The Behavior Gap: Why Good Change Plans Often

The Behavior Gap

Why Good Change Plans Often Fail

Last week I sat in a meeting where a team was confused about their latest change initiative. "We did everything right," the leader said....

-Clear communication -Great training -Executive sponsorship.

But six months in, people are still working the old way."

Can you relate to this?

After many years working on change, in private and in government settings, I realized there was a disconnect in how we approached organizational change.

We focused on the plan, the messaging, the training. But we rarely got into the practical reality of behavior change.

What helps?

Before any change effort, I've found asking these everyday questions makes all the difference:

1. Can we change the information we provide and how we provide it? (Is it actually useful for daily work?)

2. Can we change how we help develop skills? (Beyond training sessions to real practice)

3. Can we change how we communicate? (Less telling, more showing and involving)

4. Can we change how decisions are made? (Who's involved and when)

5. Can we change the incentives? (What actually motivates this specific team)

6. Can we change the environment? (The physical or digital workspace itself)

7. Can we change policies, processes, and the system? (The rules and workflows that guide behavior)

You would be surprised to see that sometimes the smallest practical changes make the biggest difference.

What's the most successful change you've seen in your organization? What made it stick beyond the initial rollout?

But six months in, people are still working the old way." Can you relate to this?