Steady State: The Secret to Ensuring Change Sticks

Every day, we engage in activities and behaviours we are not consciously choosing. For example, your morning routine? Morning routines like getting out of bed, getting dressed, or brushing your teeth happen almost automatically. You might even order a latte and a cookie without realizing you're not hungry. Around 80% of our behaviour is driven by implicit memory, operating outside conscious awareness. That's why you can implement a change in your organization, train people on a new activity or behaviour, and not see the expected results. You think it's resistance. It's not. The real issue lies in a critical, often-overlooked phase of the change process that happens after implementation: steady state.
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Build Trust When Employees Are “Resistant” To Change

Trust is a lot like our health. When we have it, we don't give it a second thought. But when it's missing, everything starts to break down. In organizations, trust is what separates those who are ready for change from those who struggle. Leaders trust their employees, and employees trust their leaders. But that trust can quickly erode when you label people as "resistant to change." So how do you build and maintain trust when it feels like people are pushing back?
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One Question Not to Ask When Leading Change

When it comes to leading change, one question often causes miscommunication, conflict, and false expectations. It can prevent insights and limit information. Successful CEOs and change leaders don't ask questions to confirm what they know. They ask to understand, gain insight, and make decisions. Yet one common leadership question can unintentionally create confusion, set up false expectations,  prevent insights and limit information. That question:
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Why Implementation Doesn’t Equal Change Success

There's a common trap leaders fall into when managing change. They put too much emphasis on implementation, and they start it too soon. Implementation is essential. Without action, there is no change. But it isn't the first phase of the change process, nor is it more important than the other phases. When you rush into implementation without proper preparation and follow-up, you set your change initiative up for failure. Even if you do get something implemented, the desired new activities and behaviours usually fail to stick, so the event's value and ROI are lost.
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Are you working with a Resistant Mindset?

It's time to set the record straight: resistance to change doesn't exist. Although "resistance" is often blamed for failed organizational change efforts. It's not the real issue. What if you could prevent or eliminate the resistance you are seeing? This shift in perspective challenges a deeply embedded belief and opens the door to healthier, more sustainable change.
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Top 3 Myths that Sabotage IT Projects

Technology is embedded in nearly every aspect of your organization. It powers operations, enables communication, and drives growth. However, despite its constant presence, new technology implementations still fail to deliver the results leaders expect. Why does this keep happening? Because leaders continue to buy into three persistent myths about IT implementation that shape their approach and ultimately sabotage success.
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3.5-Steps to Creating a Transition Plan for Organizational Change

Every organizational change, regardless of its size, needs a transition plan. Yet, many leaders hesitate when the topic comes up. I hear questions like: Our change is small, can't we just get started?  We have a project plan. How is this different?  What do I need to include in a transition plan? Creating a transition plan can feel intimidating, but it doesn't have to be.
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3 Questions to Ask Before Launching Change

Organizational change is a necessary driver of growth and innovation. Yet, not all change leads to progress. A McKinsey study found that 17% of reorganizations are initiated on the whim of the leader or because they believe they need to "shake things up." In an environment where change is constant, the real challenge isn't deciding to initiate a change; it's ensuring the change is needed and will lead to the growth and health of your organization. Without careful consideration, even well-intentioned initiatives can create disruption, burnout, and unintended consequences. Before launching your next change effort, it's worth pausing to ask three essential questions.
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Use the 4 Responses to Uncertainty to Increase Employee Readiness

Have you ever announced what you thought was a small change for the organization, only to have your employees react as if the sky is falling? Or maybe you were on the receiving end of something new or different and found yourself feeling anxious, stressed and unable to focus. Well, if so, you’re not alone. One reason for this response is uncertainty. Every change, regardless of how well planned, creates uncertainty.  Although each of us can have a different tolerance for uncertainty, it is stressful for every human being. Understanding and learning to navigate four typical responses to uncertainty can help your organization and team thrive in the face of change.
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Articles

Turner Change Management

What is Organizational Change Management?

Organizational change management is the process used to help…
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The “Law” of Organizational Change

By Dr. Dawn-Marie Turner, MEd, CMC Last month our national…
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The Fallacy of Resistance to Change

Dawn-Marie Turner, PhD Imagine organizational change where the…
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