• Published: November 2006
• Edition: 2nd
• Status: Current

Good change programs are well planned, effectively carried out and are sustained after the initial introduction phase.  All relevant members of the organisation are made aware of the program and failures are corrected as the process of change continues.

However, not all programs run as well as this.  Managers often assume that telling people that there is a problem is enough to produce successful change.  They often make plans alone and then tell their workforce to implement them, whether they really want to or not.  Then when these programs fail to show positive results, managers and supervisors become frustrated.

When people have a personal interest in the success of a project, its management is easy. The Hearts and Minds program takes this idea and puts it into practice with a process for ensuring the success of projects and initiatives by winning the hearts and minds of all involved.  Change may range from a major initiative, such as a cultural transformation in the entire organisation, down to the implementation of a new way of working at a specific worksite.  People have to be won over so that they want to achieve the goals. Plans for change should be robust enough to survive setbacks that invariably arise.

The Making change last booklet provides a structure for planning change initiatives that creates both awareness and the will to succeed. This approach also helps safeguard against initiative overload - it limits the initiatives that are actually carried out to those that people want and can cope with.

How to use

The culture change-project team can use Making change last when designing the change programme.  Focus on specific issues that have been identified (through the Understanding your culture exercise or through other means) and use the practical tools within the booklet to determine if you are ready to begin tackling that issue, and to help create the plan to do so.