A survey of large and midsized organizations revealed that 55 percent of leaders felt that their change initiatives met their initial objectives. However, only 25 percent said that they were able to sustain the gains from their initiatives over the long term. The main reasons why change initiatives fail are inadequate sponsorship, failure to prepare and support employees, and unrealistic expectations.

By employing proven change-management techniques throughout the initiative, leaders can proactively address the people side of change and avoid the pitfalls that cause so many initiatives to fail. Those impacted by the change can then adopt and sustain the new ways of working.