Why Change Fails.

Question: There were once three frogs on a log and one of them made a decision to jump into the water. How many were left?

Answer: There are still three frogs on a log. He made a decision but took no action!

This answer immediately reminded me of a discussion contained in Chip and Dan Heath’s book, “Decisive”. In it they were discussing the fundamental differences between an Entrepreneur and an Executive and their approaches to executing change initiatives.The book observed that an Entrepreneur isn’t comfortable with change without having direct in-market experience. They learn by doing, getting feedback and adjusting on the fly. There’s even a word for this experimentation apparently drawn from the deep south in the U.S. They call it “ooching”. Real world experience is the proof required to move forward.

On the contrary, an Executive isn’t comfortable in acting unless they know where they were going. This latter group has to have the comfort of a well thought out plan before they dive in. It’s an interesting dichotomy which echoes my experience with both groups and which explains a large part of why change fails. Simply put, one group is Fire! Aim! The other is Aim! Aim! Aim!

My work with both sides of the Entrepreneur/Executive continuum has provided some strong learning as to what works and what doesn’t when it comes to implementing change initiatives. Here’s my quick list of problem areas:

1. No clear picture of the future. The old adage holds true. If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.
2. No alignment. Covey said, “Those who help to create, support.” Too many initiatives are dreamed up in boardrooms and foisted on an unsuspecting employee base, none of which have had the advantage of the lengthy discussions held to get to the proposed direction. A strong change initiative builds in a process to get the buy-in and understanding of the team who will be charged to execute. Too often this process is fast-forwarded or worse, neglected, with the predictable result being flawed execution. You’ve got to go slow to go fast.
3. No sense of urgency. There’s a great quote I heard recently that brings this learning home. When asked how he went bankrupt, a business owner replied, “Slowly, then suddenly!” In order to overcome inertia, there has to be a burning platform. If there isn’t, there won’t be the impetus to move or stay the course once set.
4. Change is not an integral part of the business. The change initiative must be woven into the day to day. It must become part of the way the business is executed to be both visible and effective.
5. Lack of visible short term wins. Too many initiatives are flawed because people are swinging for the fences. Ram Charan, a noted author and expert on change management put it well when he talked about the need for playing organizational small ball, a term often used in baseball. Bunts and singles win more games. The employees have to feel and see the positive effect of change. Smaller, more frequent wins are critical to establishing positive momentum.
6. The change initiative is not driven or supported consistently from the top. Enough said.
7. It’s not measured. Again, a quick quote from Covey. “What gets measured, gets done.”

At the end of the day, I ask the following questions to ensure that we’ve got the right things in place for a successful initiative.

· Does everyone have a clear understanding of what success looks like?
· Does everyone understand what actions they must take ?
· Does everyone understand what they own in the process?
· Does everyone understand how we are going to measure to progress?

I hope the foregoing is of some help in helping frame your actions with your next change initiative!