Don't let it happen to you, be the change!
From trying to merge two companies to launching a new product line or service, organizations and the people within them who face change find themselves struggling without knowing why. They apply every practical solution, quantitative method, and technical approach to manage the transformation and cannot understand why it does not work as expected.
All around us, we see how technology is changing the way business is done. Young innovative companies (start-ups) are disrupting established industries. The internet, social networking platforms, and mobile apps have changed the entire nature of communication. Change is accelerating: we only need to look at the last 20 years to see how much has changed and how quickly new changes arrive. Fax machines came and have almost completely gone; videos have nearly disappeared. The devices and tools we need to communicate and share information would have astonished us 30 years ago. Successful organizations must be able to adapt quickly.
Leaders adapting to the realities of this new world face a serious problem: in a rapidly changing environment, they must move their organizations from an early-stage idea to full-scale implementation, and do so with little or no time for employees to adapt to the new way of working. What is more, they must contend with a widespread sense of economic uncertainty. Employees are worried about their financial future and wonder how long the volatile economic environment will last, what will happen next, and whether they will "make it".
Meanwhile, the workforce itself continues to change. There is more diversity and inclusion in the workforce, with people from different cultural backgrounds, more women in leadership roles, colleagues from multiple generations, and often employees in remote locations. People should be allowed to work both independently and collaboratively with more flexibility. Employees have to bring both their hearts and their minds to work. But how can leaders encourage this when many people are afraid and anxious about their ability to make mortgage payments, pay off debts, provide childcare, and cover healthcare costs?
Change is accelerating, and there is growing pressure on leaders and managers to do it quickly and get it right the first time. Managing people and organizations in times of unprecedented change is one of the hardest tasks a leader faces. When there are many unknowns and a great deal of uncertainty, a leader may be tempted to find shortcuts or focus on new tactics to get quick results. Such actions can lead to disaster in the long run. Although the changes we face differ from those we have experienced before, the structure of the transition people go through during change is well established. There may be much we do not yet understand about this new world, but we know what change does to people and how to help them get through it.
Change management skills are tied to the innate wisdom you gain over the years. Understanding this will give you the opportunity to lead with confidence, communicate clearly, and reassure your employees that they are following a roadmap. We are not saying digital transformation is easy, only that you can achieve it. If you want to know where and how to start drawing a roadmap for your transformation journey, we are here to help those responsible for leading digital transformation have a chance to do it successfully.
We believe that many digital transformation initiatives fail because change is managed poorly. All change requires people who agree and take part, together with the right technology. No detailed change plan in the world can overcome inadequate technology or resistant, reluctant, or outright opposed people.
Sources
https://hbr.org/2022/04/change-is-hard-heres-how-to-make-it-less-painful
https://hbr.org/2022/08/how-to-get-your-team-on-board-with-a-major-change
https://hbr.org/2025/06/leading-through-continuous-change
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