Why Change Management Fails
And what we can do differently
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Organizations invest millions in change initiatives: restructuring teams, launching new strategies, and implementing digital transformation. And yet, time and time again, leaders find themselves facing the same frustrating reality: resistance. Employees push back, engagement drops and the grand vision slowly fades away in the noncompliance world.
So, why does this happen? And more importantly, how can we do better?
The aversion to change is not just stubbornness
As a mother of young adults heading to college, I see this dynamic play out at home. My kids are entering a thrilling phase of life, one they have dreamed about for years. They are eager to step into independence, explore new opportunities, and (yes, go to fraternity parties). But alongside their excitement is a deep sense of uncertainty. What will it be like? Will they fit in? Will they be able to handle the pressure of the new academic challenges?
This is the paradox of change: we crave new experiences, yet we cling to the familiar. We long for progress, yet we hesitate when stepping into the unknown.
There is a biological reason for this. Our brain is hard-wired for efficiency. Therefore, it automates as much as possible so we do not have to invest precious energy actively thinking of every action. This is why you can drive your daily route from home to the office on autopilot or instinctively know where your coffee mug is in your kitchen. These mental shortcuts are of paramount importance to our survival.
That is why the moment we are forced to change, such as adopting a new process, learning an unfamiliar system, or adjusting to a different routine—our brain perceives it as a disruption. It triggers discomfort, and oftentimes even stress. The more uncertainty we feel about the change, the stronger our resistance.
This resistance is not limited to individual habits but also plays out in organizations.
Why Change Initiatives Hit a Dead End
Take the typical corporate restructuring (mostly implemented top-down): top management spends months planning a new structure, refining workflows, and designing the perfect rollout. Then, with a big announcement, they introduce it to employees, often with expertly crafted messaging about the “exciting transformation ahead”.
Here is what happens next: employees do not feel excited. They feel blindsided. They were not part of the conversations. So instead of embracing the change, they retreat into self-protection mode, by resisting, questioning, or quietly disengaging.
The real problem is not that people resist change itself, but rather they resist being changed.
The result? Silent quitting. Compliance without commitment. Lack of ownership. Change that exists on paper but never truly gains traction.
A Different Approach to Change
Maybe we have been getting it all wrong.
What if instead of managing change for people, we designed change with them? What if we involved teams from the start, giving them a voice in shaping the process, letting them define what makes sense, and adapting it together?
This means having a different approach to decision-making within the organization. It means treating employees as partners in the change process, not just as subjects of change. When people maintain agency, they shift from resisting change to driving it forward.
So, how do we create this kind of shift?
Let’s talk about it.
Join us next Friday, February 7th at 4:30 pm CET for a live discussion on why Change Management often fails and how we can make it work. Follow the link below:
https://lnkd.in/dgguzQD4
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