STRATEGIES FOR STAKEHOLDER TRUST IN CHANGE

STRATEGIES FOR STAKEHOLDER TRUST IN CHANGE
Reversing the trend of dissatisfaction and disengagement must be at the heart of any serious reform effort. ”

– Fullan, 2016, p. 97

Imagine you have just taken on the role as leader of an educational program in your specialization and have been told to implement a change process that is part of a district initiative. As a new leader, you have yet to establish trust with your colleagues, so that when you start to implement the initiative, you are surprised to get immediate push back from your colleagues. How might you work to shift your colleagues’ dissatisfaction and disengagement and support them in their roles as change agents? What leadership strategies would win the trust of your colleagues and help them see the merits of the initiative?

For this Discussion, you will analyze evidence-based strategies to establish stakeholder trust and buy-in for change and counteract resistance to change.

To prepare:

· Review the assigned chapters in the Fullan (2016) text. Consider the difference between adopting an innovative program, the complexity of actually implementing it, and why stakeholders resist change.

· Read the Gurley, Peters, & Collins (2015); Day, Gu, & Sammons (2016); Covey (2009); and Adams & Miskell (2016) articles. Think about the process of initiating and implementing change, the influence of leadership on change, and how to gain buy-in and trust from stakeholders throughout the change process.

· Reflect on experiences you have had in your professional practice where staff were resistant to a change in your specialization. What attempts were made by leadership to establish trust and buy-in for the change? What strategies were (or were not) used when staff members refused or pushed back during implementation? As a leader, what strategies would you have employed?

· Research evidence-based strategies for establishing trust and buy-in from staff prior to implementing change and for supporting staff when they resist changes during implementation.

Assignment Task Part 1
Write a 1 ½ page explanation of the following:

· Background information on an experience from your professional practice (I work in a Head Start Agency) where staff were resisting a change in a program or practice in your specialization (My specialization is Early childhood education)

· At least two strategies you would have used to establish trust and buy-in from the staff prior to implementing the change. Provide a research-supported rationale for your selected strategies.

· At least two strategies you would have employed when staff members refused or pushed back during implementation of the change process. Provide a research-supported rationale for your selected strategies.

For this Discussion, and all scholarly writing in this course and throughout your program, you will be required to use APA style and provide reference citations.

Assignment Task Part 2
Read a selection of your colleagues’ posts.

Respond to at least two colleagues in 150 words posts each :

· by offering an additional strategy for trust and buy-in and for when staff refuse

· or push back during implementation of the change process. Explain how the strategies would have supported leadership in your colleagues’ experience.

· Be sure to support your response with reference to the Learning Resources, research, and/or your personal experiences.