Lessons in IT Transformation: Technology Expert to Business Leader

Breaking Change into Bite-sized Chunks

Change is scary for everyone. Breaking through the barrier of inertia is a significant challenge to implementing the required changes to an organization. Most people feel frozen and immobilized when faced with broad, large-scale change imperatives. Looking at the entirety of what is required to overhaul an organization can be very intimidating. People can easily feel overwhelmed by what they see as too large a row to have to hoe. That's why it is crucial to communicate the need for change in an incremental way and provide smaller milestones along the path. I am reminded of the old joke, “How do you eat an elephant?” The answer, of course, is, “One bite at a time!” Breaking change into manageable chunks gives people the confidence that they can accomplish what is required. It also allows for success along the way, which further motivates people to stay the course and continue down the path of long-term change.