In today's complex organizations, the entire system must support strategically important performance. Executives, managers, performance consultants, performers, and other stakeholders must collaborate to provide incentives and resource-rich work environments that encourage, measure, and reward desired performance. Without this visible consistent support, investments in performance-improvement interventions (such as process improvement, training, or team building) seldom pay off. Engaging stakeholders presents complex challenges. It requires solid business knowledge of the organization's strategic direction, competition, resources, work practices, technologies, global economies, and social and political upheavals. Performance consultants must build close relationships with managers, employees, and other stakeholders to gain and sustain strong performance that achieves organizational goals. In this session, the speakers will describe key stakeholders' support for performance, present recent research and a detailed case study at the National Weather Service, and provide tested strategies to build and maintain collaborative relationships.

Learning Objectives - Analyze your own complex system to identify key stakeholders and educate them to support performance. Work with key stakeholders before, during, and after an intervention to put strategies into action. Develop and maintain ongoing relationships with key stakeholders.