Use carrot-and-stick approach to coax fractious team on project

Change Management in Action - From Leader-post colum.

QUESTION: My company has a “make or break” project that I’ve been assigned to lead. The problem is that there are two factions with strong interests in this project and they don’t agree on the direction we should take. How can I get them to come together? ANSWER: Try a carrot-and-stick approach. What’s in it for them if they compromise? What’ll it cost them if they don’t?

Success will depend on keeping the collective benefit from this project front and centre despite pressure from both sides, and will require great effort on your part. Start by listing your strengths, including tangibles such as organizational, communication, and negotiating skills, and intangibles such as resilience and determination. Other people who can provide knowledge and support, and who may have leverage over people in the two factions are also assets.

Then create a road map of successes, starting with your ultimate project goal. How will this project benefit your company as a whole? This will give you the “greater good” perspective that you’ll need. Then look specifically at the ways that subgroups within the company will be affected to help you build a case that will support forward movement for both parties. Working backward, establish a set of intermediate successes that will help you bring the parties together toward the collective goal.

Develop an equally clear statement of the risks of failure, including multiple perspectives — the whole organization, departments within the organization, and the individual employees.

Finally, list as many “derailers” as you can think of, their likelihood, and ways around them. Involve some of your allies to help develop as complete a view as possible.

Plan to work with each group separately when needed, bringing them together when you’ve found even small bits of common ground. Your starting point may have to be very high-level; for example, “We are committed to our company’s financial stability.” Then work with them to define the ways that this project supports that goal. Be direct if they appear to be putting their factional benefit ahead of the common good; remember that you’re holding the line on behalf of the company, so be resolute.

As you achieve areas of agreement, build on them to develop specific action strategies. You may find that the sides have made some tactical retreats and are putting up barriers at a new level. Continue to call this out so that covert disagreements don’t fester. Try having them advocate the other’s position to increase their understanding.

Use escalation and visibility as tools, when needed. If resistance doesn’t look substantive — and is made public — co-operation can magically appear. Just be sure that you’re being neutral rather than taking sides, so that you don’t undermine your credibility. Your project’s executive sponsor should take an active role in resolving disagreements, and a council of leadership with authority over the factions (and agreement on the project) may also help.

Be clear on the benefits of success and costs of failure, cajole when appropriate, be blunt when necessary, and be in it for the long haul — these will build your chances of bringing these groups together.

Liz Reyer is a credentialed coach with more than 20 years of business experience. Her company, Reyer Coaching & Consulting, offers services for organizations of all sizes. Submit questions or comments about this column at www.deliverchange.com/coachscorner or email her at liz@deliverchange.com.