Everett Rogers, author of Diffusion of Innovations, developed the adoption curve you see here. The curve is very useful for thinking about marshaling support for change and where to focus your efforts.
- Innovators “get” the change intuitively and will help pull the change with you. They are an important communication ally.
- Early adopters are often opinion leaders who try out new ideas in a thoughtful way. They will not require much effort to mobilize.
- The early and late majorities fall into the “wait and see” middle. Early majority people are careful but quicker than the average person to accept change. Late majority people watch the early majority people to see what they do. This middle area is your primary target.
- Laggards are wedded to the status quo. They will come along only when the change seems inevitable.
Your task as a leader or manager of change is to focus on the early and late majorities. This is the biggest pay-off point. Enlist the innovators and early adopters to help. Focus on three things:
- The business case for change
- The vision of the future
- The change plan and how it will show people the way forward
In addition to the early and late majorities, you will want to pay attention to a special subset of the population. These are key stakeholders - people who have a keen interest in the way the change progresses and its eventual outcome. You will want to understand their position relative to the change and determine actions to obtain their support.