From “Stakeholders” to “Internal Partners”: Practical Tips to Implement Change

WHERE TO: A more collaborative organization that sees all coworkers as “internal partners” instead of stakeholders through a rebranding effort.

WHERE FROM: Most organizations have a culture which would be classified as competitive instead of collaborative. There is an us vs them mentality that compromises which limits the impact and growth of the product and the company.

WHERE NEXT: Implementing some of the options below to cement this change and develop a true culture of partnership.

In my previous article, I proposed starting a movement: replacing the term “stakeholders” with “internal partners”. If you read it, you know that words have power, and changing them drives a cultural shift that benefits everyone involved.

 

Change is a Product... like everything else ;)

The perks are clear. But the implementation and adoption is trickier. Like all change, there will be early adopters and laggards. People who will lead the way and drive the change, while others catch up only when the trend is status quo. How can you activate the early adopters and encourage the early and late majority to join the movement?

Today I’ll go over three practical steps you can take to start this change in your organization. Bear in mind that this is only the start and effective change will require ongoing reinforcement. Beyond that, if you develop this muscle well it will help you manage and influence change in other areas. These are good ways to get started:

1. Collaborate & Get Buy-In

You can’t simply rebrand “stakeholders” to “internal partners”. If it’s only you applying the term, people will be confused, not knowing who you’re referring to. To achieve your desired results, the organization at large must embrace the change.

There are two main groups of people you need to get buy-in from:

• Senior Management: with this level of the organization, apply the same attitude you’re using with stakeholders, empathy. Get to know them on a deeper level. Once you've built a trusting relationship, explain the rationale behind the terminology shift and the benefits it brings about.

• Team(s) you’re working with: involve them in the process by seeking their input and feedback. This helps gain their buy-in while ensuring the new terminology resonates with them and aligns with their experiences and needs.

Start by finding the people who agree with you. They’re the easiest to get on board, and will become evangelists of the change alongside you. Then work to encourage people who are on the fence or don’t have strong opinions to join the movement. Don’t focus your energy on the laggards, they’ll eventually fall in line. Monitor your progress and keep going until you spread the change across the whole organization. (Look out for a post about the connection between Electoral Politics and Product Management coming soon!)

2. Consistently Use It

Once you've obtained buy-in, consistently use the new terminology across all communication channels, documents, and processes. This is the only way you can create an impactful and lasting change. People need to get used to the idea at first but, as time goes by, they will start using the term themselves. You can achieve consistency in two main ways:

• Encourage Broad Use: For any future initiatives, use the new term and try to encourage non-product people to start saying “internal partners” as well. Over time, remember to also update any existing documentation, onboarding, and templates… which slowly but surely removes remnants of the old terminology.

• Reinforce Through Action: Lead by example and consistently use the new term in your interactions, meetings, and communications. Encourage others to do the same, and gently correct any slip ups to reinforce the change. Be ready to explain the rationale behind it to anyone who’s curious to learn more and to proactively do so occasionally so that people remember the value of the terminology shift..

Remember that, more than a terminology change, this is an attitude shift, and it takes time to fully settle. Be patient but keep going. Eventually, you’ll see the impact you’re aiming for.

3. Commit to REAL Partnership

Rebranding stakeholders to internal partners is not just a change in terminology—it’s a commitment to a new way of working together. To truly deliver on this promise of partnership, you need to demonstrate through actions and results that this is more than just a superficial change. Here’s how:

• Open Communication: Encourage open communication between teams and departments and consider creating platforms for regular feedback and discussions.

• Share Successes and Failures: Partnership means sharing both the highs and the lows. Celebrate successes together, and analyze failures as a team to learn and grow from them.

• Align Goals and Objectives: Make sure all teams and departments have aligned goals. This makes everyone feel like they're part of the same mission. You can do this through planning meetings and regular updates on what the organization wants to achieve.

• Build a Culture of Mutual Respect: Ensure you value each other’s opinions and make a point in not only doing so but also showing it. Each partner should feel appreciated, and part of a unified team.

If you apply this, then you will have truly built a partnership everyone can benefit from!

Conclusion

This advice focuses on rebranding "stakeholders" to "internal partners" but it applies to any organizational shift you want to make. It even applies to strategy deployments or any other changes such as roles and responsibilities or processes you’re aiming to evolve. Collaboration, consistency, and commitment to realizing the value are key to making any change effective.

Have you started a terminology shift at your company or a change of any kind? I’d love to hear from you! You can also send me an email at [email protected] to share your story or a question.

If you’d like to start implementing change at your organization but are still unsure how, I invite you to check my programs to find the right fit for you or schedule a FREE 30-minute chat to talk about your current situation. Alternatively, if group coaching is more your style, checkout Sidebar’s Personal Advisory Board offering.