top 20+ change management mistakes to avoid

7/31/2019 Top 20+ change management mistakes to avoid

1/25

Top 20+ change management

mistake to avoid


2/25

Mistake - #1 - Starting too late

Pressure to act quickly undermines values and culture

Leaders take drastic steps quickly with no time to explorealternatives

Values about participation, involvement, or concern forpeople disappear

Cynicism grows

14 September 2013 www.torbenrick.eu 2
http://www.torbenrick.eu/http://www.torbenrick.eu/


3/25

Mistake - #2 - No winning strategy

The best change program in theworld wont do any good if yourorganisation doesnt have a strategy

for getting where it wants to go



4/25

Mistake - #3 - Fanfare All too often organizations announce big

changes and new programs with big eventsand fanfare, but then very little actuallyhappens

The initial energy and enthusiasm fades,specific changes are never identified letalone implemented, results arent realized,

managers dont adjust, or maybe somethingeven better comes along leading to a newlaunch with new fanfare



5/25

Mistake - #4 - Employees hear it from the media first Journalists dig for information, and

items can run in the media beforeemployees hear about them

Middle managers look dumb anduninformed

Employees feel insulted and leftout



6/25

Mistake - #5 - Failure to make a compellingand urgent case for change

Failure to create a strong sense of urgency causes a changemovement to lose momentum before it gets a chance tostart

Establishing a true sense of urgency without creating anemergency is the first objective achieved to overcome theroutine of daily business

http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/change-management/change-management-need-a-sense-of-urgency/http://www.torbenrick.eu/http://www.torbenrick.eu/http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/change-management/change-management-need-a-sense-of-urgency/


7/25

Mistake - #6 - Only focusing on the rational elements Organizational change will be extremely difficult in most

cases if managers rely only on making a case to the rational,analytical, problem-solving side of the brain

Instead, they must also make an emotional case for changeand align the rational and emotional elements of the appeal

Before you can get buy-in, people need to feel the problem



8/25

Mistake - #7 - Not dealing proactively with resistance Managing resistance to change is challenging and its not

possible to be aware of all sources of resistance to change

Expecting that there will be resistance to change and beingprepared to manage it is a proactive step

Its far better to anticipate objections than to spend yourtime putting out fires, and knowing how to overcome

resistance to change is a vital part of any changemanagement plan

http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/change-management/12-reasons-why-people-resist-change/http://www.torbenrick.eu/http://www.torbenrick.eu/http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/change-management/12-reasons-why-people-resist-change/


9/25

Mistake - #7 - Not dealing proactively with resistance

http://www.torbenrick.eu/http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Reactions-to-change.pnghttp://www.torbenrick.eu/


10/25

Mistake - #8 - everyones reaction will beeven remotely like yours

One of the biggest mistakes you can make in initiating majorcompany changes is to expect that everyones reaction willbe even remotely like yours.

Regardless of the catalyst for the change, it will be youremployees who determine whether it successfully achievesits desired outcome.

Organizations dont change . People door they dont.

http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/change-management/organizations-dont-change/http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/change-management/organizations-dont-change/http://www.torbenrick.eu/http://www.torbenrick.eu/http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/change-management/organizations-dont-change/http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/change-management/organizations-dont-change/


11/25

Mistake - #9 - Lack of communication Change management communications need to be

targeted to each segment of the workforce, and delivered ina two-way fashion that allows people to make sense of thechange subjectively

http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/change-management/communication-is-paramount-when-it-comes-to-change-management/http://www.torbenrick.eu/http://www.torbenrick.eu/http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/change-management/communication-is-paramount-when-it-comes-to-change-management/


12/25

Mistake - #10 - Not enough leadership

To many leaders focus too much on management and toolittle on leadership



13/25

Mistake - #11 - Ignoring current corporate culture All change in organisations is

challenging, but perhaps themost daunting is changingculture

When people in an organizationrealize and recognize that theircurrent organisational cultureneeds to transform to supportthe organisations success andprogress, change can occur.

http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/change-management/culture-an-important-part-of-change-management/http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/change-management/culture-an-important-part-of-change-management/http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/performance-management/organisational-alignment-is-the-glue/http://www.torbenrick.eu/http://www.torbenrick.eu/http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/performance-management/organisational-alignment-is-the-glue/http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/performance-management/organisational-alignment-is-the-glue/http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/performance-management/organisational-alignment-is-the-glue/http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/change-management/culture-an-important-part-of-change-management/http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/change-management/culture-an-important-part-of-change-management/


14/25

Mistake - #11 - Ignoring current corporate cultureDo not under-estimate the statusquo culture

What are the values of thecurrent culture and will theyneed to change to ensuresuccess?

Culture eats strategy for breakfast,lunch and dinner

http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/culture/slideshare-presentation-managing-organisational-culture/http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/culture/slideshare-presentation-managing-organisational-culture/http://www.torbenrick.eu/http://www.torbenrick.eu/http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/culture/slideshare-presentation-managing-organisational-culture/http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/culture/slideshare-presentation-managing-organisational-culture/


15/25

Mistake - #12- Failure to understand and shapethe informal organization

Organizations usually have networks and coalitions ofpeople that are not visible on the formal organization chart.These networks and coalitions help shape opinion

They can either accelerate or retard change. Ignoring orcircumventing these groups can result in actual resistance



16/25

Mistake - #13 - Not involving the employees

Leaders must actively involve the people most affectedby the change in its implementation

This will help ensure employees at all levels of theorganization embrace the proposed changes

http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/change-management/successful-change-management-involve-the-people/http://www.torbenrick.eu/http://www.torbenrick.eu/http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/change-management/successful-change-management-involve-the-people/


17/25

Mistake - #14 - Over-reliance on structure andsystems to change behavior

Structural and systems changes help create a new contextand orientation. And they have the surface appeal of beingvisible and fast

But people do not become different just because you putthem in a new context

Structures and systems, by themselves, dont changepeoples behavior or give them new skills



18/25

Mistake - #15 - Failure to distinguish betweendecision-driven and behavior dependent change

Getting people to change their behavior requires a differentmindset and a different set of leadership skills than makingdecisions about strategy



19/25

Mistake - #16 - Lack of skills and resources Change does not happen through goals and exhortation

alone. Like any business operation, It also calls for the rightskills and resources

Organizations often simply fail to commit the necessarytime, people, and resources to making change work

Paradoxically, successful behavior change often demands

the very skills the change Is trying to create



20/25

Mistake - #17 - Focusing only on the long term Large-scale organizational change is a long process

Break down your vision into smaller short-term goals, andcommunicate short-term successes at each opportunity

http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/business-improvement/change-management-and-the-power-of-small-wins/http://www.torbenrick.eu/http://www.torbenrick.eu/http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/business-improvement/change-management-and-the-power-of-small-wins/http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/business-improvement/change-management-and-the-power-of-small-wins/http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/business-improvement/change-management-and-the-power-of-small-wins/http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/business-improvement/change-management-and-the-power-of-small-wins/


21/25

Mistake - #18 - Failing to plan small successivesuccesses

An important part of sticking to the vision is to createopportunities to achieve smaller goals along the way

These small successes will not only work directly towardachieving the desired change, but will create positivefeelings of accomplishment and the drive to pursue the nextgoal

http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/business-improvement/change-management-and-the-power-of-small-wins/http://www.torbenrick.eu/http://www.torbenrick.eu/http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/business-improvement/change-management-and-the-power-of-small-wins/


22/25

Mistake - #19 - Using the wrong indicatorsto measure progress

When a major change effort gets under way, executivesoften are scared off by the symptoms of their success

Dont panic if you see problems vis--vis morale, job stress,loyalty, the trust level or job satisfaction

It could be proof that youre doing precisely the right things



23/25

Mistake - #20 - Assuming that change is completeonce initial goals are achieved

If you declare victory too soon, the focus will be taken awayfrom your efforts, and all traces of your hard work couldsoon disappear

Successful companies consistently re-evaluate their changeefforts to determine where other areas can be improved,such as employee development and retention, new projectsand new systems and structures



24/25

Mistake - #21 - Excessively open-ended process Achieving fundamental change in an organization is at least

a 2 to 3 year process

But organizations often run out of energy or lose focus after9 to 15 months



25/25

Good luck Torben Rick

http://www.torbenrick.eu

Blog

http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/
http://www.torbenrick.eu/http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/http://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/http://www.torbenrick.eu/

top 20+ change management mistakes to avoid

Documents