How to prepare to bring about change

1. Viewpoint

"People don’t like change, we’re told - but don’t believe it. People neither like nor dislike change. They are concerned, however, about the possible results of that change. They will like the change if you create basic, concrete, gut-level benefits for them in it. That means doing such things as getting out accurate information about the changes, and when they begin, making a ceremony out of each milestone, all the time making certain your staff will benefit, and under-stand the benefits."

2. Viewpoint

Machiavelli who warned us about trying to change things:

"There is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to manage, than to initiate a new order of things. For the initiator has the enmity of all who would profit by the preservation of the old system, and merely lukewarm defend- ers in those who would gain by the new one."

3. Quotable quote

"One of the biggest traps is the failure of organisational leaders to resist the temptation to rush through the planning process to get to the ‘action stage’… A great portion of change effort fails because of a lack of understanding of what the process of change involves. …