How to Build Support for Change:

Talk to Everyone - a Lot

Sue Powers, CIO for Worldspan, relies on a methodology called "socializing an idea" to nudge, cajole and encourage her colleagues to consider a new IT system or business process.

The approach is an active one. It requires more than simply running an idea up the proverbial flagpole. Socializing means active engagement and interaction outside formal meetings, where people are less guarded. During casual conversations (in the hallway, in their offices, over lunch), people are more at ease and more willing to discuss change. They also are more likely to discuss their objections to an idea, making it possible to come up with solutions. "In a formal setting, people can feel pushed into an idea," Powers says. "This way they feel they can be more honest."

For example, a few years ago, Powers wondered why Worldspan couldn't get the same Internet access deal she had at home: an inexpensive DSL connection. At the time, Worldspan, which operates travel reservation systems, spent $US400 to $US500 a month for a fairly low-bandwidth connection linking the company to its travel agent customers. Worldspan CTO David Lauderdale picked up on the idea and began talking with Worldspan's 650-member technology team about how much more flexible and efficient a standard IP network could be. The technology team was sold, but they had to convince the rest of the company. And then the objections came fast and furious. Some business managers speculated that travel agents wouldn't want to buy their own PCs and Internet service, preferring to have Worldspan provide their connectivity. Others worried about the technology transition. Salespeople said Worldspan could not get out of its contracts, which required Worldspan to provide dedicated service and equipment.

But Powers and her team persevered. They spent several weeks bringing the idea up again and again with business colleagues and customers during lunch, after company meetings, at after-hours get-togethers, at company functions, or during any casual conversation. Powers didn't emphasize cost savings (although the new system would ultimately save tens of millions of dollars); instead she solicited reactions to the potential benefits of the change (the new system would be more reliable, easier to maintain and simpler to use). "The early feedback [from these initial conversations] caused us to think more about what was in this for everybody, and we were able to better think through the benefits for customers and salespeople," Powers says. "We ended up with a better plan." (To read about a process for influencing change once a project is under way, see "The Influence Continuum", page 32.)

Powers used the feedback from her informal discussions to write a business case for the new system, and her plan was immediately approved. When it came time to rewrite customers' contracts, the travel agents were sold on the added benefits they would get. Worldspan completed its roll-out of the DSL network last year. "Getting people involved early by just talking with them allowed us to overcome objections and actually have a better sales plan," Powers says. "By the time we did the business plan, we had everybody pretty much on board."