Every leader has to function as a change agent, a catalyst for doing things differently. But any leader who has attempted a major change initiative knows that the landscape is littered with the bones of those who have tried and failed.
It raises the question: why do change efforts fail? Ken Blanchard offers the following reasons why:
(1) The leader mistakenly assumes that announcing change is the same as implementing it
(2) The concerns that people in the organization have with the change are not surfaced or addressed
(3) Those being asked to change are not involved in planning the change
(4) A compelling reason for the change is not adequately communicated to the organization
(5) A compelling vision that excites people about the future has not clearly developed, defined, and articulated
(6) The leadership team responsible for implementation doesn’t include early adopters, resisters, or informal leaders
(7) No use is made of a pilot project to test drive the change so to assess needed resources
(8) Organizational systems aren’t aligned with the change initiative
(9) Leaders lose focus and fail to prioritize action steps and fail to get the “biggest bang for their buck”
(10) People are not equipped with the necessary skills to implement the change
(11) Those leading the change aren’t credible–they do not model the behaviors requuired by the change
(12) Progress is not measured and celebrated and no one recognizes the changes that people have worked hard to make
(13) People are not held accountable for implementing the change
(14) People leading the change fail to respect the power of the organization’s culture to kill the change
(15) Possibilities and options are not explored before a specific change is chosen
(Source: Leading on a Higher Level, Ken Blanchard)
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