Why do so Many Change Processes Fail?

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Why do so Many Change Processes Fail?
Most often change processes do not succeed because of some ASSUMPTIONS we make before and during the change process.

One such well-known assumption is that people hate change so they may resist change. I see this as a myth in change process.
Clearly, it is not that people hate change, but rather people do not want change to be imposed on them.

The best way to avoid this is to involve people in the change process right from the beginning to increase the chances they will corporate with the process.

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		Jaap de Jonge Editor, Netherlands
	11 Why Change Efforts Not Succeed Thank you James for your interesting topic. I think this very much behind Kotter's thinking with his eight reasons and phases why many change processes don't succeed. Also take a look at our competence center about Resistance to change which has a lot on how we can avoid and manage such resistance.

		Gregory Johnson Coach, United States
	8 Why Change Efforts Fail I agree with Jaap de Jonge and would like to add a caveat. Oftentimes our ambition is to improve an existing situation. One common way to announce and begin the process is to state we are CHANGING. The caveat I am referring to is the use of words. When we announce "Change", some feel threatened and are going to be against anything that is different. However, if we solicit from others suggestions on how we might "improve" for competitive reasons or other soft-shell reasons, the dynamic of "change" could be lessened. As such, even with Kotter, the communications rubric is critical. Find other ways to create the environment of change without using the word and you may find a very different reaction and response.

		Steven Cooke, Philippines
	7 Change Processes are CONTINUOUS One of the main reasons that I have seen "Change Processes" fail in my career is that they are often really designed and carried out as PROJECTS instead of PROCESSES. Really! By this time in industrial/corporate history I would expect that changes for improvement are already embedded into the structure and function of a company! The other issues (valid) of resistance are due to the fact that a "change" is too often readily identified (as a project - yet another one😉) than as a continuation of the improvement PROCESSES in the company. When everyday and every activity is really trying to improve - because the employees recognize the benefits to them personally - the specific directions of change and the effort to implement them will come naturally (but still with effort) instead of as a disruption.

		Paramathmuni srinivas Kumar India
	2 Camel and Thorn Analogy for Resistance of Change A camel enjoys eating thorns; thus it has blood smeared in its mouth… It persists eating the thorns despite getting hurt. The TENDENCIES which are in that animal are present in humans too. For examp (...)

		Fernando Rodriguez Project Manager, United States
	6 Who are the Informers of the Change Processes? I noticed in my field that often upper management does not listen to the doers/performers. These performers are usually not making a lot of noise, because they are busy in delivering the things as req (...)

		Kartikeyan, India
	3 Risks in Change Process not Addressed Change is often seen too much as a positive thing. In the process of preparing and carrying out the change process, appropriate weight needs to be given to the RISKS in the process of effecting the ch (...)

		Graham Williams Management Consultant, South Africa
	2 Why So Many Change Processes Fail For starters, inherent in the 8 Kotter solutions is an old-style, "PROJECT-BASED' PARADIGM - which in any event doesn't mention a number of additional reasons - one important one being how the style, (...)

		Armando Aramayo Business Consultant, Peru
	3 The Need for Flexibility in Change Processes Everything changes every minute. Businesses are no exception. For businesses, changes occur both in the market (externally) and in the organization/people (internally). We have to be able to manage (...)

		Henry, Hong Kong
	2 Culture is Difficult to Change I think the CULTURE of an organization is one of the most important things in any organization, but it's also a large resistance force, especially in old companies. Changing a corporate culture, and i (...)

		Bernhard Keim Business Consultant, Germany
	2 The Current System at Least Works to some Extent… Resistance against change is widespread and common. One of the reasons for it is that the existing system works and the new system, as good as it might be in theory, has no history proving that it act (...)