TIME: 1 month

What We Did
Parishes and their associated schools are generally autonomous. Therefore, the diocese, unlike many for-profit enterprises, could not mandate adoption of the recommendations. We had to rely on other approaches to influence the schools to take action.

To gain buy-in, we took several actions throughout the study: workshops were held to give stakeholders an opportunity to contribute to the problem solving; recommendations were presented to key leadership groups (e.g., Pastors Council); and pastors and principals, as members of a steering committee, led key meetings.

What Resulted
A survey of the schools in the study showed that most were ready to begin implementation. Quite a few of the pastors and principals even volunteered to be on the overall implementation team.

What We Learned
Involving key stakeholders in the problem solving process early pays off when it is time to get buy-in.