By Erika Allen, J.D., Ph.D
Consultant to this Program
Think your management team ought to be doing things differently? Need a bigger budget next year or additional headcount?
Many workers have good ideas that are never realized or requests that are passed over because, well, the requester didn’t have an effective way of asking. So, what is the best approach to convince your bosses that they ought to make a change? Read on to learn the essential ingredients for advocating your position at work, with force and with integrity…
It’s important to realize that bosses can be conservative as decision-makers. Like it or not, at most organizations, change happens slowly and, often, only under duress. Why is that? Here is the key: most people prefer the known status quo to an unknown future, even one that promises great things. Literally thousands of social psychological studies underline the notion that familiarity is preferable: we find people who look like ourselves more attractive; we would rather keep our own problems than assume the problems of another person, even if we evaluate theirs as less significant.
Yet, most of us begin arguments for change by citing the off-in-the-distance advantages of that less-familiar future: “Buy these vitamins and you will feel terrific!” “Add headcount and the team will be more productive!” From sales pitches to organizational pleas, most arguments for change focus on the distant, future good. But listeners and/or deciders don't necessarily think this way. They can be quite content with the status quo, thank you very much. Convincers would be far more successful to keep this in mind and craft arguments that begin in the present. Consider the following outline for your next pitch:
Current harms—Begin by suggesting the current problems that exist right now in the way things are (“My team is overworked”). Help your listener understand that these current problems are pervasive (“In the annual performance reviews, 11 of my 12 reports cited overwork as their biggest complaint”) and that there are additional problems that spin out from the basic problem (“Right now, we are just not able to do the kind of analysis of the weekly reports that management is asking for”). Last, explain that these problems are likely to continue unless specific action is taken to address them (“We’ve tried several different work-flows last year, and none of them alleviated the pressure”).
This type of argument begins with an assessment of the current situation without even mentioning what plan you might be suggesting down the road. As such, it begins the assessment where deciders are at the beginning—fixed in the present moment!
A plan that solves—So, you have demonstrated a pervasive problem in the status quo that has attendant harms and that is inherent—now present your plan. At this point, describe your request as a solution to the problem, (“Adding two new team members would alleviate the current pressure”). Show that the plan is workable in a practical way (logistically, cost efficacy, etc.). Most important, make it clear that your proposal solves the problem you described up front.
Other aspects—The hard work is now done: you have shown us that the present situation is not, after all, as rosy as it appears. However—hallelujah!—you have a way to fix all that. Now, if you have time and inclination, you can also add any extra advantages that your plan might generate: “Not only might those extra workers relieve the current pressure, but they might also allow your group to take on additional tasks!” You can also take a moment to counter any disadvantages: “You may be worried about the extra cost but fear not! We only need to add two people at entry level and, thus, lowest possible cost.”
All together then, when you want, you want to convince your organization to make a change, start by pointing out current problems, and then offer a plan that solves them by answering:
- What current problem exists?
- What are the problem’s attendant harms?
- How many people/issues does the problem affect?
- How do we know that the problem will not go away otherwise?
- What plan would solve the current problem?
- How is the plan workable in a practical way?
- How does the plan solve the identified problem?
- Are there any extraneous advantages to the plan besides solving the problem?
- Are there disadvantages to the plan that you can anticipate and deflect?
I am betting that plenty of you folks out there have some great ideas for your workplace—or just requests that you need addressed. I hope that this short essay has given you a new way to ask.
