7 Reasons Change Management Efforts Fail

Change is an inevitable part of life, and certainly a part of growth, and in today's rapidly changing business environment, organizations must adapt to stay competitive. However, despite the best intentions, change initiatives often fail to achieve their objectives, leading to wasted time, money, and effort (Kotter, 2023).

In this blog post, we'll explore some of the common reasons why change projects fail and what you can do to prevent it from happening.

1.)   Poor communication & Change Resistance:

Research shows that the number one reason employees resist change is a lack of awareness for why the change is necessary (Prosci, 2020) Effective communication is critical to solving this challenge, without clear and consistent communication delivered in multiple ways, multiple times, stakeholders may misunderstand the project's goals, objectives, and expectations which could lead lead to confusion, frustration, and resistance to change.

To prevent this: Develop a communication plan that outlines the project's goals (including why the change is happening, and why it is happening now) objectives,progress, and share regular updates with all stakeholders. Make sure your communication plan considers who is the appropriate sender for the different types of messaging.

2.)   Lack of leadership and commitment:

Change projects require strong leadership and commitment from these leaders. Without this, it’s challenging to create the necessary momentum and support to achieve the project’s goals.

To prevent this: Leaders set the tone for the entire change effort. As goes the leader, so goes the business. Ensure you have strong leadership and and involve them in the change process from the outset. Ensure they are demonstrating advocacy for the change and are visible engaging throughout the effort. According to Prosci Change Management research (2020), active and visible sponsorship is the number one factor for success.

3.)   Personal Impacts:

Too often in business, we forget that all change is personal (yes, even those strategic initiatives that impact the entire business). Individuals have set up their way of working around the current state. Changes may impact their subject matter expertise, it may make an individual feel like their role will be lessened (or it may actually reduce their role), it may impact their current schedule that the function of their daily lives depends on, it may impact their pay or who they get to work with on a daily basis. Frequently, when organizations plan change, taking the individual personal impact into account is an afterthought and not managed and that increases resistance and decreases success.

 To prevent this: Involve management early. Managers are able to address impacts down to the personal level. Do not inform managers of a change at the same time as the entire employee population. Inform managers early, allow them to digest their own personal impacts and then support them in considering impacts to the individuals on their team and allow them to begin creating plans to navigate those impacts.

4.)   Lack of clear goals and objectives:

Another significant reason organizations struggle with change is a lack of clear goals and objectives. Without a clear understanding of what the project aims to achieve, it's challenging to measure success, leading to confusion and frustration.

To prevent this: Start by defining clear, specific, and measurable goals and objectives for your project. Be sure to involve all stakeholders in this process to ensure everyone is aligned.

5.)   Inadequate planning:

Another common reason for change projects to find themselves in chaos is inadequate planning. Planning involves outlining the necessary steps to achieve the project's goals and objectives, including timelines, resources, and potential risks. Failure to plan effectively can lead to missed deadlines, budget overruns, and scope creep.

To prevent this: Ensure you set aside the time to develop a comprehensive project plan that outlines all the necessary tasks, timelines, and resources needed to achieve your project's goals.

6.)   Inadequate resources:

Change projects require adequate resources, including funding, personnel, and technology. Failure to allocate sufficient resources can lead to delays, budget overruns, and a failure to achieve the project's goals.

To prevent this: Ensure you have a clear understanding of the resources required to achieve your project's goals, and work with stakeholders to secure the necessary funding, personnel, and technology. 

7.)   Failure to measure and evaluate progress:

Finally, a common reason for change project failure is a failure to measure and evaluate progress. Without regular monitoring and evaluation, it's challenging to identify potential issues or rising resistance and make necessary adjustments to keep the project on track.

To prevent this: Develop a monitoring and evaluation plan that outlines the key performance indicators (KPIs) you will use to measure progress, and regularly review progress against these KPIs. Ensure you define what success looks like from the very beginning when the change is decided.

Certainly, change can be challenging. But with careful planning, effective communication and effective leadership, it can be fruitful. WorkWell Consulting Group’s Change Management Professionals have been asked to intervene in a lot of change projects mid-way when the above have occurred. Ideally, a Change Management Consultant can join at the beginning of your initiative and utilize proven techniques to ensure the change is successful for all involved.

Please reach out to info@workwellconsultinggroup.com for more information on how we can help your organization manage changes – big or small.