How HR can get a 'yes' from business leaders

One of the key challenges for HR teams is not only building a compelling business case for people-related initiatives but getting approval from the leadership team as well.

The average size of a buying committee has increased to an average of 6-10 different stakeholders across different teams, according to Gartner research referenced by Reward Gateway. The challenge for HR leaders is that with every additional stakeholder that needs to sign off on a business case, the likelihood of getting approval significantly drops.

Traditionally, the way to get buy-in for an initiative is to pitch to them individually about how the project would benefit them. It may result in individual ‘yeses’ from the stakeholders but a collective ‘no’ to the overall project.

Instead, what’s more effective is how your employee engagement initiative will benefit the areas where the interests of your stakeholders overlap, Research Gateway said in its report Building the business case for investing in your people.

“Spend time looking for common ground and focus your attention on where your stakeholders can agree on a common vision, purpose and benefits,” Research Gateway said.

9 tips to get a ‘yes’ from leadership teams

Reward Gateway’s report provides tips on how HR teams can create a business case to get a ‘yes’ from their leadership team.

It identified nine key tips for preparing a business case, including involving stakeholders early, starting with the ‘why’ and understanding how decision-making occurs.

For the full list, be sure to check out Reward Gateway’s report Building the business case for investing in your people.