How to fail at organisational change

Organisational change is a complex process that requires careful planning, clear communication, and engagement from staff. However, research indicates that a whopping 70% of change management projects fail.  

Of course, this is a pretty high failure rate. And it reflects both the challenges and intricacies involved in successfully implementing change. It’s not an easy task -many organisations struggle with keeping everyone informed, managing resistance, and maintaining momentum throughout.  

Let's have a look at some of the most common reasons for failure of change projects. Advice to follow if you want your next change programme to fail! 

1. Set unrealistic expectations

A change programme can fail before it’s even begun if you set unrealistic expectations.  

Large-scale organisation is no mean feat; trying to do too much too quickly can increase the risk of mistakes and ultimately, project failure. Unrealistic expectations can lead to frustration among employees, who may feel overwhelmed. This can result in decreased morale and productivity, as well as increased resistance to the change.  

A great way to combat this is to break a change down into more manageable chunks, ensuring to set achievable goals and timelines.  

By managing expectations realistically, you can foster an environment where employees feel confident and motivated to contribute to the success of the change initiative. 

2. Communicate poorly

One of the surest ways to ensure organisational change fails is a lack of effective communication.  

Poor communication can often lead to employees feeling blindsided, unengaged and unvalued, leading to resistance and a lack of buy-in. In some cases, a lack of effective communication can also result in misinformation and rumours, which can have a serious impact on morale among employees.  

Instead, you should communicate early and often, using different channels and methods to ensure all employees feel engaged and informed throughout. You should also involve senior leaders, who can be real drivers of behaviour and culture change.  

3. Provide no training or support

Once the change is announced, the next step to ensure failure is to leave employees to fend for themselves.  

You shouldn’t expect staff to just ‘get on with it’ and adapt to new systems, processes, or tools without adequate training.  

Without proper support, employees are likely to feel overwhelmed and frustrated, potentially with gaps in skills needed to properly adopt whatever change is being introduced.  

To ensure change success, you should make sure there is a comprehensive training and support programme for all affected. With different opportunities to cater for different styles of learning, ensuring that everyone can find a format that suits them best. This might include workshops, eLearning, coaching, or champions networks.  

It's important not to overlook ongoing support too, ensuring that people have somewhere to turn long after the change is implemented.   

4. Ignore employee feedback

Another critical mistake you can make in a change programme is to fail to ask for feedback from employees. Or to disregard it.  

When your people voice their concerns or suggestions, they should see that these have at the very least been acknowledged. By brushing them aside or ignoring them, it sends a message that their opinions don't matter. Employees from all departments and levels of seniority should be consulted, as they’ll have different perspectives on what is working and what isn't.  

Encouraging open communication and actively listening to employees' input can not only help to uncover potential issues, it can also pave the way for smoother implementation. 

How fail at organisational change – final thoughts 

Failing at organisational change is easy if you follow these four steps...  

However, if you want to succeed, it's crucial to engage employees from the outset, provide adequate training and support, and listen to feedback. Organisational change is a journey. One that requires planning, collaboration, and engagement.