The five biggest mistakes top

The five biggest mistakes top-management can make during a major change.

Excerpt from the newest report "Best Practices in Change Management"

What are the biggest mistakes a top-management sponsor can make during a major change?

1. Not being directly involved with the project

2. Sending inconsistent signals or not communicating enough

3. Ignoring the impact of change on employees

4. Shifting focus or changing priorities too soon

5. Not providing adequate resources

Mistake #1 – Not being directly involved with the project

Similar to the 1998 study, the top-management sponsor mistake cited twice as frequently as
any other was "not being directly involved with the project." This mistake occurred when the
sponsor failed to keep informed of the project’s progress, delegated sponsor roles to others,
and did not intervene soon enough when problems arose. Teams reported that sponsors:

"did not help remove obstacles"

"thought they could pass the buck to a ‘champion’ to fix it"

"lost interest once the project started"

Mistake #2 – Sending inconsistent signals or not communicating enough

The second most frequently cited top-management mistake was inconsistent or insufficient
communications. The following errors are typical of those cited:

"tried to control things using old style of command - the message was mixed."

"failed to communicate adequately with the staff"

"dictated change without communicating the benefits"

Mistake #3 – Ignoring impact of change on employees

The third mistake of top-management sponsors was ignoring the impact of changes on
employees. Teams reported that top management tends to focus on the business issues and
neglect the employee side. Employees can become fearful and confused without adequate
information and guidance.

Mistake #4 – Shifting focus or changing priorities too soon

The fourth mistake cited by teams was top-management sponsors changing their priorities
midstream in the project, or diverting their attention to other areas before the project was
through implementation. Projects can incur high resistance and require strong sponsorship
throughout (not just at the beginning) of implementation. Mistakes cited include:

Lost interest
Forgot the reason to change
Distracted by other projects
Lost track of the project

Mistake #5 – Not providing adequate resources

The fifth mistake cited by teams was that top-management sponsors did not provide adequate
resources (people, time, money) and failed to engage all management levels in the change.
Teams reported that sponsors:

"undermined efforts by not resourcing appropriately"

"underestimated the amount of sponsorship time and effort required"

For more information on executive success factors, return to the tutorials or see the
benchmarking report on change management

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