Three reasons why change fails – and antidotes

Change that fails not only jeopardizes your current goals but can set a negative precedent for future change efforts. In my experience the reasons for failing change efforts are mainly linked to three factors – and can be overcome with the right antidotes.

The change from above

In organisations the leader tends to decide that change is needed and what needs to change, and at times also how the change should happen. This is often based on an analysis by internal experts or external consultants. The leader sees it as their responsibility to set the vision for change and show leadership.
The problem with this approach is that staff have not been truly involved in developing the vision and thinking through how that vision can be achieved. They may well agree that the current situation needs improving, and they may have been consulted on some of the symptoms, but they have not had the chance to troubleshoot and problem solve. They don’t feel ownership of the vision. They may also struggle to see how the changes will make what they do better. So they may feel that change is “being done to them”; that they are being subjected to change.

Antidote:
The antidote is to work intensively with all staff to identify the current issues and the opportunities of a new vision. It is most successful if staff have the opportunity to co-create the need for change and the path to change, for example through a series of well-designed and facilitated workshops.

The prevailing currents

The second main reason why change often fails is that it’s simply too hard for staff. If your staff are struggling to keep up with their workload – unless you can immediately introduce a time-saving system or you stop certain activities – they will not have the time and energy to implement the change or alter their ways of working. It may also be that the financial or social incentives are still encouraging the old behaviour. Staff just don’t see the prize so they carry on as before.

Antidote:
You need to be acknowledge to your staff that change requires conscious effort. You will need to make sure that staff have the time and the space in the mind to adapt: to try out the new approaches and even improve on them. What will also change the game is if you can ensure that staff have the right financial and social incentives and support. The best way is to ask them what they need and what barriers they are encountering.

No rewarding journey

The third reason why change often fails is that there is no clear path to success and staff don’t have the sense that they are on a rewarding journey. This can stem from a number of causes:

• Maybe too much emphasis is placed on the generating ideas for change but there is insufficient support for making ideas a reality. What I think of as the “post-it syndrome”.
• Responsibilities for implementing changes – or initiating them – may not be insufficiently agreed or lacking altogether. Individual staff members may not see the role they have to play in their daily work.
• It may also be the case that the organisation doesn’t really have a learning culture. Change is not easy and unless everyone embraces the spirit of trial and learning from mistakes, change efforts can be quickly be seen as failing.

Antidote:
Staff need to feel they are on an rewarding journey together, accepting that there will be challenges and set-backs along the way. It helps if responsibilities are agreed collectively. Some individuals may be more enthused about the change than others – these could be encouraged to form a Change working group. A visual change journey and regular open discussions on how things are going can help with motivation and momentum. It’s equally important to make it business-as-usual to act on lessons learned.

Want to do change differently?

Contact me for a complimentary conversation — catherine [at] strategic-consulting.scot