At a glance
More change initiatives fail than succeed. Despite constant technological advancement and innovation — which may make implementing organisational change seem like an easy undertaking — research shows that organisations fail at transformation in 70 per cent of cases.
For companies that persevere and evolve, such as Netflix, Amazon and YouTube, the rewards of organisational change speak for themselves.
Why does change management fail?
There are countless reasons why change fails, from a lack of buy-in from staff to mismanagement by leaders.
“I’ve seen organisations throw fancy branding and cupcakes at change programs while missing the fundamental human elements that make change stick,” says change and leadership coach Louise Gilbert.
But there are strategies organisations can adopt to help change programs deliver on their aims, Gilbert says.
“Change isn’t about following a recipe or ticking boxes. It’s about understanding human dynamics, creating the right conditions and being willing to adapt as you go.
“Get those fundamentals right and the rest will follow.”
1. Create a change-ready culture
Change is more likely to succeed when an organisation has invested in creating a change-ready culture from the outset, as improvements in culture require time and commitment.
“It’s about creating the conditions where change can emerge naturally. Think about it like preparing soil for planting — you need the right environment for growth,” Gilbert says.
One of the features of a change-ready culture is psychological safety, which creates an environment where people feel secure to speak up, experimentation is expected and failure is a learning opportunity.
Fostering this type of culture begins at the top. “Leaders need to model the behaviours they want to see,” Gilbert says.
“If you want people to embrace change, you need to show them what that looks like.”
There also needs to be consistent ability across the leadership team to lead a change-management strategy, meaning that it needs to be woven through any leadership uplift programs across the company.
2. Leaders need to be transparent
Robyn Johns, associate professor at University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Business School, says leaders must build trust well before initiating any major change program.
“Senior leaders need to be seen to be transparent. They need to be authentic in their communication, particularly in times of uncertainty.”
She says even meticulously planned strategies fail at the implementation stage when there is an absence of trust.
“Implementation relies on your people on the ground, and if they don’t believe in you, don’t trust you, and don’t think you’re authentic, then [organisational change] tends to fail.”
3. Clarify the end goal
Lena Wang, associate professor at RMIT University’s School of Management, says organisations need to consider whether there is a clear rationale for change before launching any change initiative.
“A lot of the time change fails because people are changing for the sake of change — there’s no clear reason that this is something that we need.”
Change fails when people don’t understand what it’s trying to achieve. Leaders need to clearly articulate the case for change and the process it will follow.
“It’s always better to over-communicate rather than under-communicate, especially during the change process,” Wang says.
4. Consult with staff
Change has a greater chance of success when staff have been involved in the decision-making process.
“Co-create the change experience with your people,” Gilbert says. “Get curious about their perspectives and ideas.”
Remember, energy is contagious. “If you’re genuinely excited about the possibilities, that energy will spread. Just don’t try to manufacture fake enthusiasm — people can smell that a mile away,” she says.
5. Invite feedback
Always expect some degree of resistance to change.
“Not everyone’s always going to agree — you’re never going to make everybody happy,” Johns says.
However, seeking buy-in from staff can help overcome resistance, which means inviting feedback and responding to it, even if it’s critical. This also helps staff to feel engaged in the process.
“If people have concerns, don’t ignore them or sweep them under the rug,” Johns says.
“Listen to people’s feedback and make sure you provide support to overcome fears and misconceptions.”
6. Provide acknowledgement and support
While change can deliver benefits to individuals and organisations, it also creates loss and uncertainty, which helps explain the human tendency to resist it.
“Even when the change is good, it still means giving up something,” Gilbert says.
She offers the example of a job promotion. Even though it’s a net positive, she says, “the person still needs to give up the comfort and familiarity of their current role. It’s important this loss is acknowledged”.
Wang recommends stepping into others’ shoes to understand the source of their resistance to change, and tailoring support to address their concerns.
“Sometimes that may be having individual conversations to help people see change as an opportunity for career development,” she says.
“It also involves ensuring there are good support structures in place, such as training or counselling.”
7. Use the 5Cs of change
A framework such as the 5Cs — which stands for communication, commitment, culture, capability and coordination — can help guide organisational change management.
“Communication needs to be clear and authentic, not corporate jargon. Commitment comes from genuine belief in the change, not just compliance. Culture shapes how change lands — you can’t force culture change, but you can cultivate the right conditions. Capability-building should focus on what people need, not just tick-box training.
“And coordination? That’s about making sure all the pieces work together in service of the bigger picture,” Gilbert explains.
But, she adds, “what matters is the human element behind each of these components”.
Change saturation — when the workload associated with enacting change surpasses the employee’s available capacity — is a very real challenge. The ability of leaders to prioritise and stop business-as-usual tasks can be critical when workload is high, and is essential to effectively lead through change.
And remember, change isn’t a singular event but an ongoing process, Wang says.
“Getting ready for change starts with the way leaders manage their team on a day-to-day basis to create an adaptive and resilient culture. If we leave it until something major happens, then it’s often too late.”
