The First 90 Days (54 page)

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.

Sequencing to Build Momentum

As we have seen, people consistently look to others in their social networks for clues about “right thinking,” and defer to others with expertise or status on particular sets of issues. The resulting influence networks can be a formidable barrier to your efforts or a valuable asset, or both.

Let us return once more to the example of asking a group of people to do something embarrassing. Suppose that, in response to my request, a respected member of the group said, “No way I’m doing that. It is disrespectful and foolish.”

Almost certainly no one else in the group would do what I had asked. But suppose the same person jumped up, grabbed someone else and said, “Let’s do it! It’ll be fun!” The odds are that everyone else would eventually follow suit.

In fact, the last to rise would feel social pressure to do so: “What’s the matter with you?”

Now suppose I did an analysis of the group before this exercise and identified the most respected person. Suppose I met with that person before the exercise and enlisted his or her aid as a confederate to make some important points about group dynamics and social influence. The odds are good that this person would agree to do so—and that others would follow.

The fundamental insight is that you can leverage knowledge of influence networks into disproportionate influence on a

[2]

group with what my colleague Jim Sebenius termed a
sequencing strategy
.

The order in which you approach

potential allies and convincibles will have a decisive impact on your coalition-building efforts. Why? Once you gain a respected ally, you will typically find it easier to recruit others. As you recruit more allies, your resource base grows.

With broader support, the likelihood increases that your agenda will succeed. That optimistic outlook makes it easier to recruit still more supporters.

If you approach the right people first, you can set in motion a
virtuous cycle
(
figure 8-4
). Therefore, you need to decide carefully who you will approach first, and how you will do it.

Figure 8-4:
The Coalition-Building Cycle

Who should you approach first? Focus on the following:

People with whom you already have supportive relationships

Individuals whose interests are strongly compatible with yours

People who have the critical resources you need to make your agenda succeed People with important connections who can recruit more supporters

[2]David Lax and Jim Sebenius coined this term. See David Lax and James Sebenius, “Thinking Coalitionally,” in
Negotiation Analysis,
ed. H. Peyton Young (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1991), and James Sebenius,

“Sequencing to Build Coalitions: With Whom Should I Talk First?” in
Wise Choices: Decisions, Games, and
Negotiations,
ed. Richard J. Zeckhauser, Ralph L. Keeney, and James K. Sebenius (Boston: Harvard Business School

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Press, 1996).

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Putting It All Together

Coalition building entails consolidating existing sources of support while developing relationships with those whose resources or connections you need to succeed. The sequence in which you consolidate and build support is key. You will also need to persuade convincibles to become supporters rather than opponents.

To consolidate existing support, call on established social and political relationships and strengthen them through regular conversations. Make sure you keep your allies up to date. Pay attention to how they react to changing conditions. You can even provide them with advice for how to counter opponents’ arguments. You want to affirm the importance of existing relationships and leverage them into support for your new effort.

ACCELERATION CHECKLIST

1. Whose support do you most need to succeed? What existing coalitions seem most powerful?

2. What influence networks are most important to you? Who defers to whom on key issues?

3. Who are your potential supporters? Potential opponents? Convincibles? How will you test your hypotheses about support and opposition?

4. What tools of influence will you employ to convince the convincibles? How will you shape potential supporters’ perceptions of their interests? Of their options?

5. How can you sequence interactions to build momentum for your initiatives? Are there patterns of deference that you can exploit? Can your supporters help you to recruit other key people?