BIG Readiness

Helping Protagonists Prepare to Lead Change

Business Integrated Governance (BIG) provides a way to connect an organisation from purpose to vision, to strategy, and through to delivery – and back again. It is not a policy framework, but a way of orchestrating how decision-making works across the organisation.

BIG includes clear principles and components that can be applied locally and tactically. However, it ultimately depends on a senior sponsor–led, multi-stakeholder initiative. Which raises the question: who gets the idea started? Is this a top down, or an innovation (bottom up) initiative? How do we remove the fog from the scene?

Top down – senior sponsors have the authority to initiate action. Yet many of those who first recognise the need for BIG – the protagonists – are not in senior positions. They must build support by engaging stakeholders and persuading a sponsor to see the value of an integrated approach – bottom up.

Our working assumption is that every BIG initiative begins with a protagonist – whether executive or senior manager: someone who sees an opportunity or challenge that needs to be addressed, and who is willing to take the first step. Their task is to persuade others – especially senior stakeholders – to create a programme that builds the capability to deliver strategy more effectively, efficiently, and with greater agility.

The BIG Readiness Assessment session at the BIG Conference is designed to help these protagonists prepare for that task. It helps participants clarify why a BIG-based approach is relevant for their organisation, identify key stakeholders and trigger conditions, recognise potential obstacles and opportunities, and outline a credible pathway to change and the value it could create.

This is not a standard conference presentation. It is a practical working session that mirrors the process participants will need to undertake when engaging stakeholders and sponsors inside their own organisations.

Once registered – Those who complete a few simple steps in advance will gain much more from the session:

Sign up for a SharpCloud trial. We’ll use SharpCloud to capture current state data. The BIG CIC has set up a model to support this exercise. There is no obligation to buy anything, and participants can export and delete their data after the session.
TBC – Open the BIG Story. Attendees will receive a basic SharpCloud model for capturing a simple readiness assessment. Reviewing it in advance will help them prepare.
Review the BIG Principles and Components. These form the foundation for stakeholder engagement and the design of an integrated operating model.
Review the 3 blogs we have provided
Consider organisational scope. Which parts of the organisation must be involved – tactically or holistically – to make change meaningful?
Identify stakeholders and sponsors. Who needs to buy into the change, and who has the authority to lead or fund the initiative?

Session Process

The session helps each participant understand:

What to work through before engaging stakeholders and sponsors about a BIG-inspired change.
What comes next – with follow-up sessions signposted for those ready to continue.

The structure includes:

Introduction and Discussion

We provide an outline of Applied Curiosity – practical tactics for engaging stakeholders constructively and prompting reflection rather than defensiveness.

Please see our Blog on Applied Curiosity here.

We then move on to support participants to reflect on:

The opportunity or problem they see.
Their position and level of influence.
The senior stakeholders needed to initiate change.
Which areas of the organisation need to engage with BIG.
Who is best placed to lead.
Current attitudes and potential resistance.
Whether now is the right time for BIG – and what could trigger momentum.

Principles-Based Readiness Assessment

Participants then conduct a guided, high-level assessment:

Define the organisation – clarify scope and structure.
Assess readiness – evaluate alignment with BIG principles and identify strengths and weaknesses.
Review solution components – determine which elements are missing, unfit for purpose, or already strong.
Analyse stakeholders – identify who to engage and their likely stance.

Outcomes

By the end of the session, participants will:

Appreciate the need to identify and classify senior stakeholders for “working around the roots”
Understand the scope of the change they need to champion.
Have a method for engaging stakeholders and senior sponsors.
Feel confident about raising perception of need without exposing themselves to political risk
Understand the components of a BIG Solution, and have a feel for their status
Understand the BIG Principles and how useful they are in engaging senior stakeholders
Be equipped to plan the engagement needed to build consensus for change.

What Comes Next

The BIG Body of Knowledge (BOK) provides further guidance on the journey ahead, including:

First Steps: from interested protagonist to active stakeholder in a change programme.
From First Steps to Sustainment: building business cases, implementing components, and embedding culture change.
Introduction to the BIG Journey: a framework to navigate the full lifecycle of adoption and integration.