Expert Talk - Resistance to change - Why it matters and what do do about it? (Track 3 Free Session)
A Talk by Rick Maurer (Advisor to Leaders on Ways to Build Support for Change, Maurer & Associates)
About this Talk
Nearly two-thirds of all major changes in organizations fail. That’s pretty sobering information. Did you know that:
<pre>only about 30 percent of re-engineering projects succeed
23 percent of mergers make back their costs
43 percent of quality improvement efforts are worth the effort
9 percent of major software applications are worth what you pay for them
</pre>
(See my book, Beyond the Wall of Resistance for citations)
Fortune 500 executives said that resistance was the primary reason changes failed. And 80 percent of the chief information officers said that resistance – not a lack of technical skills or resources – was the main reason why technology projects failed. It’s that soft, touchy-feely, human reaction of resistance that matters.
But these statistics are only partly right. Resistance is not the primary reason why changes fail. The real problem is that leaders plan and roll out major changes in ways that create inertia, apathy, and opposition.
For example, an executive announces that the company will restructure starting next week. Employees and middle managers begin to resist. As the project unfolds, executives see resistance appear in many forms – malicious compliance, in-your-face arguments, even sabotage. The executives respond by pushing the change even harder. Then they make demands. Employees redouble their opposition and the change ends up either failing or going far over budget and way past deadlines.
Does this scenario sound at all familiar to you? If so, you’re not alone.
About The Speakers
Advisor to Leaders on Ways to Build Support for Change, Maurer & Associates
Author of Beyond the Wall of Resistance (Bard Press 1996, 2010) <why Don't You Want What I Want? (Bard 2002) Feedback Toolkit (Productivity Press 1994, revised 2011). Rick's opinion has been sought b y The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Fortune, NBC Nightly News, CNBC.