When we think about organizational change management, the image of consultants in suits may come to mind, but the practice is something that everyone should understand, applicable to many cases outside the office, to better support customers, colleagues, and friends in daily life interactions. We experience changes throughout our lives, but often look at them from our own point of view. Change management challenges us to look at what is changing from the viewpoint of others and help them to work through the change.

For me, Exhibit A was a recent international flight in which a simple delay turned into a horrible 24 hours with a plane diverted, alternatives changed, promises made and broken, winding up back in the city we’d flown out of.

In corporations, the impact is clear. Organizations can achieve a threefold improvement in project outcomes simply by applying some degree of change management,1 according to a recent study from Prosci, one of the leaders in organizational change management methodology and certification. For those with excellent change management programs in place, 88 percent met or exceeded objectives. Of those with good change management programs, 73 percent met or exceeded objectives, while 39 percent with fair change management programs met or exceeded objectives.

Change management comes down to three principles:

In my personal example, they are the passengers on the plane and the crew, which........

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