Progress is Impossible Without Change…

In an interesting blog post on the difficulties companies face in transformational change, Carmen Effron, discusses why it is that if change is the nature of life, both personal and organizational, then why is it our nature to resist change so vigorously?

Carmen observes that there are two opposing forces at work within the human psyche – fear and favor – and it is the struggle of these forces which makes change at scale so difficult.

While she admits there is no one “secret” to ensure success of a change management program, she advises that a combination of elements within a structured methodology can create guidance and increase the organization’s chance for success.

The article provides a list of five elements that can ignite the change process and keep it on track.

• Begin by finding the elements of the culture that support the change to be accomplished.
• Always see things from the employee perspective.
• Use both informal and formal leaders to communicate the change- and keep communicating.
• Identify small wins that can be celebrated as you move closer to the long term objective.
• Identify the criterion that indicates successful change.

You can read the full blog post on Carmen’s website here