Biggest Obstacles to Organizational Change: How to Overcome

Contemplating a Major Change Initiative? Plan Ahead for the Biggest Obstacles to Organizational Change
We know from organizational culture assessment data that organizations are almost constantly navigating major change initiatives — staying put is no longer optional for those aiming to stay competitive. The real question isn’t whether you’re changing, but whether your organization will thrive or stumble in the process.

The challenge is daunting: research from change management consulting experts indicates that roughly:

• 70% of organizational change programs fail to achieve their goals.
• The silver lining? The 30% that succeed are led by strategic, proactive change leaders who understand the barriers and know how to overcome them.

If your goal is to be among the winners, mastering the obstacles to organizational change is essential.

What Separates Winners from Losers in the Change Management Game?
Change management simulation data tells us that the major obstacles to change management initiatives are usually related to people — their attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, experiences, and skills. Why? Because change must go through people.  Sadly, people’s critical role in effective change has been mostly neglected and misunderstood. Too many change leadership teams don’t pay enough consistent attention to people affected by change early or often enough. 

A Closer Look
If you are a person who relies on numbers to be persuaded, here are the results of a recent study by Leadership IQ involving nearly 80,000 employees and leaders on the subject of organizational change:

• Only 15% of employees clearly understand leadership’s reasoning behind a change program and, as a result, do not recognize the need or urgency for organizational change.
  
  
• Almost 25% of employees question their ability to succeed in the new world created by the change initiative.
  
  
• 75% of frontline employees are overwhelmingly reluctant to leave their comfort zone.
  
  

How to Overcome Employee Resistance

1. Create Change Clarity
   You need to make sure that each and every employee can respond with a “yes” to the statement, I understand the rationale behind the changes we are making. If they don’t understand why they need to put in the time and effort to change, they won’t do it.
   
   Change leaders need to make a persuasive business case for change that employees can understand, believe in, and commit to. Make the rationale simple but compelling.  Create a vision for organizational change that employees can relate to.  Frequently check for understanding and buy-in.
   
   
2. Define What’s In It for Me?
   Once employees understand the overarching rational for change, they next need to understand how the change will affect them personally and professionally. Ensure that you can provide details regarding the implications of change at the individual and team levels.  Unless those affected by change can picture how they will contribute to and be positively impacted by the change, their resistance to new ways may be too much to overcome.
   
   
3. Be Transparent
   While shielding employees from bad news and mistakes can feel like the right thing to do, effective change leaders know that honesty, integrity, and transparency are required if they want employees to have the confidence that the leaders responsible for change know what they are doing.  Successful change requires a timely and ongoing flow of information to all levels of the organization.
   
   
4. Have Appreciation for Style Differences
   In general, because of the scope of their role, leaders are far more ready and able to face risk and embrace change than their followers.  Frontline employees often resist leaving their comfort zone. Change leaders need to acknowledge and empathize with this natural style difference.

The Bottom Line
To succeed at change, you need to win the hearts and minds of those who matter most — your people. To increase the odds of success, actively involve those most affected by change early and often in the business case, the vision, and the plans for change.

To learn more about how to overcome the biggest obstacles to organizational change, download The 5 Change Perspectives that Leaders Must Get Right