Reasons for Organizational Change Failure

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The following are some of the common reasons that identifies why reasons for organizational change fails. You could use the list for analytical purposes, or to prevent mistakes in near future change.

Misstarts

One of the reasons to occur misstart is when change is ill-advised, quickly implemented or attempted without enough commitment. This ultimately kills leadership credibility.

To make change as an option

When leadership makes a commitment to change, the message should be conveyed that the change is not an option. But the statement often comes as "We'd like you to work on change, we asked you to change, please change and so on." Whenever people have the option for not changing they would not change.

Extreme focus on process

Leaders could get so caught up on planning and managing the process, which they don't notice that no real results are being actually achieved. The activity becomes more significant than the results.

Ultimate focus on results

This stems from a principle that the end justifies any idea. Organizations really tend to fail desolately in this regard: they downplay or overlook the human pain of organizational change. It is this selfishness to people's feelings that not only prevents the change but demolishes self-esteem and loyalty in this process.

Delegated to "outsiders"

Change is an interior job. Although outsiders like consultants may offer valuable ideas and input, people involved inside the systems should accept their responsibility for the change. Scapegoat and just passing the buck is not an option.

No change in reward system

If you keep rewarding your employees for what they have been doing, you'll keep getting what you have always gotten. Make sure that rewards, credit and compensation are adjusted for the desired change.

Leadership doesn't walk the talk

Shift happens if everybody concerned should buy-in. Leadership, however, should take the primary steps. Change is terminated whenever leadership doesn't show the same commitment they expect from others.

Wrong size

In this instance, the change is too huge to be attain or too small to be important. Like a good goal, a change plan needs to be neither too easy nor too impossible.

No follow-through

The best planning is valueless if not implemented, monitored and further carried out properly. Responsibility should be clearly defined for making sure that follow-through is timely and intense.