If the famous 70% change failure statistic is a myth, what should we focus on instead? Four pointers from Julie Hodges, Keith Driver, Dave Snowden and Deborah Rowland on what doing change better actually looks like, and why most change is partially absorbed rather than failed outright.
The "seventy per cent of change programmes fail" statistic has no evidence behind it. The man who created it retracted it in 1995. The business world kept quoting it anyway. This is the story of how a myth became received wisdom — and why that matters.
Professor Julie Hodges of Durham University Business School dismantles the myths of organisational change, explains why linear models are no longer fit for purpose, and makes the case for a people-centric approach that actually sticks. Essential reading for leaders navigating transformation in complex organisations.