The Need for Senior Management Support

In his book "The Organization of the Future," management scholar Peter Drucker insightfully relates that, in order to be successful, "major change initiatives must be actively led by senior management." Despite the academic tone, this simple observation has profound implications for health promotion practitioners. After all, if your ultimate goal is to transform your organization's culture by integrating health promoting practices into the day-to-day operations, then securing the support of your senior level executives is going to be essential.

While this is not necessarily earth-shattering news for the seasoned worksite health promotion veteran, it is an important understanding for the practitioner who is just getting their program started. Indeed, support from the corner offices is critical for numerous reasons, not least of which is the simple fact the senior level executives are the people responsible for calling all the shots. To be sure, if you expect to secure the financial resources necessary to deliver effective programming or to have immediate and unobstructed access to the rest of the organization, then you will need your senior level people blazing the trail. Moreover, senior executives can provide additional assistance by helping you to link your health promotion objectives to business outcomes -thus positioning health promotion as an integral part of the organization. Last, but certainly not least, senior executives can significantly increase the likelihood that your initiative will bear fruit by crafting and implementing supportive corporate policy.

In Search of Senior-Level Support

Regardless of whether you are just getting started or you have been leading a program for years - one thing is certain - despite its importance, securing senior level support can be a very difficult feat to accomplish. If you are a practitioner who already has senior level buy-in, consider yourself fortunate. But if you are like most health promotion practitioners, senior level support is a rare commodity. Take heart, though. It can be negotiated - just be prepared for the challenge.

"Why is it that some people are consistently successful at getting senior managers to buy into the idea of corporate wellness and others fail miserably?" There is no easy answer to this question -there are too many factors that come into play. However, ONE KEY REASON why some people are successful at getting senior level support is that THEY CAREFULLY AND INSIGHTFULLY PLAN TO ACCOMPLISH IT.

Planning to obtain senior management support may sound strange, or even unattainable. But, you will find that deliberate consideration to strategic questions will prepare you in advance in order to approach your senior-level people and be taken seriously.

Three Questions You Need To Ask...

It seems to us that health promotion professionals could go a long way toward gaining senior management support simply by considering the following three questions. The answers to these three questions, in turn, will provide you with important information essential in convincing senior level people of the importance of taking on a worksite health promotion program.

1. What are the organization's short-term and long-term strategic priorities?
The first question for consideration relates to the organization's strategic priorities. By knowing what needs to be accomplished organizationally, you will be able to better position your health promotion activities so that they fit within the context of the core business units.

One of the most common mistakes made by health promotion professionals is that they fail to take into account the organization's strategic priorities when setting up their programs. As a result, the worksite health promotion initiative is viewed as something extraneous to the "really important" business activities.

In order to avoid being on the outside looking in, health promotion practitioners should dedicate themselves to better understanding the organization's business operations. This includes having a complete working knowledge of the company's vision, mission, financial position, and both the short and long-term strategic priorities. Moreover, a thorough analysis of the organization's history should be considered.


2. What benefits can be expected from your wellness initiative and what's the potential value of health promotion to the organization?
Having gained a better understanding of the business, the challenge now is to conceptualize how the health promotion initiative can impact the organization in a meaningful manner.

Senior-level people are ultimately responsible for making sure that the organization meets its objectives. With this in mind, the health promotion initiative must be seen as a vehicle necessary for increasing the organization's competitive advantage. And, until you can confidently discuss the value of your program and list the tangible benefits that can be expected, you're not ready to approach your senior-level people.

A word of warning is most appropriate here. Many health promotion professionals have made the mistake of over-promising and under-delivering. Phrases such as cost containment, increased productivity , and improved health status, are routinely mentioned in the negotiating process. The unfortunate reality is that these outcomes are oftentimes very difficult to measure.

The good news is that specific health promotion outcomes and improvements can be demonstrated. However if measurable results are going to be generated, the program must be designed insightfully, funded adequately and executed flawlessly. With this warning in mind, health promotion professionals should look not only to the research, but also to other successful companies, to gain a thorough understanding of what outcomes can reasonably be expected from various health promotion interventions and approaches.

Although there is a lot of compelling anecdotal information in circulation, be sure to use only reputable sources of information. Fortunately, there are a whole host of good publications available. One great place to start is with American Journal of Health Promotion - especially the issues that highlight health outcomes and cost effectiveness.

3. What are the leadership styles, pressures, strengths and weaknesses of your senior level executives?
Having gained a thorough understanding of both the business priorities and the potential value and benefits of worksite wellness, your task is to position this information in a way that it can be embraced by your senior-level people. To do this, you will have to get intimately familiar with their working styles, pressures, and individual strengths and weaknesses.

For example, how do your senior-level people deal with information? If they are known to be sticklers for details and love to see reports and analyses filled with charts and graphs, then you'll need to give it to them. On the other hand, if your senior-level people aren't readers, then you should change your point of perception if you present them with a "War and Peace" health promotion plan.

When it comes to leadership styles, consider whether your boss likes to make decisions independently or by committee. Moreover, you'll need to think about their personal motivations and aspirations. For example, how might a successful health promotion initiative help them to achieve their own professional agenda.

By having a firm grasp on this type of information, you will be sure to get a fair hearing for your health promotion plan.

Positioned for Success

There you have it. Three strategic questions that, if considered carefully, can help you to successfully engage your senior level managers in supporting a worksite health promotion initiative.

You may be thinking, "there has to be more to it than simply answering three questions!" And you are right - there is a lot more to it.

Answering the three questions mentioned in this publication, simply puts you in a position where you are ready to pitch the business to your senior level people. Without this information, you WILL INDEED be hunting for a grizzly bear with a slingshot. We have heard the horror stories of golden opportunities squandered by failure to adequately prepare for the big moment.

You will have a much better understanding of the business and how health promotion can be leveraged to increase the company's competitive advantage. And, THE BOTTOM LINE IS.... by understanding your senior executives working styles, you will know how to successfully get a fair hearing for your wellness initiative.

REFERENCES

Bennis, Warren G. and Mische, Michael. The 21st Century Organization, Reinventing Through Reengineering. Jossey-Bass Inc., 1995.

Chapman, Larry S., Securing Support From Top Management. The Art of Health Promotion, Vol. 1: No. 2, May/June 1997, pp. 1-7.
Gabarro, J. and Kotter, J., Managing Your Boss, Harvard Business Review May/June 1993.