Beat the change management trap: Your organization is more ready to change than you think

Abstract Leaders almost always begin organizational change initiatives by planning a series of preparatory steps to get the organization ready for major change. In this article, Wes Siegal and Jonathan Stearn argue that this is the last place they should start. This approach almost always leads to “the change management trap:” resources, time, and energy are spent preparing for change rather than actually achieving its desired outcomes. They examine the reasons why so many leaders fall into this trap and offer well‐tested lessons on avoiding it to achieve real results.