Why Organisational Change Fails
Gabrielle Dolan
I teach people how to tell stories more effectively in business. International keynote speaker. Best-selling author. Podcaster - Keeping it Real with Jac and Ral. ???gabrielledolan.com
“70% of change management fails.”
If you have been around business long enough, especially in the area of organisational change, you will no doubt have come across this quote. Perhaps, like myself, you have quoted this statistic before.
It is widely attributed to John Kotter from his 2008 book, A Sense of Urgency. His statement was,
"I estimate today more than 70% of needed change either fails to be launched ...completed ...or finishes over budget, late and with initial aspirations unmet.”
A Well-Informed Estimate
So, it is not scientific fact but an estimation. All the same, as the father of change management, John Kotter has a wealth of knowledge that makes it a very well-informed estimate.
From my own 30 years’ experience in organisational change, I believe that a failure rate of around 70% is realistic. Regardless of the figure, it is worth exploring how we can improve the success of change projects. Especially when you consider the amount of resources invested as well as the associated disruptions for employees.
My Video Blog
In my latest video blog, I discuss my two cents worth on the reasons why organisational change fails.
I’d love to hear your ideas, reasons and opinions about this topic.
Gabrielle Dolan is a best selling author and international speaker on business storytelling and authentic leadership. She is also the founder of Jargon Free Fridays. Her latest book, Real Communication: How to be you and lead true, can be purchased here. Follow this link to find out more about Gabrielle.
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4 年So why is organisation change different to production line change? My uncle worked for Ford in Europe and production line workers were constantly asked to provide ideas on change, when an idea was put forward the production line workers would discuss it and if they thought it would speed up the line or improve quality then it was instigated. It was found the average improvement was around 12% and the person was paid for his idea. Is the reason that these people put forward the change and were involved, unlike being given a fait accompli ? As I know with many years in management if the board would have asked the management team on a reorg and appointment of certain people, the answer would have been " you have got to be joking" and it was proven in the long run the team were correct!
Executive Coach & Strategic Partner to Purpose-Led CEOs and Exec Leaders | Speaker & Facilitator | Imperfect Leadership to realise your potential for impact
4 年Great insights, Ral. Leaders play a big part in the success of change and need to role model behaviours that build credibility and support. If I had to pick 1 of the 3, I’d say the emotional connection piece is key - one of the biggest barriers to change is a fear of loss (real or perceived), so change leaders need to be curious about mindsets and engage people with empathy to encourage buy-in to change.
GTM Engineer | intelligentresourcing.co
4 年Emotion yes but also beliefs. Nobody ever really addresses the existing beliefs within an organization. These over-ride the logic because our limiting beliefs are more real to us.
Global Head of Property and Workplace, BHP GAICD
4 年Totally agree - sometimes I also think that those that are best at delivering the change activity ie the doing, aren’t always best suited to leading the change (for exactly those reasons). #onetake ??
Senior HR Leader | People Experience | Business Executive
4 年Great clip Gabrielle Dolan.