How to Get Staff Buy-In for KPIs in 5 Steps

Let’s be honest—talking about 'KPI buy-in' might be a bit of a stretch at first. In most cases, when you're rolling out key metrics, what you're really aiming for is to avoid resistance and persuade people to comply with gathering the data.

Truly getting employee buy-in usually only happens once people start seeing the actual value in the data. There are exceptions, of course—like when there's a big, obvious problem that's really visible or painful. In those cases, it’s easier to get everyone on board from the start.

But generally, staff buy-in tends to happen in stages, and we can break it down into five key steps:

Creating engagement
Building a case – why you need these measures
Removing obstacles
Publicly showing the importance
Developing good habits

For more practical insights and checklists, don’t miss out on Bernie's book, KPI Checklists, which is packed with valuable information to support your KPI journey.

Step 1: Creating Engagement

Step 1 is all about getting people involved from the start – if the individuals feel more engaged, they're more likely to be on board with the key metrics you’re introducing. Here's what you need to do:

Involve a wide selection of stakeholders in a KPI Tree workshop session. If you've never heard of a KPI Tree before, they are a fantastic tool that turns an organisation's high-level business goals and objectives into ground-level measurable activities. Few things foster employee buy-in quicker than team brainstorming. Of all the points on this list, this is probably the most effective way of creating employee engagement.
Walk your team through the reasons for the new measures in a clear and straightforward way, especially with those who will be providing the data or are directly affected by the metrics.
Host an event, or set up one-to-one meetings, where people can openly and honestly share their concerns and issues with the proposed measures.
Deal with potential issues openly and honestly.
Create a 'Frequently Asked Questions' document for those that could not be involved in the initial engagement process.

Step 2: Building a Case—Why You Need These Measures

It makes sense to start by explaining to the team why you need to measure X—because if you don’t, you might "go bust," "upset customers," or "get into trouble with regulators," and so on. To build a rational case for your organisational key metrics, here are the usual steps:

Build the case for measurement.
Show the real-world benefits of collecting the data, or explain the serious problems that could arise or worsen if you don’t. It's essential that everyone understands how the new measures will benefit both individuals and the organisation.
Share relevant, compelling examples of real-life issues that the key metrics will help solve.
Address how you'll handle the extra workload from data collection or analysis.

While laying out this logical argument is important, it’s not enough to build engagement. Engagement is more of an emotional process, and what you've just outlined is a rational case. Effective change management (read: managing people's emotions to and perception of the change) is crucial in ensuring that everyone understands and adapts to the new measures.

The best way to get real staff buy-in for KPIs is to start by engaging people emotionally, then follow up with a KPI Tree workshop or a stakeholder feedback session.

This isn’t always straightforward, but emotional engagement needs a few things to work:

Honest dialogue
Trust between both sides
People feeling heard and listened to
Small group or one-on-one conversations
Relevance to the needs of the person you're talking to

One common mistake managers make is trying to fix a lack of engagement by doubling down on the rational argument. Winning the intellectual debate doesn’t bring people on board emotionally. In fact, pushing too hard with logic can often backfire.

A senior getting staff buy in through a one-to-one meeting with a team member

Step 3: Removing Obstacles

This step is all about making things as easy as possible for the people who will be delivering the data or doing the analysis. Research shows that you're more likely to get people to do a task if that task is very simple.

Here’s how you can remove obstacles:

Create a cheat sheet for each type of user involved in recording or handling the data.
Clearly define the process you want the person or team to follow, and if possible, test it with everyone who will be using it.
Keep people engaged by making it easy for them to flag up issues.

Creating a Simple KPI Cheat Sheet:

Make the cheat sheet simple and user-friendly with step-by-step instructions, decision branches, and screen grabs or on-screen guides.
Identify any additional skills users may need and provide resources for how they can acquire them.
Provide contact details for help—the more immediate, the better. A phone number is ideal; having to write a letter isn’t!
Make user guides easy to find and use—laminated, colourful A3 sheets work really well. Just make sure the guides are version-controlled and always fully up-to-date.

Ensure that changes to the cheat sheets are actioned as fast as humanly possible. Also, it’s crucial to ensure that the line managers of your key data gatherers are fully on board and actively promoting the new system. Any lack of support from these managers, even subtle, will seriously undermine your efforts. As tempting as it might be, don’t bypass middle managers—this almost always backfires and can undermine your efforts to secure staff buy-in.

Keep People Engaged

Taking feedback on board swiftly is key—nothing kills enthusiasm for a new process faster than feeling ignored. Keep employees' engagement by making it easy for them to flag up issues:

Add a 30-second "any issues?" session to your morning operational meetings, if they exist.
Include a "comments and improvements" section on commonly used documents.
Spend time sitting with people as they collect or record the data. This not only makes it easier for them to raise concerns, but it also shows you’re genuinely interested in the data being gathered.
Let people know quickly about any actions taken as a result of feedback. And if you can’t implement feedback, be clear about why.

Step 4: Public Displays of Importance

No, this doesn’t mean having teams wear a special hat! It’s about making sure that senior management is sending all the right signals—both tangible and intangible—that they fully support the key metric process. You need to prepare for this beforehand, because finding out you don’t have their organisational backing at this stage can be frustrating and, frankly, embarrassing.

Here’s how to ensure senior support and the right signals:

Test support early: Have open and honest discussions with senior managers from the start. Make sure they’re fully engaged and committed to the initiative.
Get it in writing: Document exactly what you’re trying to achieve and have senior managers sign off on it—physically, if possible.
Provide a briefing document: Ask your senior stakeholders to write a briefing on why the key metrics are crucial. If they’re too busy or ask you to write it for them, go ahead and draft it yourself for them to sign off on—it’s not ideal, but it’s better than nothing.
Senior involvement in meetings: Ensure senior leaders kick off any roll-out briefings, FAQ sessions, or roadshows. They need to cover:
- Why the metrics process is important
- What happens if it fails
- How they will be involved and their ongoing interest
- When the next follow-up will be
- What they expect to see in the follow-up
- Their confidence in the success of the process
Encourage openness: Make it clear that senior managers have an open door for discussing any real, practical problems that might arise.
Align public and private messaging: It's critical that everything senior managers say—whether in public or behind closed doors—is consistent and supportive of the metrics process. Private off-the-record comments are often taken seriously by their teams, so address any whispers or misalignment as soon as possible.
Regular follow-ups: Schedule regular review or steering sessions to keep everyone focused and on track.

Step 5: Developing Good Habits

Good habits are essential for making a new key metric system run smoothly, as they help ensure that everyone buys into the process of gathering and analysing data. Habits take time to form, but once people enter into the routine of gathering and analysing the data, everything becomes much easier. Just like brushing your teeth without thinking about it, your team will start to naturally produce and process the information your key metric system relies on.

There’s a lot of pseudo-science out there about how many repetitions it takes to form a habit. I won’t throw out a 'magic number', but you’ll know when you’ve hit that point. When the process becomes part of the daily routine, without needing constant reminders, that’s when you know it’s working. Of course, there are things you can do to either help habit formation—or unintentionally sabotage it.

Here’s how to encourage good habits:

Keep the process consistent: Minimise variations in the data collection process. The more consistent it is, the easier it will be for people to build a habit.
Establish a predictable rhythm: Ensure there’s a clear, regular 'heartbeat' to the process, i.e., a predictable frequency between repetitions. Whether it’s weekly, monthly, or daily, people need to know when it’s time to gather and analyse data.
Address lapses quickly: If anyone starts slipping out of the habit, tackle it immediately. Don’t let bad habits creep in.
Fix issues fast: If something is preventing people from doing what they need to do, fix it quickly. Nothing derails habits faster than unresolved obstacles.
Reinforce with employee recognition: When people are doing well, make sure to acknowledge it. Positive reinforcement helps cement good habits.
Track progress visually: If practicable and appropriate, use a visual management chart to track errors or missed data. Seeing progress—or areas for improvement—can be a powerful motivator.

Ways to ‘Break’ KPI Staff Buy-In

There are a few sure-fire ways to derail your company's efforts for buy-in from staff, and you’ll want to avoid these pitfalls:

Changing the process too often: If you’re constantly shifting things around for no good reason, it’ll confuse everyone and frustrate your team.
Messing with user interfaces: Frequent changes to the layout or position of interfaces, forms and documentation can throw people off. Keep things stable so they know where to find what they need.
Making the process complicated: If it’s too complex or cumbersome, people will struggle to stick to it. Keep it straightforward to help everyone stay on track.
Allowing grey areas: If there are unclear exceptions in the process, it’ll just lead to confusion and people leaving tasks unfinished. Be clear about the procedures to avoid this.

Remember, every time you try to gain buy-in, it’s a different journey. There’s no one-size-fits-all path or guaranteed routes to success. The principles outlined here will set you up for the best chance, but don’t forget that you’re working with people. Honesty, persistence, and regular check-ins are your best allies in this process.

If you're looking for more in-depth guidance on engaging your team and implementing key metrics effectively, check out our KPI Black Belt programme. It’s a comprehensive online training designed to help teams and individuals enhance their performance measurement skills.