Implementing a successful contingent workforce strategy can be challenging, especially when there are many stakeholders involved. It is imperative for Human Resources to work with finance and procurement departments (if available and appropriate) to engage and involve stakeholders throughout the company in order to implement a contingent workforce strategy with success. After all, it only takes one reluctant stakeholder to subvert the process and nix the whole thing! A recent article 

on The Staffing Stream by Peter Carvalho identified four key implementation phases that engage stakeholders and help sidestep potential roadblocks – Awareness, Understanding, Involvement and Ownership. Here’s what the article suggested:
 

 Phase 1 – Awareness 

• Gather information about your audience; know their wants and needs

• Create a name for the proposed chang

es that is easily recognized by the target audience

• Build the project timeline and objectives for each phase

• Share timeline and metrics

• Communicate business imperative
 

Phase 2 – Understanding 

• Publicize transition timelines

• Promote transition support structure

• Explain how change will affect each department and individual; focus on the needs of the individual

• Provide key stakeholders with a detailed understanding about specific changes and how the changes will affect them and their department specifically

Phase 3 – Involvement 

• Facilitate the sharing of expectations between team members

• Focus on helping those who are resistant to the change

• Train users about new policies and provide opportunities to cross train

• Recognize project milestones and contributions of key audiences
 

Phase 4 – Ownership 

• Visibly celebrate successes

• Gather change requests

• Identify best practices and opportunities to further improve processes
 

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