Introduction

C
hange comes in all sizes, from one person simply doing something
slightly different to major programs involving thousands of people.
This book applies best to any change that requires a project: a group
of people with dedicated resources working towards a defined end. Exam-
ples of projects might include:
• Installing a new software system such as an inventory
control system
• Developing a new administrative process such as a 360°
performance evaluation
• Implementing an organizational change such as a restructuring
• Introducing new technology such as voice recognition software
• Moving to a new location or opening a new facility
• Creating a new product or service

WHY CHANGE FAILS

An incredibly high percentage of changes introduced in business organiza-
Copyright © 2003. ASQ Quality Press. All rights reserved.

tions do not reach their full potential—that is, do not reach full imple-
mentation or do not produce the benefits envisioned by their sponsors.
Changes that fail usually do not fail because of technical reasons—
something inherently flawed about the change itself. They usually fail
because of human reasons—the promoters of the change did not attend to
the healthy, real, and predictable reactions of normal people to disturbances
in their routines (see Figure 2).
These failures create large losses of time, productivity, and morale.
They also undercut the legitimate business objectives that the change was
meant to engender. For example, one manufacturer attempted to replace

xv

Palmer, Brien. Making Change Work : Practical Tools for Overcoming Human Resistance to Change, ASQ Quality Press, 2003.
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 xvi Introduction

Te
c
str hnic
ate al
gy

nd
al a al
u ltur ation
C niz y
a g
org strate

Target: A change initiative

focused on customer need

Technical aspects of change

+ Acceptance by employees
= Successful change!

Figure 2 Elements of successful change.

several disjointed software systems with one integrated enterprise resource

planning (ERP) system. Because of poor project management, the user com-
munity was insufficiently involved in the planning stages, and the project
failed dramatically. Opponents then said, “Told you, we just can’t do an
ERP in our business.” In fact, having an ERP was a great idea. The project
failed because of poor change management practices, and it took years for
Copyright © 2003. ASQ Quality Press. All rights reserved.

the organization to recover and install an ERP successfully.

This human tendency to want consistency—to resist change—is actu-
ally healthy, in the balance. Without consistency, life would fall out of con-
trol and into chaos. We would be unable to predict people’s behaviors or
establish our own routines and positive behavioral patterns. Thank good-
ness for the steadying force of our own behavioral inertia.
However, this same steadying force can work against us when we try
to introduce a change. People tend not to want to deviate from behaviors
that work for them.
Why do they not want to change when the need for change is so clear
to you? It is precisely because the need for change is not clear to them. It is

Palmer, Brien. Making Change Work : Practical Tools for Overcoming Human Resistance to Change, ASQ Quality Press, 2003.
ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/warw/detail.action?docID=3002559.
Created from warw on 2022-11-12 22:16:19.
 Introduction xvii

often said that people don’t resist change so much as they resist being
changed. So your job is clear: in a nutshell, you have to explain why the
affected people should want to change. You have to convey the same under-
standing and enthusiasm that you and your team have. You have to cultivate
readiness, not resistance.
This book provides specific tools and principles to accomplish this
task. Using these tools will make change work.
Copyright © 2003. ASQ Quality Press. All rights reserved.

Palmer, Brien. Making Change Work : Practical Tools for Overcoming Human Resistance to Change, ASQ Quality Press, 2003.
ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/warw/detail.action?docID=3002559.
Created from warw on 2022-11-12 22:16:19.
Copyright © 2003. ASQ Quality Press. All rights reserved.

Palmer, Brien. Making Change Work : Practical Tools for Overcoming Human Resistance to Change, ASQ Quality Press, 2003.
ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/warw/detail.action?docID=3002559.
Created from warw on 2022-11-12 22:16:19.