How many fantastic solutions have you and your team developed only to find that they’re not accepted by the rest of the workforce? Despite all the time, money and effort that has been invested into creating the solution, a solution you are sure will solve the problem and make substantial savings along the way, your staff are simply unwilling to change.

This lack of acceptance is a common cause of failure when implementing change and it can be understood using the following equation:

Effective Change = Quality of the Solution + Acceptance of the Organisation

As you can see, there are two primary elements to making a change and only one of them is generating the all-important solution. The other is spending time and effort gaining acceptance. However, the fact is, for many organisations the focus and resources are usually invested in the quality of the solution. And the reason for this is simple – it’s because it’s often easier and more straightforward than navigating the difficult road of human emotion to arrive at acceptance.

But, without satisfying both elements of the equation, effective and sustainable change cannot be achieved. So, how do we ensure each of the elements of an effective change are met? Using my decades of experience implementing and facilitating successful change, I have created the infographic below to reveal all. Here, you will find all the necessary steps to take in the all-important early stages of change implementation. By following these steps, you will be able to create a strong foundation on which you can build your transformations and achieve sustainable change.

At 100% Effective, we know that the solution to a problem is only as good as the people behind it. It’s for this reason we include vital change management elements in our Lean Six Sigma training courses and also offer a wide range of change management courses that will prepare people to smooth the often-rough sea of change.

For more advice on change management, why not take a look at my ‘Implementing Change Successfully’ series? In each of the three articles, I dive into the dos and don’ts of the early stages of implementing change, explore the different obstacles you may face and reveal how to overcome them.

Remember, if you have any questions or want more advice on change management, or to comment below or reach out to me on Twitter and I’ll be happy to help.