Has Navigating Change Become More Difficult?

Mitchell Kusy co-authored a book with Mike Valentine and Gilles Benoit entitled The Playbook for Leading Change: Proven Strategies for Success, which was published this December. This book explains how leaders continually receive multiple messages on how to lead successful organizational change. The confusion created by these multiple messages has contributed to a high failure rate in change initiatives, as organizations struggle with watered-down approaches that offer generic solutions instead of tailored, practical guidance. This book functions as a compendium of simple, easy-to-implement change strategies that work.

When I spoke with Mitch earlier this month, I asked him, "Why has navigating change become more difficult? What are the major challenges?" Here is his complete answer:

Ever tried spreading peanut butter on toast? You know how it goes. Every inch gets the same layer, whether it needs it or not. That’s the way some organizations approach change: a one-size-fits-all method that doesn’t consider the unique textures of the situation. But change isn’t toast, and a blanket approach rarely works.  We created this book with three goals in mind: 

• Beat the odds for change success. Too many change efforts fail. We help you succeed. Even in unfamiliar change territory, we help you understand what's needed, why, and how.
•  Cut through the “noise” of change with confidence. Change can be messy. Let’s bring some clarity to the chaos and give you the confidence to tackle it.
• Keep it practical with strong evidence. No heavy theories—just real, research-backed strategies that we distill into everyday practices you can actually use. 

One of the many experiences we have had helping organizations and teams lead change is that leaders sometimes bypass three important dimensions of change: 

• Self as the Instrument for Change. How can each person’s commitment fuel success? 
• Team as the Instrument for Change. What’s the team’s role in making the change happen? 
• Organization as the Instrument for Change. How well is the change aligned with the system that needs to carry it? 

Some researchers have demonstrated a 60% to 70% failure rate; others have 50% to 75%. “Why does change fail so often?” Sometimes, leaders don’t realize how complex change really is. Other times, they may fail to link their big vision to real execution. Maybe they forget to involve the people who need to bring the change to life. In some cases, they include people too late. And often, they miss the chance to connect change efforts with larger business goals. Sometimes leaders focus so heavily on the change itself that they neglect the transition people must go through to make it work. These are just some of the many issues that fueled our book. 

In the Playbook, we share how to address the four major change challenges leaders face:

• Organizational and team transitions/restructures. 
• Strategic alignment.  
• Team development and the capacity for change. 
• Work culture change, especially toxic work cultures. 

What has been your experience with change management and team building? Do you agree with Mitchell's points? What were some of the mistakes you saw with the initiative within your organization?