understands the journey, possesses the credibility to lead the team, and has budgetary control.  This is frequently labeled the Sponsor. Often, senior executives without the requisite power base lead coalitions to an unsuccessful ending, as their perceived power and influence prove limited and insufficient to overcome the obstacles. The Sponsor doesn't need to be that involved, but they do need to be the lead 'general' constantly clearing battlefield for the team.

Next in line comes the Senior Champion. One step down the totem-pole, they are still quite senior in rank, but very active in the weekly activities of the team. They truly understand the internal workings, politics, and nuances to ensure project success.

Then you need your project team who will get the work done.

All very logical and reasonable.

But, the interesting thing that I've learned is that you need to work with a guiding coalition EVERY TIME.  Even in the implementations where the executive team appears unified and the top executive appears 100% behind the project, don't be fooled. 

You still need the core coalition who will go first, be successful, and represent the model for the rest of the organization. The reason is that in any organization, there are always doubters and resistors to change. Many may have gotten good at smiling and nodding their heads, but their actions (or lack of them) show their true feelings. If you're in an organization where buy-in is marginal, then using a guiding coalition should be a no-brainer.

In my next installment, I'll talk about steps 3 & 4, which address the Vision and how to communicate it.