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Why Do Employees Resist Change?

Change management isn’t working as it should. In a telling statistic, leading practitioners of radical corporate reengineering report that success rates in Fortune 1,000 companies are well below 50%; some say they are as low as 20%. The scenario is all too familiar. Company leaders talk about total quality management, downsizing, or customer value. Determined managers follow up with plans for process improvements in customer service, manufacturing, and supply chain management, and for new organizations to fit the new processes. From subordinates, management looks for enthusiasm, acceptance, and commitment. But it gets something less. Communication breaks down, implementation plans miss their mark, and results fall short. This happens often enough that we have to ask why, and how we can avoid these failures.

Read more on Leadership or related topics Psychology, Motivating people and Change management
A version of this article appeared in the May–June 1996 issue of Harvard Business Review.

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