Change

Human behavior makes corporate change initiatives more complicated.

Change management strategies often look great on paper, but when organizations attempt to implement them, they encounter problems. Change becomes challenging because leaders fail to take an essential truth to heart: The outcome of any change effort depends on human behavior.

People’s natural reactions and behaviors can inject unsettling complexities into a change effort. Moreover, for many leaders, that behavior often feels utterly unpredictable. For example, consider an incident from the history of the Rolling Stones: Singer Mick Jagger told the band’s other members he had negotiated an incredibly lucrative deal for future albums. When Jagger explained that the deal covered only his solo albums, drummer Charlie Watts punched him in the face, nearly knocking him through a window. 

While Jagger was happy with his contract, he didn’t consider that sudden change could trigger other people’s fight-or-flight response. Initially, Watts found Jagger’s just-for-me deal too much to handle, but he cooled down...