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.

BIG Readiness Session 19th November 2025

The BIG CIC presented a session positioned as a readiness workshop focused on Business Integrated Governance (BIG). The Core aim is to help organizations connect strategy to delivery more effectively.

• 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.

Introductions & Roles

• David Dunning: Founder of the BIG initiative, positioning the framework and its relevance.
• Bekka Prideaux: Leadership and change consultant, introducing the concept of Applied Curiosity as a tool for engagement.
• Chris Bragg: Experienced in strategy execution and governance, presenting the readiness model and its application.

Applied Curiosity

Bekka outlined Applied Curiosity – practical tactics for engaging stakeholders constructively and prompting reflection rather than defensiveness.

Curiosity applied as a structured process to build trust, reduce risk, and improve engagement.

• Cycle:
  1. Research → gather facts
  2. Reflect → pause and interpret
  3. Plan → form hypotheses and actions
  4. React/Test → implement and learn
• Benefits:
  • Builds psychological safety and trust
  • Reduces bias and assumptions
  • Enhances innovation and performance
• Skills Emphasized:
  • Listening ladder: from ignoring → pretending → selective → attentive → empathetic listening
  • Better questioning: open, non-leading, curiosity-driven questions that invite reflection rather than defensiveness.

Please see our Blog on Applied Curiosity here.

Principles-Based Readiness Assessment

Chris then showed an example Readiness Assessment bult with content from the BIG Body of Knowledge. Using a Model he built in the SharpCloud technology, he took us through:

Define the organisation – clarify scope and structure – what are the business units (permanent / temporary), who is accountable and where does accountability flow? Does this already exist / Is this clear?

Assess readiness – evaluate alignment with BIG principles and identify strengths and weaknesses. What are your areas of agreement / difference on how the organisation meets integrated governance principles? Is there consensus – and related appetite to do something?

Review solution components – At a high level – what are the key capabilities for integrated governance  – what exists already / what is needed?

Analyse stakeholders – identify who to engage and their likely stance. For your stakeholders – what attitude do they have to integrated governance and who needs engagement?

More about how to use the Example Chris showed here;

Takeaways from Chris’s Section

• Governance is the linchpin of successful strategy execution.
• The readiness model provides a structured, principles-based way to assess and discuss organizational preparedness. It is a start.
• Success depends on stakeholder engagement and consensus-building, not just technical processes.

BIG Change Philosophy – presented by David

• Don’t rush into solutions.
• Engage stakeholders early and often.
• Recognize your own influence and limits.
• Use consensus-building (Nemawashi) to avoid resistance.
• Gather evidence before acting.
• Sustain change through structured steps.

Wrap up

By the end of the session, we:

• 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
• Are more equipped to plan the engagement needed to build consensus for change.

What Comes Next

The session recording will be shared with BIG FULL and Conference Members shortly.

Session Slides here:

Register as a FULL Member to as a Conference Member here.

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.

For more information:

• Access the BIG First Steps guide

• More about the BIG Readiness Model

For those that want to look at the tool and model presented in the session:

• Sign up for a SharpCloud trial. (Use the “Free Trial” button.) Contact us to Access the BIG Story used in the session.
• Open the BIG Story. Registered attendees will receive a basic SharpCloud model for capturing a simple readiness assessment. Reviewing it in advance will help them prepare.

Then think:

• Consider organisational scope. Which parts of the organisation should / must be involved – tactically or holistically – to make change meaningful?
• Review the BIG Principles and Components. These form the foundation for stakeholder engagement and the design of an integrated operating model.
• Identify stakeholders and sponsors. Who needs to buy into the change, and who has the authority to lead or fund the initiative?
• Review the 3 blogs we have provided
  • De-Risking the Conversation – Applied Curiosity
  • Are you ready for strategy delivery?
  • Introduction to the Readiness Model

Want more?

• Access the Full Readiness Model as a FULL Member

Watch the Session

Part 1 – Readiness Content

Part 2 – Readiness Discussion

Part 3 – how to use thw SharpCloud Tool