A model that helps you generate a better buy in from employees for your HR initiatives ?

A good number of people initiatives, training programs and OD interventions fail to yield desired results at many businesses. If you are heading the HR function of a business, you may appreciate the thought that execution is the key and the success of your initiatives is assessed by the impact that they have on people and the business.

Over a period of time, you may also have realised that the success of various initiatives is not some thing that can be impacted 100 % by the HR team. Initiatives meant for the business and the people need adequate participation by the business teams and business managers to succeed.

And this is where most initiatives go wrong ? They are one sided where in the HR team puts their best effort in show casing new initiatives without appropriately engaging with the business teams. Going forward they also end up implementing the concerned initiatives, which often come as a surprise to the business teams, leading to poor adoption and poor participation.

So how do you engage with the business teams for better adoption & participation ?

We suggest a simple model, that may be referred to before you plan any organisation level intervention. The model serves as a framework and may be modified suitably depending on your specific business case.

You communication and engagement strategy for the proposed initiative should consider the 4A Model – Awareness – Acceptance – Advocacy – Adoption.

Awareness, regarding the initiative and its value proposition to the people and business.
Acceptance, the initiative as a key action or strategy for individual and overall organisational benefit.
Advocacy, by the senior management as well as influencers within every department. This should also expose a need to create a “buy in” by key members of the management & leadership.
Adoption, of initiative and related programs by the people.

Placing a balanced focus and due consideration on the above will enable you to plan well and may help you generate good participation from your teams in a structured manner.