It is a fact of organizational life that where there is power there is politics. In Anticipate Support Congruence, we introduced the importance of aligning key systems to ensure that your change is supported adequately. However, the fact that change in one unit may require change in another can present a threat to a group’s pattern of stability and their sense of prevailing advantage as well as the larger balance of power. When this happens, organizational politics can threaten a change effort.
The effort in building a Change Network is meant to directly address and line up political support very early in the project. However, not everything about the change is evident in the beginning. Some of the implications emerge over time. These implications may involve requirements sponsors don’t believe they signed up for. Or more basically, stuff happens and people in key positions of power may change the nature of their support for a variety of reasons. Your job as change leader during this phase is to keep a constant pulse on the power and politics of the organization and intervene where necessary to keep the coalition of support headed in your direction.
In Marshaling Support in Foundations for Change, the Stakeholder Mapping Template and companion Guide to Managing Stakeholders were introduced. These are excellent tools to help you keep the pulse on politics and should be refreshed at this stage of the effort, especially if key stakeholders may have changed.