How to engage internal stakeholders during change

You may have heard it said that new systems, processes, or organisational structures don’t result in change in your business, it’s all about people. And if those people feel side-lined, confused, or threatened by the change you are trying to achieve, even the best-laid plans can go off track. The good news? Effective stakeholder engagement can help you plot a structured course through these common reactions to change, building awareness, sparking genuine buy-in, and turning resistance into constructive dialogue.

This article dives into practical ways to engage internal stakeholders (employees, managers, executives, and teams across the organisation) during periods of change. We’ll explore the different types of stakeholders, how effective communication and involvement can build momentum, and some fresh, innovative techniques that go beyond the standard town hall and newsletter.

Why Internal Stakeholder Engagement Matters in Change

Organisations often underestimate the human side of change. Research from Prosci shows that projects with strong people-focused strategies are up to six times more likely to succeed. Without building engagement, you can expect to meet varying levels of resistance; think quiet quitting, lip service, or outright sabotage.

Engagement typically builds through progressive stages

• Awareness – People understand what’s changing and why.
• Buy-in – They see the personal and organisational benefits.
• Ownership – They actively support and even champion the change.

When resistance pops up (and it will), early engagement helps surface concerns before they harden. By addressing these effectively, you can convert sceptics into advocates.

Understanding the different levels of internal stakeholders

Not all stakeholders are created equal, meaning that a one-size-fits-all approach rarely works. A practical first step can be mapping key individuals or groups against a simple ‘power to interest’ 2 x 2 grid:

Executive Sponsors and Senior Leaders (typically High power, variable interest).

These are your C-suite and board-level stakeholders. They control budgets, set tone, and lack of buy in here can be an effective veto on your change. Engage them early and often with strategic updates, focus on ROI, risk mitigation, and alignment with business goals. Involve them as visible sponsors; a CEO or CFO talking positively and regularly about the change is incredibly powerful.

Middle Managers (High influence on teams, high impact from change).

Often caught in the middle, they translate strategy into day-to-day reality. If they’re not bought in, their teams won’t be. Engage them as change agents, give them tools, coaching, and a voice in shaping how the change lands in the business.

Frontline Employees and End-Users (High interest, lower formal power).

These are the people who’ll live the change daily. Their buy-in determines adoption. Ignore them, and you’ll face passive resistance. Ultimately, this is the audience who actually need to work differently for the change to deliver the desired benefits.

Support Functions (e.g. HR, IT, Finance).

They enable the change but can become bottlenecks if side-lined. Treat them as partners and key stakeholders from day one.

Tailor your approach: Executives want data and vision; frontline teams want clarity on ‘What’s in it for me?’.

The Power of Effective Communication: Building Awareness and Buy-In

Communication must not be treated as a tick-box exercise, it’s at the heart of any effective framework. The amount of competing messages and ‘content’ people encounter on a daily basis is ever increasing, so the challenge is to craft change communications that are clear and engaging enough to cut through.

Start with the basics:

• Multi-channel, two-way approach: Mix emails, intranet posts, videos, Slack/Teams channels, and face-to-face sessions. Use the channels that are already embedded in your organisation to avoid increased load / effort for recipients.

• Regular cadence: Weekly updates during intense phases, monthly otherwise.

• Transparent language: Accessible, everyday language NOT corporate, acronym heavy jargon. Say “Moving to the new system will save you 2 hours a week on admin” instead of “we are optimising operational efficiencies.”

To build buy-in:

• Frame the why emotionally and practically. Relatable stories that the audience will recognise work well here: “Remember when we struggled with X? This fixes it.”
• Address the what ifs head-on: “Yes, there will be teething problems, but here’s our support plan.”

When opposition arises, listen first. Use feedback loops, anonymous surveys, focus groups, or listening sessions. The act of letting people have their say – good and bad – is powerful in itself and being able to follow up on how the feedback is being acted on can move the dial in terms of engagement.

Innovative Ideas and Techniques to Make Engagement Stick

Forget death-by-PowerPoint. Here are some real-world, creative approaches that spark real involvement:

Change Champion Networks

Recruit enthusiastic volunteers from across levels to be local advocates. Train them, give them swag (lanyards, re-usable coffee cups, high quality notebooks are the type of branded merch that typically gets used!), and let them co-create comms or run demos. Peer to peer engagement such as “lunch and learn” sessions can exceed top-down briefings for credibility.

Gamification and Simulations

Turn dry training into games. Use points, badges, or leader boards for completing modules or sharing ideas. At Project One we have used an element of competition through ‘league tables’ to drive participation in some of our charity challenges – fun, competitive, and effective.

Co-Creation Workshops

Bring diverse groups together to creatively imagine and design the future state. Some companies invest in in-house ‘innovation labs’ to encourage this kind of cross-functional ideation – but even a well-planned, interactive workshop that encourages a variety of inputs can deliver dramatic benefits.

Storytelling and Visual Journeys

Create “change story maps” or animated videos showing the journey from current pain to future gain. Include real employee quotes or before/after scenarios. Personal stories humanise change and increase relatability.

Feedback Walls or Digital Suggestion Boxes

Physical or virtual boards for ideas and concerns. Review publicly and act visibly, “You said X, so we’ve done Y.” Giving employees the opportunity to be heard, and responding honestly to the feedback can be one of the most powerful ways of converting passive or even hostile audiences.

Addressing Resistance: Turning “No” into “Yes, and…”

Change resistance is normally driven by fear of loss (control, competence, status, familiarity). Engage with this early and visibly:

• Acknowledge it – “We know this feels disruptive, and that’s valid.”

• Involve resistors – Ask for their input on mitigation or solutions.

• Provide support – Training, coaching, or management or peer to peer.

Instead of side-lining sceptical voices, look at ways to engage their experience and knowledge. During a challenging project at a Telco, asking an influential but cynical team leader to manage a pilot of a new process led to them feeling part of the solution, and taking ownership for its success.

Engagement Is an Ongoing Conversation

Stakeholder engagement isn’t a phase, it’s the golden thread running through your entire change journey. Start early, stay consistent, listen more than you talk, and celebrate wins along the way (even small ones).

When done right, it transforms change from something happening to people into something happening with them. Getting this right can deliver higher adoption, fewer surprises, and a culture that’s open to ongoing change.

If you’re facing a change right now and wondering where to start, begin with a quick stakeholder map and try one innovative tactic, like a change champion network or co-creation session. This can be enough to start a dialogue that unlocks increased buy-in across your organisation.

If you’d like to explore tailored solutions for your own transformation, drawing on the many years of experience we have at Project One, please get in touch.