Leading Sustainable Change

Experience from more than three decades of working with organisational change and business transformation, in multiple companies across industries and national cultures, has taught me some important lessons. These lessons have convinced me of the fantastic potential most organisations can unlock by developing the way change is planned and executed. The most important elements can be briefly summarised as follows: Change is a continuous effort. Organisations integrating change into their day to day operations, using the most professional and inclusive methods, are the most sustainable. The value of change rests with its adoption, and adoption is too often lacking. Active organisational change management is required to capture the benefits of any change initiative. Successful change can only happen when it is driven by leaders within the organisation. A project manager or a change manager can only facilitate the process. The leaders must mobilise for change. Sponsorship by all leaders, from the CEO to first line management, is crucial to realising change. The roles might differ, but are equally important. Sponsorship is the single most important element for success, and when absent the most frequent reason for failure. Sponsorship and leadership are intricately connected to organisational values. The individual perception of purpose or sense of belonging, autonomy and mastery are important contributing elements in successful change. This book emphasizes the requirements to leadership in change processes and provides a model that sets the course towards lasting and sustainable change.