We are occasionally asked about mistakes that we see companies make related to organizational change management. In reflecting back over several years and many client engagements, below are the most common mistakes that we have seen. Short-Cutting the Change Process Change is a process, not a single event. Organizational change does not happen instantaneously as […]
Also, check out Blueprint for Building an Internal Change Capability Two-thirds of all large-scale change initiatives fail to achieve their expected business benefits. This failure rate represents billions of dollars in lost productivity, wasted resources, opportunity costs and rework—not to mention the cost of lost jobs and workforce disengagement. Companies that learn to manage change effectively […]
In their recent research report, 10 Best Practices in Organizational Change for Project Managers (August 29, 2011), Gartner focuses on the fact that project and program managers struggle with coordinating effective, organizational change practices. This struggle is compounded by an increasing rate of structural change from activities such as mergers and reorganizations, which is making change […]
Company leaders often ask us about common pitfalls associated with organizational change initiatives and how they can avoid them. The term “pitfall,” defined as a hidden danger in the form of a covered pit used as a trap, implies a sudden occurrence. We prefer the term quagmire which more accurately describes what actually occurs in […]
A few months ago I sat in two meetings on the same day at the same company. The first was an executive working session on a new AI initiative. The leaders in the room were sincere, optimistic, and operating from genuinely good intentions. They believed the rollout would unlock capacity for higher-value work, reduce drudgery, […]
Interviewing stakeholders, along with focus groups and surveys, is one of the primary methods of gathering qualitative data. Insights gleaned from stakeholder interviews provide the basis for stakeholder analysis and prioritization and serve as a critical step in formulating an effective organizational change strategy. Stakeholder interviews done well yield many benefits: Correct structures, processes, and […]
Successful change initiatives require strong committed leadership through the entire project by both the business sponsor and the implementation team members. When strong leadership is lacking, the risks are manifold, such as stakeholders believe the “wrong” people are leading the effort; leaders kick-off the initiative and are not seen or heard from again; leaders are […]
Walk into any company right now and you will find a leadership team trying to absorb more change than the organization can metabolize. AI is reshaping roles. ERP and cloud platforms are still grinding through their multi-year rollouts. Cost programs have replaced growth programs in half the boardrooms I sit in. And the workforce, after […]
Jesse Jacoby
