The cost of inaction: What happens when change isn’t delivered well - or at all
Struggling to make a change stick in your organisation? You’re not alone. HR and transformation leaders often hit a hidden barrier: no one owns the change narrative or the execution plan. That’s when the cost of inaction starts to mount.
Why a lack of ownership derails transformation
In large organisations, successful transformation or new initiatives depend on three essentials: compelling communication, capability building, and an environment designed to support the ‘new way’.
But here’s the issue. Too often, nobody owns this level of change execution.
Without a clear narrative, the message lacks coherence. Without capability building, colleagues aren’t equipped to act differently. And without an environment that reinforces change, sustaining momentum becomes a distant hope.
What follows? Change fatigue, cynicism, and missed business targets.
The human signals: signs that change isn’t landing
These red flags should catch the eye of any HR or change leader:
- Workarounds replace adoption: employees find the path of least resistance.
- Cynicism spreads: the “we’ve heard this before” mindset kicks in.
- Training feels irrelevant: because the ‘why’ and the ‘what’s in it for me’ wasn’t clear.
- Change stalls post-launch: there’s no plan to sustain it, and employees are left wondering: “What’s next?”
The business impact
And, yes, it affects performance and profitability:
- KPIs miss the mark: because adoption was incomplete.
- ROI shrinks: investment in training and tools goes to waste.
- Culture fragments: teams interpret change differently, creating silos.
- Change credibility declines: every failed change makes the next one harder to land.
Common change initiatives and where they go off track
- New organisational values or leadership behaviours
Goal: Build a high-performance culture.
Reality: People hear the values or behaviours but see them as abstract “words on a wall”. No one changes how they act. Culture stays the same, and performance doesn’t improve. - Evolved vision, post-restructure
Goal: Inspire and empower employees to collaborate and thrive in a new structure.
Reality: After a major shake-up, people feel unsettled. They’re still processing what’s changed and where they fit in. Without a clear vision and next steps, they stay stuck — not because they don’t care, but because no one’s shown them how to move forward. KPIs stall and the organisation drifts.
- A new way of working or process aligned to your USP
Goal: Differentiate in the market.
Reality: The new approach isn’t explained clearly or championed consistently. Teams revert to old habits. Growth never materialises.
Announcing change isn’t the same as delivering it. Too often, organisations think they’ve “done change” by simply stating what’s happening, but real progress needs more than a memo. It needs ownership, planning and staying power.
From inaction to action
Book a callHere’s how to move from intent to impact:
- Create a working group: Bring together comms, HR and the relevant business area. Together, shape the narrative and own the rollout.
- Design a campaign based on: Inspire. Train. Sustain.
- Inspire: Share the ‘why’ in a way that connects emotionally and practically.
- Train: Equip people with the tools and skills to act differently.
- Sustain: Reinforce the shift and build it into everyday working life.
- Inspire: Share the ‘why’ in a way that connects emotionally and practically.
If capacity or capability is stretched, we can help
- Pathfinder is a one-day workshop that will help you bring stakeholders together and codesign a rollout plan that will make your change stick.
- Our design and development services will deliver the assets and experiences you need to rollout your change at scale.
- Our Inspire, Train, Sustain whitepaper will give you practical insights and ideas.