Introduction: why this action matters for adoption
Inviting leaders to form a coalition is a facilitated live engagement and learning intervention: it brings influential people into the same conversation so they can understand the change, align on the adoption challenge, and commit to visible action. This matters because employees rarely judge a change only by formal announcements. They watch whether leaders are aligned, whether managers reinforce the same message, and whether barriers are removed quickly. Prosci describes coalition-building as one of the core sponsor responsibilities, alongside being active and visible and communicating directly with employees [Prosci, 2026]. (prosci.com)
A coalition is especially useful when a change crosses functions, locations, roles, or reporting lines. Kotter’s change framework similarly positions a guiding coalition as the group that helps guide, coordinate, and communicate change activity [Kotter]. (kotterinc.com) Without this shared leadership layer, adoption work can become fragmented: one leader promotes the change, another stays silent, and impacted teams receive mixed signals.
What this action is and when to use it
This action is a deliberate invitation to leaders, sponsors, managers, adoption leads, and key stakeholders to form a visible support coalition. It is not a steering committee for technical delivery, and it is not a one-way briefing. Its purpose is to align influential people around the case for change, the adoption risks, the behaviors required, and the practical support employees need.
Use it early when the change has multiple impacted groups, visible resistance, competing priorities, unclear manager accountability, or a history of failed adoption. Use it again before launch, during deployment, and after go-live when reinforcement is needed. PMI’s change report emphasizes that engaged sponsors should communicate and lead, clarify direction and targets, and sustain focus on the need for change [PMI, 2014]. (pmi.org)
Preparation: inputs, stakeholders, materials, timing, and decisions needed
Before sending the invitation, clarify the change outcome, impacted groups, adoption risks, required behavior changes, known resistance, and decisions the coalition must make. Build a stakeholder view that includes influence, impact, support level, and engagement needs; the TIU Change Management Playbook recommends assessing influence and impact, tailoring engagement, and monitoring reactions and buy-in across the project lifecycle [TIU Change Management Playbook]. (transformation.gov.jm)
Invite people with authority, credibility, proximity to impacted employees, and ability to remove barriers. Include senior sponsors, middle managers, functional leaders, informal influencers, HR or learning partners, communications leads, and project/change leads. Gallup’s research that managers account for at least 70% of variance in employee engagement reinforces why people managers should not be treated as an afterthought in adoption work [Gallup, 2015]. (news.gallup.com)
Prepare a concise case for change, a stakeholder/adoption heat map, draft coalition roles, top risks, expected leader behaviors, and a first 30-day action plan. Schedule the first session before major employee-facing communication, not after concerns have hardened.
Step-by-step facilitation guide
Open with purpose and stakes. Explain that the group is being invited to create coordinated adoption support, not merely to approve communications. Connect the change to business outcomes, employee impact, and the cost of inconsistent leadership. CCL found that successful change leaders communicate both the “what” and the “why,” creating stronger buy-in and urgency [CCL, 2024]. (ccl.org)
Create a shared view of the change. Ask leaders to name what is changing, what is not changing, who is impacted, and what adoption looks like in observable behavior. McKinsey’s influence model highlights understanding and conviction, reinforcement, skills, and role modeling as four building blocks for changing mindsets and behavior [McKinsey, 2016]. (mckinsey.com.br)
Surface concerns and resistance honestly. Use a facilitated discussion: “Where will this be hardest?” “Which teams may hear a different story?” “What barriers can only leaders remove?” Normalize resistance as useful data rather than disloyalty.
Define coalition roles. Agree who will sponsor, who will engage managers, who will address policy or resource blockers, who will listen to employee feedback, and who will reinforce adoption after launch. Prosci notes that effective sponsor coalitions clarify roles, cultivate management support, receive feedback, and encourage role modeling [Prosci, 2026]. (prosci.com)
Agree visible commitments. Each coalition member should leave with one communication action, one listening action, and one barrier-removal action. For resistant audiences, emphasize listening and problem-solving before advocacy. For neutral audiences, focus on clarity and manager enablement. For supportive audiences, mobilize them as champions.
Close with cadence and accountability. Establish a recurring coalition rhythm, such as 30 minutes weekly during deployment and biweekly after stabilization. Track decisions, risks, feedback themes, and leader actions.
Example: how this could be applied in a real change initiative
A company is implementing a new CRM that changes sales workflows, customer handoffs, and manager reporting. The change manager invites the sales sponsor, regional sales leaders, customer success leaders, IT, enablement, and respected frontline managers into a coalition session. The group reviews adoption risks: managers are worried about productivity dips, sellers dislike duplicate data entry, and customer success teams fear unclear ownership.
The coalition agrees on consistent talking points, identifies two process blockers, assigns regional leaders to host listening sessions, and asks enablement to create manager coaching guides. Two weeks later, the coalition reviews feedback and removes a reporting requirement that was causing resistance. This turns the coalition from a symbolic group into an adoption engine.
Roles and responsibilities
Role | Responsibility |
Executive sponsor | Owns the case for change, models commitment, resolves cross-functional barriers. |
Change manager | Designs and facilitates the coalition, prepares adoption data, coaches leaders. |
People managers | Translate the change locally, answer team questions, observe adoption barriers. |
Project lead | Connects adoption risks to delivery plans, timing, resources, and issue resolution. |
Adoption or learning lead | Equips users with learning, practice, job aids, and reinforcement. |
Communications partner | Helps keep messages consistent, plain-language, timely, and audience-specific. |
Common mistakes to avoid
Do not invite only senior leaders and exclude managers close to the work. Do not let the first session become a status update. Do not ask for “support” without defining visible behaviors. Do not hide resistance; CCL emphasizes that effective leaders ask questions, gather feedback, and adjust during change [CCL, 2024]. (ccl.org) Finally, do not let coalition members delegate all adoption work to the change team. The coalition exists because adoption requires authority, credibility, and local reinforcement.
Measures of success or adoption indicators
Track whether coalition members attend, complete agreed actions, communicate consistent messages, and remove barriers. Track manager confidence, employee understanding of the “why,” resistance themes, training participation, usage of the new process or tool, adoption by business unit, and behavior-based indicators such as fewer workarounds. PMI emphasizes defining, measuring, and communicating intended benefits as part of effective change management [PMI, 2014]. (pmi.org)
Checklist for the change manager
Clear purpose for the coalition
Sponsor agreement before invitation
Stakeholder map with influence, impact, and support level
Draft coalition roles and expectations
Adoption risks and known resistance themes
First-session agenda and facilitation questions
Visible leader actions for the next 30 days
Cadence for follow-up and measurement
Optional reusable invitation and agenda
Invitation message:
“You are invited to join a change leadership coalition for [change name]. The purpose is to create visible, coordinated support for adoption across impacted teams. In this session, we will align on the case for change, review adoption risks, define leader roles, and agree practical actions to help employees understand, adopt, and sustain the new way of working.”
60-minute agenda:
Open and purpose, 5 minutes. Case for change and adoption outcomes, 10 minutes. Stakeholder and resistance review, 15 minutes. Coalition roles and leader behaviors, 15 minutes. Barrier removal and 30-day actions, 10 minutes. Cadence and close, 5 minutes.
References
Prosci. “5 Ways to Help Sponsors Build a Coalition of Support for Change.” Updated Apr. 22, 2026; published May 11, 2022.
https://www.prosci.com/blog/5-ways-to-help-sponsors-build-a-coalition-of-support-for-change
Kotter. “The 8-Step Process for Leading Change.” No page date available.
https://www.kotterinc.com/methodology/8-steps/
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
McKinsey & Company. “The Four Building Blocks of Change.” Apr. 11, 2016.
https://www.mckinsey.com.br/en/our-insights/the-four-building-blocks--of-change
Center for Creative Leadership. “How To Be a Successful Change Leader.” Aug. 15, 2024.
https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/successful-change-leader/
Gallup. “Managers Account for 70% of Variance in Employee Engagement.” Apr. 21, 2015.
https://news.gallup.com/businessjournal/182792/managers-account-variance-employee-engagement.aspx
Government of Jamaica Transformation Implementation Unit. “Change Management Playbook: Stakeholder Management.” No page date available.
https://transformation.gov.jm/cmplaybook/stakeholder-management/