1. People leading the change think that announcing the change is the same as implementing it.
2. People’s concerns with change are not surfaced or addressed.
3. Those being asked to change are not involved in planning the change.
4. There is no compelling reason to change. The business case is not communicated.
5. A compelling vision that excites people about the future has not been developed and communicated.
6. The change leadership team does not include early adopters, resisters, or informal leaders.
7. The change is not piloted, so the organization does not learn what is needed to support the change.
8. Organizational systems and other initiatives are not aligned with the change.
9. Leaders lose focus or fail to prioritize, causing “death by 1,000 initiatives.”
10. People are not enabled or encouraged to build new skills.
11. Those leading the change are not credible. They undercommunicate, give mixed messages, and do not model the behaviors the change requires.
12. Progress is not measured, and/or no one recognizes the changes that people have worked hard to make.
13. People are not held accountable for implementing the change.
14. People leading the change fail to respect the power of the culture to kill the change.
15. Possibilities and options are not explored before a specific change is chose.
When most people see this list, their reaction depends on whether they have usually been the target of change or the change agent. Targets of change frequently feel as though we have been studying their organization for years, because they have seen these reasons why change fails in action, up close and personal. The reality is that while every organization is unique in some ways, they often struggle with change for the same reasons.
2. People’s concerns with change are not surfaced or addressed.
3. Those being asked to change are not involved in planning the change.
4. There is no compelling reason to change. The business case is not communicated.
5. A compelling vision that excites people about the future has not been developed and communicated.
6. The change leadership team does not include early adopters, resisters, or informal leaders.
7. The change is not piloted, so the organization does not learn what is needed to support the change.
8. Organizational systems and other initiatives are not aligned with the change.
9. Leaders lose focus or fail to prioritize, causing “death by 1,000 initiatives.”
10. People are not enabled or encouraged to build new skills.
11. Those leading the change are not credible. They undercommunicate, give mixed messages, and do not model the behaviors the change requires.
12. Progress is not measured, and/or no one recognizes the changes that people have worked hard to make.
13. People are not held accountable for implementing the change.
14. People leading the change fail to respect the power of the culture to kill the change.
15. Possibilities and options are not explored before a specific change is chose.
When most people see this list, their reaction depends on whether they have usually been the target of change or the change agent. Targets of change frequently feel as though we have been studying their organization for years, because they have seen these reasons why change fails in action, up close and personal. The reality is that while every organization is unique in some ways, they often struggle with change for the same reasons.
When change agents look at this list, they get discouraged, because they realize how complicated implementing change can be and how many different things can go wrong. Where should they start? Which of the fifteen reasons why change fails should they concentrate on?
Over the years it has been our experience that if leaders can understand and overcome the first three reasons why change typically fails, they are on the road to being effective leaders of change.
Ken Blanchard
Leading at a Higher Level: Blanchard on Leadership and Creating High Performing Organizations. FT Press. 2010.
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