Have you heard the expression “flavor of the month” or the saying “the more things change, the more they stay the same?” I often hear employees use these expressions when faced with a large change initiative. Most executives are aware of these terms, too, although I’m not completely certain they truly understand why employees use them.

As a consultant and an unbiased third party, I’ve found that employees are more willing to share with me than their bosses that their skepticism of change projects is due, in part, to lack of trust. Usually the distrust is a result one of these two factors:
• A series of broken promises and commitments concerning projects they have been involved in
• A lack of information in regards to the change

My previous conversations with managers and executives suggest that neither factor is intentional, but unfortunately priorities change and as a consequence, plans are dropped. Often during the course of a change project, people don’t take the time or make the effort to plan and execute an effective communication strategy.

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