The role of executive sponsorship in driving successful change is a topic that is certain to come up during any change initiative regardless of the size of the organisation, magnitude of the change or industry in which the project is being implemented. The importance of the executive sponsorship remains at the forefront of every change and project manager’s minds, with the knowledge that this individual has the power and ability to potentially make or break their intervention. Prosci, who are world leaders in benchmarking research and change management products, have facilitated benchmarking research studies every two years since 1998. Participants’ responses have collectively and consistently pointed to seven straightforward factors that impact the results of a change initiative. For most change and project managers, it is unsurprising that the number one contributor to change success is active and visible executive sponsorship (Prosci, 2018). That said, the assumption is made that these leaders naturally understand what their sponsorship role should entail, and this is often not the case. There is a history of promoting individuals into management and leadership posts without providing said individuals with the required new knowledge and skills required to lead people and while driving change. This can create a vacuum at a senior and executive leadership level that ultimately impacts on the successful delivery of a change intervention and the types of executive sponsorship needed.

Change managers have a valuable opportunity to partner with and help guide their executive sponsors in their role. Sponsor onboarding sessions should be facilitated upfront where the project and change manager can define their requirements of the sponsor to achieve a successful project / change outcome. Done in the correct manner, there is an opportunity to empower these leaders while also negotiating their level of participation based on time and capacity constraints. If the sponsor understands upfront what is required of them and why, it is easier for them to build these activities into their existing schedules. By aligning the sponsor to the needs of the project team, the change manager proactively influences the level of support from the word go. This then leads to unpacking what the types of executive sponsorship are so that these can be discussed as part of that initial onboarding session.

Participants in the annual Prosci benchmarking survey consistently used the key words ‘active’ and ‘visible’ to describe this top contributor (2018). This implies that the sponsor is involved in the project and has an influence over the direction and delivery of the change. That said, there is a trend whereby sponsor involvement is limited to the provision of tangible resources such as people and capital, to drive the successful delivery of a project. And while it is important that the sponsor makes provision for these hard and tangible non-negotiables, this is simply not enough to ensure that the change is delivered on time on budget. So, what else then should the sponsor’s role involve keeping in mind the key words ‘active’ and ‘visible’. Prosci participants indicated four consistent types of executive sponsorship that they felt were required to drive successful change (2018):

Types of Executive Sponsorship

The Executive Sponsor is visible throughout the project.
An organisation’s culture usually dictates levels of access between employees and executive/ leadership teams. Lack of visibility and access to a sponsor can result in a disconnect between project members and said sponsor. John Maxwell once said, “A leader without followers is simply a man taking a walk”, and the ability of the sponsor to inspire and initiate action within the project team is directly linked to the team’s access to their leader. Project work is also hard and often unforgiving. Having visibility and access to an inspirational leader can help keep team members motivated and on track.

The Executive Sponsor inspires change and alignment to a greater purpose and vision.
Followers are drawn to a leader with a vision, who can inspire change and illustrate new possibilities for a better future. As such, an executive sponsor is the voice and face of the project and associated change. An inspirational case for change that is championed and promoted by the sponsor is far easier to sell, making the role of the change manager and team members that much easier. Levels of stakeholder resistance are reduced when all impacted stakeholders are aligned and understand the need to change. And in many instances, where the changes that are being implemented impact on an organisation or teams’ structure and employee’s roles, it is expected that the sponsor champion the change. People buy people and during times of uncertainty, where people’s lives are being impacted, a leader should show up and be there for those in need.

The Executive Sponsor removes obstacles and makes influential decisions.
Michael Hyatt contends that “… to be a great leader, one must first become a great follower” (2016). An executive sponsor understands that the success of their initiative is directly dependent on their team’s ability to perform and deliver. The sponsor therefor needs to ensure that not only do the team have the required resources to deliver, but that any obstacles outside of the team’s scope of control are removed accordingly. Most organisations are complex and difficult to navigate, and a large amount of time and energy is often spent by team members attempting to overcome bureaucratic red-tape and political infighting. The change manager is instrumental in aiding the team with overcoming some of these types of challenges, however in many instances there is a need for intervention at an executive level. There is also a key dependency on the sponsor being able to drive and effect decisions in support of the work being delivered by the team. Delays in critical decision making can have a negative impact on delivery and team morale and is an essential role that is undertaken by the sponsor.

The Sponsor champions the change at senior and executive leadership level.
It is far easier to drive and navigate change when the organisation’s leadership structures are aligned and supportive of the initiative. By championing the project at an executive and senior leadership level, the sponsor helps to elicit support and buy-in from stakeholders that are often unavailable to the project team. Alignment and commitment to the change across the organisation makes the work of the project team that much easier, thereby driving efficiencies and helping deliver the project on time and on budget. Positioning the change within the context of the broader organisational strategy also helps to elicit support. Projects that appear to operate outside of an organisation’s strategic objectives are often viewed as low priority, influencing stakeholder availability and willingness to commit time and resources to driving the change.

Change managers play a pivotal part in supporting and encouraging their Executive Sponsors around their sponsorship role. And the more the sponsor understands and experiences the benefits of their role in driving change, the greater their commitment will be to supporting change management as a key capability for all project initiatives going forward. Change managers must however remain mindful of their sponsor’s time and capacity constraints. Drawing up a comprehensive executive sponsorship strategy will help to define and structure the sponsorship deliverables throughout the project lifecycle. Where possible, communication and engagement artefacts should be developed by the change manager in consultation with the executive sponsor. By making the execution of the sponsor deliverables as easy as possible, the sponsor will be better positioned to deliver the required executive support in partnership with the project team.