![\"1f9b23b\"](\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/1f9b23b-300x183.jpg\")
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So now to tackle another much debated change subject–that so-called 70% failure rate.<\/p>\n
How many times have we seen LinkedIn posts and discussions talking about this subject? \u00a0As many as\u00a0Change Management Methodologies<\/a>,\u00a0Project Management vs Change Management<\/a>,\u00a0and\u00a0Change Management Certification<\/a>!!!<\/p>\n Before we start in earnest on the subject, let just have a look at some of the headline statements on this subject from some of the most influential sources of business information:<\/p>\n So there we have it \u2026 proof<\/em> \u2026 it must be true! Between 60% and 70% of Change initiatives fail? Wow!!!<\/p>\n But where did this much vaunted 70% figure come from? Is it a myth? Is it supported by hard facts\/real evidence? The following two articles explain its origin and provide some compelling evidence that the figure is a myth:<\/p>\n But this figure actually provokes a more interesting debate–the one about how we measure success\/failure in the context of change initiatives.<\/p>\n There is of course the traditional way. That is you measure success\/failure against your original Business Plan in which there should be clear and detailed Business Benefits. The problem with this is that change initiatives have a habit of not going to plan and veering off in all kinds of different directions dependent on various factors that cause them to do this. So the problem is measuring against an initial set of Business benefits that no longer relate to the way a change initiative has developed.<\/p>\n The Business Benefits profile should be managed and controlled as rigorously as costs and there will need to be a process of refining the Business Benefits profile in your original Business Plan. It will need to be reassessed and adjusted as necessary during the programme. Regular reviews should be conducted of the main Business Benefits led by Key Stakeholders from the Business and\/or Operational Areas and facilitated by the Change Manager. Adjustments may be identified from a range of events or circumstances such as:<\/p>\n So in effect your change initiatives\/objectives will need to be re-focused along with identified Business Benefits on a regular basis based on the changing circumstances which will facilitate a much better focus on eventual measurement of success against these.<\/p>\n Then there are other ways.<\/p>\n In a paper called \u201cThe Change Trifecta Measuring ROI to maximize change effectiveness<\/a>\u201d by PwC suggests a four point formula to prove return on investment for change:<\/p>\n Additionally in an article called \u201cHow Do You Measure Transformational Change Success?<\/a>\u201d by Implementations Management Associates they suggest the following criteria:<\/p>\n But how do you try and ensure your change initiative will be a success? Maybe a good starting is looking at some of the reasons for failure of change initiatives:<\/p>\n In an article by Huffington Post called \u201cChange Management Fails for Three Reasons<\/a>\u201d they cite the following:<\/p>\n In a Coaching for Change article called \u201cEffective change management is all down to the right skill-set<\/a>\u201d they state:<\/p>\n An article by Goals and Achievements called \u201c6 Reasons Why Change Programs Fail<\/a>\u201d they suggest the following:<\/p>\n An article by Project Smart called \u201cChange Management in Practice: Why Does Change Fail?<\/a>\u201d they say\u201d<\/p>\n And finally in a Change Designs article called \u201cWhy Change Fails<\/a>\u201d the following reasons are given:<\/p>\n Looking at all of these reasons it is arguable that the two consistent factors across all of them is that of\u00a0Communication<\/a>\u00a0plus\u00a0Stakeholder Management<\/a>\u00a0(both factors that underpin my\u00a0Practical Framework Approach to Change<\/a>) as if we didn\u2019t know that already!!! Good grief haven\u2019t there been enough studies by renowned organisations that have told us that over the years. So please tell me why is it that individuals that purport to be Change Manager\u2019s so often do not give these critical factors the importance they deserve? Perhaps they become too engrossed in trying to deliver something within the constraints of an ill thought through plan and the pressures that go with that scenario.<\/p>\n So please let\u2019s stop talking about this mythical 70% failure rate because it has no substance and no facts that support it. The longer we in the change community continue to talk about and write articles on the subject (like this one \u2026 LOL) it will continue to damage the reputation of Change Management and the people that practice the profession.<\/p>\n I rest my case, m\u2019lud!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" So now to tackle another much debated change subject–that so-called 70% failure rate. How many times have we seen LinkedIn posts and discussions talking about this subject? \u00a0As many as\u00a0Change Management Methodologies,\u00a0Project Management vs Change Management,\u00a0and\u00a0Change Management Certification!!! Before we start in earnest on the subject, let just have a look at some of the… 70% of Change Management Initiatives Fail–REALLY?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[612,613,228,614,10],"class_list":["post-1198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-organization","tag-change-failure","tag-change-failure-rate","tag-change-management","tag-harvard-business-review","tag-mckinsey"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1198"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1368,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1198\/revisions\/1368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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The author, Ron Leeman, has published A Comprehensive Guide to Change Management<\/a> on Flevy, a 199-slide PowerPoint detailing just about everything there is to know about Change\u00a0Management. \u00a0It is currently the best selling document on Change Management available on Flevy.<\/div>\n\n
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