The problem with Change is that everyone wants it – provided it happens in the blink of an eye and comes with a warranty certificate! Given that invariably neither is reality, change management is extremely difficult and fraught with many barriers.
Change management is simply a process by which you lead an organisation sensitively from one state to another inorder to improve its performance and research tells us that organisational change has a failure rate of between 60 – 80%. If this is to be believed (and it will require a brave man or woman to challenge research), why is change now the new normal? In the newspapers we have seen –

• The 2022 World Cup allegations of corruption that refuses to die, and the general clarion call for the reformation of the FIFA governance, structure and processes
• The imminent threat of a super malicious software (GOZeuS) that has reportedly divested people and businesses of £60m so far and an urgent warning for all computer users (individuals and businesses) to change their online behaviours and processes and improve their online security within the fortnight. The flip side of this are opportunities for ISP providers to increase their reputation (and market share) with new improved super anti virus products
• NHS trust chiefs warning the Govt that significant changes to the way the health service is run, is urgently required to prevent a significant decline of the NHS
• King Juan Carlos of Spain plunging his country into uncharted territory with his abdication announcement to create a “new era of hope”.
• The major transformation of Heathrow Airport with the 04/06/14 operational opening of Terminal 2 – the culmination of an £11 billion investment programme which replaces the old Terminal 2 which closed in 2009 after 54 years of service.

With so much of today’s business culture being dictated by change emanating from competition, political pressures, the environment and technological advancements (to mention a few), why is it then that facilitating , enabling and delivering change only produces a 20-40% success rate? Many reasons abound. One of my favourites is apparently that human beings dislike change. I of course don’t subscribe to this. For example, I do not know of anyone, who when presented with a £10m lottery win (which will undoubtedly bring huge change transformations to the lives) turns it down on the basis that they want to exercise their resistance to change.

One of the reasons why organisational change management fail is because managing change is not always handled as sensitively as the occasion warrants thus giving the recipients of the change ample time to build up their resistance change and the change management process.

The change management process within Businesses has to start with individuals and, more effort should be made at the onset in creating the climate for change and creating a sense of urgency on why it is not an option and utilising the talents of credible people within the organisation to create, communicate and model the simple change vision. This is not easy – most people will naturally default to solution mode – i.e. how we will change? What will it mean to me?

Facilitate4me Change management Consultants are experienced, engaging and customer oriented change facilitators with broad ranging skills at providing tailored and flexible services throughout the change management lifecycle. No matter, the change management models or change management tools you choose, it is still all about creating the right climate for change on Individuals; Engaging, enabling and motivating teams in the change process and implementing and sustaining the change within the Organisation.