Chapter 2: Achieving Buy-In
Changing Your Landscape
Health departments often share that a common challenge to productivity is the struggle to gain stakeholder buy-in. This lack of buy-in may be present at the community level, between departments, or perhaps through top leadership. To effectively create a culture change, individuals must understand the stakeholder’s readiness to change, assess their needs, and strategize effective ways to motivate stakeholders to take action.
How great leaders inspire action | TEDxPuget Sound
The most important question is always, “Why?” 18 min, 4 sec
How you can change someone’s mind | TED-Ed
Consider the importance of truly knowing your audience, taking into account what they believe, trust, and value as you work to affect change. 4 min, 41 sec
Additional Resources:
Journal Articles:
A Theory for Organizational Readiness for Change
Video: Five ways to lead in an era of constant change | TED@BCG 13 min, 21 sec
Check Your Understanding
How can you assess organizational readiness for change at your health department?
There are many strategies to assess organizational readiness for change. Whichever method you choose, it is integral to ensure that colleagues believe the change is possible and share a commitment to take action.
Think about a change your health department needs to make to better serve priority populations at risk for HIV and HCV. What stakeholders (internal and external) are vital to the decision-making process for said change?
Internal stakeholders may include: staff at all levels of your program, colleagues in other health department programs (STD, TB, etc.), health department leadership, volunteers, etc.
External stakeholders may include: community members, state and local government, suppliers, funders, etc.
What factors do you need to consider when working to achieve buy-in from stakeholders?
Oftentimes, we remember to consider factors such as policies and resource allocation. Ultimately, even if your ask is feasible, you must address what your stakeholder believes, trusts, and values in order to affect change.