Out of Context: Leading People Through Change

"Unless leaders take time to surface and resolve individual concerns, they will be unable to generate and maintain the momentum necessary for the change to be successful. One of the primary reasons many change efforts fail is because leaders do not step back and look at the change process and the transitions that are required from the perspective of the individuals involved.

At any given time, different people are at different stages of concern relative to change. Predictably, they have information, personal, and implementation concerns at the front end of the change process.

If a leader is able to diagnose stages of concern, then the leader can respond by communicating the right information at the right time, and therefore reduce resistance. When resistance goes down, buy-in goes up."