Introduction: why this action matters for adoption
Change adoption depends on whether impacted people believe the change is important, legitimate, supported, and practical in their day-to-day work. Sponsors are central to that belief because they set priorities, remove barriers, align senior peers, and signal what the organization will actually value. PMI found that actively engaged sponsors were a top driver of projects meeting goals and business intent, while Prosci describes effective sponsorship as being active and visible, building a coalition, and communicating directly with employees [PMI, 2014; Prosci, 2022/2026]. (pmi.org)
This action is a capability-building and coaching intervention. Its purpose is not to “manage” the sponsor, write their messages, or criticize them after the fact. It is to help sponsors understand the role, see the effect of their current behavior, and take more useful sponsor actions that improve readiness, confidence, and adoption in impacted groups. PMI also notes that executive sponsors need feedback and that organizations with a process for collecting sponsor effectiveness information report better project outcomes [PMI, 2014]. (pmi.org)
What this action is and when to use it
Sponsor coaching with constructive feedback is a structured one-on-one or small-group conversation in which the change manager helps a sponsor compare current sponsorship behavior with the behaviors needed for adoption. ACMP’s Standard includes sponsorship planning, sponsor competency building, sponsor coaching, and identifiable actions that visibly support change [ACMP, 2025]. (acmpmexico.org)
Use it when sponsorship is inconsistent, stakeholder resistance is increasing, managers are unclear, coalition members are misaligned, adoption indicators are lagging, or the project is approaching a high-stakes phase such as announcement, training, go-live, stabilization, or benefits realization. It is especially useful when the sponsor supports the change in principle but is not yet translating support into visible behavior.
Preparation: inputs, stakeholders, materials, timing, and decisions needed
Prepare with evidence, not opinion. Inputs should include the change case, impacted stakeholder groups, adoption risks, readiness data, resistance themes, manager feedback, sponsor coalition map, recent sponsor actions, and upcoming adoption moments. ACMP recommends that change plans define role requirements, actions, baseline measures, risks, measurement, and benefit tracking [ACMP, 2025]. (acmpmexico.org)
Key stakeholders include the primary sponsor, sponsor coalition members, project lead, change manager, project manager, people managers, communications or learning leads, and, where useful, an executive mentor or coach. Materials should be light: a one-page sponsor role brief, a short adoption dashboard, a list of observed examples, and a proposed next-action plan. Decide in advance whether the conversation is confidential coaching, sponsor enablement, or formal escalation; ACMP and ICF stress that a coach approach in change work is distinct from a formal coaching engagement with confidentiality boundaries [ACMP & ICF, 2025]. (cdn.ymaws.com)
Step-by-step facilitation guide
Contract the conversation. Open by confirming the shared outcome: “My role is to help you get the adoption result you want. I’ll bring practical feedback from the change workstream and we’ll agree what sponsor action is needed next.” Link this to the sponsor’s role in visible participation, coalition building, and direct stakeholder engagement [Prosci, 2022/2026; ACMP, 2025]. (prosci.com)
Clarify the adoption behavior required. Ask what impacted groups must do differently and where the sponsor’s authority, credibility, or decision-making is needed. Adoption should be defined behaviorally, not as awareness or attendance alone [ACMP, 2025]. (acmpmexico.org)
Give feedback using observed evidence. Use a Situation–Behavior–Impact structure: name the specific moment, describe the observable behavior, and explain the impact. CCL documents the SBI model, and CIPD’s evidence review cautions that feedback can help performance but can also harm it when poorly delivered [CCL; CIPD, 2022]. (ccl.org)
Move into coach-like inquiry. Ask questions such as, “What was happening for you in that meeting?”, “What support would make the next conversation easier?”, or “Which peer leader most needs to hear from you directly?” A coach approach can build ownership, alignment, and accountability while staying within the change manager’s facilitation role [ACMP & ICF, 2025]. (cdn.ymaws.com)
Agree the next sponsor move. Convert the feedback into one or two actions: attend a manager huddle, call a resistant peer, make a decision on a barrier, restate the “why” in plain language, or thank teams for adopting the new process. PMI identifies sponsor value in rallying senior support, removing roadblocks, stakeholder management, and championing the project [PMI, 2014]. (pmi.org)
Equip and rehearse. Provide talking points, likely questions, stakeholder concerns, and a short practice run if the sponsor is preparing for a difficult conversation. For highly resistant audiences, emphasize listening, acknowledgement, and visible barrier removal rather than more polished messaging.
Follow up and reinforce. Review what happened, what shifted, and what still needs sponsor attention. Adapt the coaching by phase: early phases need role clarity and coalition alignment; implementation needs fast decisions and visible support; sustainment needs reinforcement, recognition, and ownership transfer.
Example: how this could be applied in a real change initiative
In a finance system rollout, the CFO is named as sponsor but has only sent two broad emails. Managers report that teams see the project as “IT’s system,” and training attendance is low. The change manager schedules a 30-minute sponsor coaching session.
The feedback is specific: “In last Thursday’s leadership call, when questions about month-end workload came up, you asked the project manager to respond and then moved to the next agenda item. The impact is that finance managers still do not know whether this change is a business priority or an IT deadline.” The agreed sponsor move is for the CFO to open the next finance manager meeting, explain the business reason for the change, acknowledge workload concerns, make one decision on temporary close support, and ask each director to confirm local readiness actions.
Roles and responsibilities
The change manager facilitates the feedback conversation, brings adoption evidence, prepares sponsor materials, and tracks agreed actions. The sponsor owns visible leadership, coalition alignment, decisions, direct communication, and barrier removal. The project manager provides delivery milestones and risk data. People managers and change champions provide local feedback on whether sponsor actions are landing. Where political sensitivity is high, an executive coach, HR partner, or senior mentor may support the sponsor, while the change manager remains responsible for adoption alignment.
Common mistakes to avoid
A common mistake is giving vague feedback such as “you need to be more visible.” Better feedback names the exact situation and the adoption impact. Another mistake is embarrassing the sponsor in a group setting; sponsor coaching is usually best done privately first. A third mistake is turning the sponsor into a communications channel rather than an adoption leader. The sponsor’s job is not only to say the message, but also to make decisions, align peers, and reinforce the behaviors needed for benefits realization [PMI, 2014; ACMP, 2025]. (pmi.org)
Measures of success or adoption indicators
Measure whether sponsor behavior changes and whether adoption improves. Sponsor indicators include completion of agreed sponsor actions, coalition member alignment, number of barriers removed, quality of direct engagement with impacted groups, and sponsor confidence. Adoption indicators include readiness scores, manager confidence, training completion, process usage, reduction in workarounds, sentiment themes, support tickets, and sustained performance against benefit measures. ACMP recommends measurement plans with baselines, frequency, owners, reporting, and mitigation triggers [ACMP, 2025]. (acmpmexico.org)
Checklist for the change manager
Confirm the sponsor’s role and the adoption outcomes the sponsor can influence.
Gather specific observations, stakeholder feedback, and adoption data.
Ask permission to provide feedback and agree the purpose of the conversation.
Use Situation–Behavior–Impact language; avoid labels, motives, or personality judgments.
Ask coach-like questions before prescribing a solution.
Agree one or two visible sponsor actions tied to a real adoption barrier.
Equip the sponsor with talking points, stakeholder intelligence, and rehearsal if needed.
Track completion and follow up with both reinforcement and new feedback.
Optional reusable template: 30-minute sponsor feedback agenda
Time | Focus | Prompt |
0–5 min | Contract | “The goal is to strengthen adoption by making your sponsorship easier and more visible.” |
5–10 min | Adoption reality | “Here is what we are seeing in readiness, resistance, and manager feedback.” |
10–15 min | SBI feedback | “In [situation], I observed [behavior]. The impact on adoption was [impact].” |
15–23 min | Coach-like inquiry | “What do you think is driving this? What support do you need? Who needs to hear from you next?” |
23–28 min | Sponsor action | “The next best sponsor move is…” |
28–30 min | Follow-up | “We’ll review impact after the meeting/go-live/readiness checkpoint.” |
References
Prosci. “5 Ways to Help Sponsors Build a Coalition of Support for Change.” Published May 11, 2022; updated Apr. 22, 2026. https://www.prosci.com/blog/5-ways-to-help-sponsors-build-a-coalition-of-support-for-change
Project Management Institute. Executive Sponsor Engagement: Top Driver of Project and Program Success. Oct. 2014. https://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/learning/thought-leadership/pulse/executive-sponsor-engagement.pdf
Project Management Institute. Enabling Organizational Change Through Strategic Initiatives. Mar. 2014. https://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/learning/thought-leadership/pulse/organizational-change-management.pdf
Association of Change Management Professionals. Standard for Change Management© and ACMP® Change Management Code of Ethics, Second Edition. 2025. https://acmpmexico.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/ACMP_Standard_2.0.pdf
ACMP & ICF. Elevating Organizational Change with a Coach Approach. Oct. 3, 2025. https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.acmpglobal.org/resource/resmgr/icf/2025-10-03_elevating.pdf
CIPD. “Performance feedback: An evidence review.” Sept. 20, 2022. https://www.cipd.org/en/knowledge/evidence-reviews/performance-feedback/
Center for Creative Leadership. Models for the Development of Leadership. Date not stated. https://www.ccl.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/leadership-models-for-development-by-center-for-creative-leadership-ccl.pdf