Why only 30% of change programs succeed: What is the reason behind Change Management Process Failure | How to handle the resistance ?

Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results: Albert Einstein

The way we have been approaching change perhaps doesn’t qualify as insane, but it begs the question whether conventional change management methodologies need some serious innovation.

For example, consider the 2008 McKinsey survey of 3199 executives around the world. They found, as John Kotter did in his research revealed in his book, Leading Change (1996), that only 30% of change programs succeed. Yikes! Same results 10+ years later! Now think about Albert Einstein… doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.

There are so many books leading change, thousands of articles have been published; courses and certifications dedicated to managing change have been delivered. And, despite prolific output in the change management field, the results remain the same. It’s just that leading change requires continuous learning, ongoing innovation, and an openness to gifts and art and creativity of other disciplines. It’s we open the doors.

Alan M. Webber, award-winning, Harvard Business Review managing editor, author, columnist, and founder of Fast Company magazine, wrote a great blog post this last week: Waving or Drowning.

Don’t tell me what you’re against; tell me what you’re for.

I’m for thinking and approaching how to lead change in new and innovative ways. I believe we need that, now more than ever. We need people that can create change that matters.

Don’t tell me who to blame; tell me what you’re working on.

People always try to blame others and avoid their own work. The best approach to stop fire fighting and start moving towards solution ASAP.

Don’t tell me what’s wrong with “them”; tell me what’s going to work.

Leading change requires shaping ideas, shaping change in a way that people can ‘hear’, in a way that people can connect. Leading change requires connection, collaboration, engagement. Leading change is about understanding human behavior, not about filling out templates and assessments. Leading change is about left brain + right brain thinking. We need both.

References

The Irrational Side of Change Management. Carolyn Aiken and Scott Keller, McKinsey Quaterly, 2008.