Selling Change:7 Ps of Change Management

The only thing constant is change. Yet, change is never easy – both, at the individual or at  the organizational level. Change Management is a buzz word today (or probably has always been). There are several ways to usher in change. We could do it in a evolutionary way disrupting the status quo quickly or in an evolutionary way gradually adopting the change step by step. Regardless of your way, the key success factor is stakeholder buy-in. This buy-in is never easy. No one should be surprised. Its not easy to leave the comfort zone. If the need for change is obvious , there is no need for buy-in. However as if often the case, the need for change is not obvious at all. In fact the status quo looks more realistic and appealing. The promised land seems a day dream, seemingly impossible to achieve from where those people are at the moment.

If you ponder a bit, getting the buy-in for change in such an environment is nothing less than selling. Selling happens to us all the time and in many cases successfully. We switch products from our tooth paste to mobile phone to cars – because a new commercial or product features appeal to us. Or maybe a friend gives in strong recommendations.

Why not then to use some learnings from marketing to help our change management buy-in efforts. The 4Ps of marketing are standard literature to any marketing student. 4Ps (product, place, price and promotion) represent aspects that complete the picture and validate a viable offering – an offering that someone would go for.

Inspired by the 4Ps of marketing, listed below are 7Ps of change management. If you can answer them in a concrete way, it will help the buy-in efforts by basing your change management efforts on a good and robust foundation. On one hand, this will help to make sure efforts for change are based on solid, relevant and contextual plans and not “jargon”. On the other, for the people that are expected to change, it gives them a clear definition and road map of what to expect.

7Ps of Change Management

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