[RBM+E] "P" - Performers' status quo: what should be done?

Navigating Organizational Resistance: Building Coalitions for Change

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In this paid post (partially free), I'll talk about how to drive change from inside your company, especially when you suggest ideas to the people who do the work. It might seem strange that the workers have trouble changing things, even though they come up with many new ideas. The truth is they need to work with many teams like compliance, security, and infrastructure.

Through my work with numerous organizations, I've identified several critical strategies for shifting entrenched systems:

• Understanding goal alignment across teams

• Building effective coalitions for change

• 🔐 Detecting organizational undercurrents

• 🔐 Navigating conflicting implementation approaches

• 🔐 Managing direct goal conflicts with status quo defenders

The free portion of this article will introduce you to the fundamental concept of goal alignment - a simple yet powerful method I've used to overcome organizational inflexibility. You'll learn how to identify shared objectives and present your proposals in ways that resonate with other stakeholders.

For my premium subscribers, I'll reveal advanced techniques for detecting the subtle signs of change readiness within your organization, creating innovative hybrid solutions when implementation approaches differ, and successfully managing situations where your goals directly oppose those who prefer maintaining the status quo. You'll also learn why escalation to higher authorities often backfires and how to create genuine alignment instead.

Let's begin with the foundation of successful organizational change: understanding the goals that drive different stakeholders and finding the intersections where collaboration becomes possible.

Understanding Goal Alignment Across Teams

Allow me to share what I've learned about the first critical step in driving organizational change - something I've personally seen derail even the most promising initiatives. In my experience working with dozens of teams across different industries, I've noticed that every department operates with their own distinct priorities and success metrics. Engineers typically value elegant, maintainable solutions. Security teams, I've observed, are primarily concerned with protecting against vulnerabilities. And business stakeholders? They're laser-focused on revenue and growth metrics.

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

And did you know what I've discovered through trial and error? That these differences aren't obstacles to overcome - they're actually opportunities to create stronger solutions.

I've witnessed countless projects fail because someone assumed another team was being deliberately inflexible. In my consulting work, I've found that most resistance isn't arbitrary - it's almost always rooted in legitimate concerns that haven't been properly addressed. I often ask teams, "What might we be missing when we label others as 'resistant to change'?"

I've seen this tension play out repeatedly between development and security teams. Developers aren't trying to introduce vulnerabilities - they're responding to intense delivery pressures. Security teams aren't trying to block progress—they're protecting against threats that could devastate the company's reputation and bottom line. Their perspective often stems from the assumption that electrical devices without power are the most secure. Similarly, your existing solutions without modifications typically present fewer security risks than those with changes.

Through years of facilitating cross-functional initiatives, I've developed these approaches that consistently work:

1. I always start by mapping what each team is measured on - both the official metrics and the unspoken expectations, especially the second group is interesting.

2. I've found it essential to understand their deeper concerns - the risks they're most worried about, including personal risk, like house mortgages and small kids.

3. When I frame proposals, I deliberately highlight benefits for multiple stakeholders - creating a WIN-win scenario. (Highly recommend you book Power of Nice)

4. I've learned to validate concerns thoroughly before jumping to solutions - in my experience, people need to feel heard first

5. I never present "finished" solutions without involving key stakeholders early - I've seen this approach backfire repeatedly

For instance, when I helped a financial services company redesign their development workflow, I didn't just emphasize developer productivity. I highlighted how it incorporated automated security scanning (addressing the security team's concerns), standardized compliance documentation (easing the legal team's burden), and accelerated time-to-market (meeting business objectives). The last one is especially popular last years as businesses started making pressure over IT teams.

I've consistently found that you don't need perfect alignment - just enough overlap to create mutual benefit. The most effective change agents I've worked with excel at identifying these intersection points. They understand that organizational change isn't about convincing others to abandon their priorities - it's about demonstrating how your approach helps everyone advance their objectives.

Building Effective Coalitions for Change

Now that you understand how to find alignment between different stakeholders, let's talk about the next crucial step - building coalitions for change. I've been in your shoes many times, feeling that frustration when a solution you've worked really hard on just sits there unused. Trust me, it happens to the majority of us - even the most brilliant ideas require organizational momentum behind them to become reality.

In my experience, building effective coalitions isn't just checking a corporate box - it's about gathering the right people who genuinely believe in what you're trying to accomplish.

When I think about building a coalition, I imagine creating a change "dream team" that includes:

1. People from various departments who'll actually benefit from your changes (they'll be your natural advocates, plus can give you business numbers and arguments)

2. Those influential early adopters (I can't tell you how many times these folks have saved my initiatives! They live these ideas.)

3. Contributors who've helped shape the solution (I've found people fight harder for ideas they helped create)

4. A network that keeps information flowing (because I've seen great ideas die from simple communication gaps. Sometimes others have easier to explain your idea to others than yourself)

5. Public recognition for supporters (something I learned the hard way - people need to feel appreciated, put them on slide, invite into the meeting)

Have you noticed how many technical professionals (myself included, earlier in my career) get uncomfortable with the relationship-building part? The most effective alliances I've been part of included:

• A mix of frontline workers and leaders (you need both the tactical depth people AND the strategically rich people)

• Folks from all affected departments (I once missed, including a key team and had to restart almost from scratch, security is your ally, most of us try to avoid them)

• Both visionaries and pragmatists (I love having dreamers to push boundaries alongside realists who make things work, group built from dreamers will be inefficient, someone needs to deliver this, group of workers will never come here)

Also, what's helpful and worked well for me: I always start with one-on-one conversations before bringing everyone together. This gives me space to understand individual concerns, tailor my message, and address objections privately. Plus, I can spot who might become my strongest advocates. You can learn on this stage building stakeholders map and trying to recognize to which groups from two previous lists they belong. It will be useful in the future.

At its heart, this is all about relationships. I've watched so many smart, technical people (including myself) focus exclusively on logic while underestimating connections. But I've learned that organizational change happens through people, not PowerPoints. The time you invest in building genuine relationships with potential allies will pay dividends throughout your entire change journey.