Beyond the Process: human psychology and the real challenge of change
- Danielle Lord, PhD
- May 2
- 3 min read
Change management is critical for project success. Even a small project can have significant human impacts that are often overlooked or not considered as part of the change. Often these stories of human behavior related to change elicit eye rolls, but these changes highlight our need for connection, understanding, and empathy related to what can feel like significant loss in some way. But loss is only one thing that can bring about change resistance. Human behavior related to change comes in many forms. Too frequently, even with change management, we focus only on the process or the technical project delivery, often ignoring how people –our employees-- will respond.
The Impact of Change Management on project outcomes
Projects with excellent change management are up to seven times more likely to meet objectives and five times more likely to stay on schedule than those with poor change management
Common managerial responses and their consequences
Organizational managers are more exposed and familiar with the changes. By the time the implementation is integrated within the organization, the employees have not had the same amount of time or information to fully understand and accept the change and the why.
Employee buy-in and communication are key. I don’t believe its possible to communicate too much. As Margaret Wheatly, PhD wrote, “Communication is the nourishment of change,” and knowing that humans can only consume as much information as their mental status will allow, repeated messages are key (Leadership and the new science, 1992).
Root causes of resistance
Fear of the unknown, loss of control, or additional workload, are most often the most obvious change resistors. Having conducted multiple change management efforts at the enterprise level, I have many stories that share how change impacts basic human needs. Consider Sandy at a medical equipment manufacturer, going through ISO certification:
Sandy had been with the small business since start up. She came to work when it was still functioning in the CEOs garage. As the first employee, Sandy was instrumental in developing many of the forms and processes that were still in use 15 years later. At the time of the certification process, Sandy the longest tenured employee was one of the biggest resistors of the changes.
After a lot of conversations, Sandy reluctantly shared with me that the changes would mean the loss of her identity by giving up the various forms and processes that she had created. The solution: acknowledge Sandy's loss, it was a real experience for her. We asked the CEO to write a personal note on each form presented to Sandy in beautiful frames as a recognition of her significant contributions.
Most of our employees will not willingly share this information. It requires reading between the lines, private conversations, and a lot of empathy to draw out the real reasons for change resistance.
Effective strategies for leaders
Early stakeholder engagement and transparent communication.
Training, support structures, and continuous feedback loops to ease transitions.
Prioritizing changes based on impact and organizational readiness.
Measuring change efforts to ensure that each impacted department is moving toward the collective goal.
Utilize tactics to help employees move through the process with activities designed to bring closure of the old ways and acceptance of the new.
At Archetype Learning Solutions we offer tools and resources to help with change management. Be the champion change management as a strategic enabler, not a hindrance with our Transitions learning module, manager toolkit, and our change management scorecard.
Check out our Change and Transitions Learning Module and Manager Toolkit. Use coupon code "Happy employees" to receive a 10% discount on the digital files.
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