So, what do we even mean by change failure?
Paul Gibbons author of the Science of Organisational Change uses the very handy acronym SOCKS to check and track your change success or failure:
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So now that we know what we mean by failed cultural change, let’s look at why SOCKS are so common and how to avoid them.
8 in 10 cultural change projects report one or more SOCKS. Here are the top 7 reasons why:
- Change is considered to be a phase not a constant
- There are limited change capacities and capabilities across the business
- Change Management specialists own the change
- Leaders experience change as a disruption of their core business
- Cultural change is often planned rather static as a Big Bang
- Culture programs are centrally planned and driven from top-down
- Employees are seen as resistant to change
Successful change leaders create awareness about these hazards, include appropriate contingencies in the plan and actively work towards mitigating the risk of SOCKS.
By accepting that change is constant and part of your core business you shift to a change-mindset. This allows you to prioritise learning about Change Management and Change Leadership to be future-ready. By uplifting your organisations Change Leadership capability you will be able to:
Eva is one of the masterminds behind Approach Services' blog and The 6 Cents of Change. She is an innovator, trainer and change manager. Her work has been published in Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research. In her spare time, she enjoys camping with her two little boys and permaculture gardening.
To learn more about us and the solutions we provide, subscribe to The 6 Cents of Change, follow us on LinkedIn or connect with us here info@approach-services.com or +61 (08) 610 20 343.
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