There is no shortage of change management frameworks. Most of them are broadly correct. Most of them are also ignored by the time the implementation gets difficult. After six years of supporting organisations through transitions, Marcus has a shorter list of things that actually determine whether a change lands.
The person who commissioned the change is not always the right messenger ¶
When a change is announced by the person who decided it was needed, the people affected often hear it as a directive rather than an explanation. The most effective change communications Marcus has seen were delivered by someone one level closer to the work, who could speak to the specific impact on their team. This requires briefing that person properly, which takes time that most organisations do not budget for.
The first two weeks after launch matter more than the launch itself ¶
Most change programmes put enormous effort into the launch event and very little into the fortnight that follows. That fortnight is when the new process with reality for the first time. Questions come up that were not anticipated. Workarounds start forming. If there is no one available to answer questions and make small adjustments in real time, the workarounds become permanent.
Written documentation is not optional ¶
A change that exists only in people's memories is a change that will drift. Every process that is being changed needs a written owner document before the change goes live. Not a slide deck. A document that the person doing the work can refer to when they are unsure. This is the single most common gap Marcus finds in change programmes that are struggling.
Resistance is usually information ¶
When people push back on a change, the instinct is often to communicate harder or to escalate. The more useful response is to ask what specifically they are worried about. In Marcus's experience, about half of the resistance in any change programme contains a legitimate concern that the design team had not considered. Treating resistance as information rather than obstruction tends to produce better outcomes and faster adoption.
If you are in the middle of a change that is not landing the way you planned, the change management support engagement is designed for exactly that situation. It starts with a conversation, not a proposal.