Regardless of the monetary issues of the world, businesses must undergo change. Although these change projects are done with eagerness in the beginning, there is a tendency to loose conviction along the way. The stock answer for this problem in business change is to get executive support. What constitutes support may be seen differently by the top management and the business change team.
What typically happens is that a business change initiative is suggested. It is approved by the bosses and then an executive is assigned to supervise the initiative. That person allocates funds, chooses a project manager, and generally signs off on the change plan. At this point, top management considers the project supported and takes little stock of it afterwards.
From the perspective of the business change team, considerably more support than funds and approval are required. As with a lot of other projects, there are so many factors to consider These things often require the authority of top management to resolve. Though in the real world, this type of support is often scarce.
This happens because in the work environment, there are two conflicting needs. There is the need to change the business to keep it competitive in the future. Then there is also the need to run the business now because it's a must to keep the profits rolling. Unless somebody is doing something to address the issue, running the business is often more important than business change.
Problems in running the businesses are immediate. Customer complaints should be dealt with right now. The details surrounding running the businesses are pressing and hard to ignore. Even so, for business change to occur successfully, the bosses should be able to balance everything out; they should be able to give support without compromising the current needs of the business.
An excellent way for a business to achieve this is by hiring an exec whose job is to focus only on change. This person can regularly report on the change initiatives, has the authority to resolve problems, and is not otherwise occupied with running the business. Aside from that, this person will also collaborate with the executive team and help make business change a priority.