Making change stick
Making change stick, so the money, time and energy you put into a change start paying off sooner.
Making change stick helps you keep a change going once the programme has stepped back, so the new way of working becomes the everyday one and the benefits start arriving sooner. We'd work alongside your leaders and managers to see how the change is settling, group by group - who's using the new way as their normal route, and where the old way is creeping back in. Then we'd help you close those gaps and build the new way into everyday routines, like induction, team meetings and how good work gets noticed, so it no longer needs a programme to keep it going. You choose how much of that you hold and how much we hold.
We focus on the people side of change, which usually takes longer to settle than the technical side. The technical side often runs as a project, with an end date and a go-live day when the new system is switched on. The people side is everyone getting familiar with the new way, then comfortable, then confident enough that it feels normal - and that takes time, often well after the project team has moved on. It's also when gaps can quietly open up, with some people drifting back to the old way - especially as new people join who never saw the change happen. So we'd keep an eye on the signs of success you agreed, help people keep growing in confidence with the new way, and - since another change is usually close behind - help your people get a little better at change each time.
When making change stick might help
Making change stick is for when a change has landed and you'd like it to last. If you'd like to see how ready people are before a change, a change readiness assessment can help. If you're planning the people side, a change management plan might suit you better. And if people still need help moving across, a change management programme could be the place to start. Here are some of the moments that bring people to us to make a change stick.
The situation | How making change stick might help |
|---|---|
The new system has gone live, and people are still finding their feet | Helps people move from knowing how to use it to feeling confident with it, once the project team has moved on. |
The change went live a while ago, and the old way is creeping back | Finds where people have slipped back and what's pulling them there, then helps close the gaps. |
A past change faded once attention moved on | Builds the new way into everyday routines this time, so it doesn't depend on anyone remembering. |
New people are joining who never saw the change | Helps new starters pick up the new way in their first few weeks, as simply how things are done. |
The benefits haven't shown up yet | Looks at whether the new way is being used enough for the benefits to arrive, and where it isn't. |
You've inherited a change someone else led | Gives you a light read of how it's settling, and practical ways to strengthen it. |
Another change is already on its way | Helps people carry what they learned from this change into the next one, so each change gets a little easier. |
You'd like to run the next change yourselves | Grows the skills in your leaders and managers to see changes through without outside help. |
What making change stick might involve
Making change stick is how you get back what you've put into a change. Your organisation will have spent money, time and energy building the new system, process or structure, and the benefits only arrive once people are using it confidently in their everyday work. So everything we'd do comes back to one question: how soon can you start seeing what the change was made for? The quicker people move from familiar to confident, the sooner the benefits show up - and the more of them last.
Helping people grow in confidence
We'd help people move from knowing the new way to feeling at home with it. Most people learn the basics around go-live, and their confidence grows with each go, so we'd look at what would help each group take the next step. That might be a short refresher once people have had a few weeks of real use, coaching on the trickier parts, or a few people in each team who others can ask. We'd also make sure there's a quick way to get answers, since one question left hanging can slow a whole team down.
Closing the gaps
Where people have drifted back to the old way, we'd start by listening. People take on a change step by step, but not always in a straight line, and without support and reinforcement it's natural for some to slip back. There's usually a good reason - the new way might be slower for one part of the job, a workaround might have stuck, or people might not yet see what's in it for them - and it's often the clearest signal of what still needs sorting. Once we know what's pulling people back, we'd work through it together, whether that's a fix to the new system, more support for one team, or a clearer answer to why it matters.
Helping managers carry it
Once the project team has moved on, managers become the people their teams turn to. We'd help them feel ready for that - confident with the new way themselves, clear on what good looks like for their team, and comfortable with the harder conversations. Then we'd help them build the change into routines they already have, like team meetings and one-to-ones, so checking in on it becomes part of everyday management.
Keeping leaders close
We'd help your leaders stay visibly behind the change after the launch, when attention naturally moves on to the next thing. People keep using a new way when they can see it still matters to the people who chose it. That might mean leaders asking about it in their regular conversations, using it themselves, and sharing the early benefits as they appear, so everyone can see the effort is paying off.
Reinforcing the new way
We'd help you keep backing the new way until it feels like the normal way of working. Much of that comes from what people notice around them each day - the new way being recognised when it's used well, coming up in everyday conversations, and everything that tells people what counts pointing the same way. So we might look at:
- Recognition, so the people and teams using the new way well are noticed.
- Everyday conversations, so managers ask how the new way is going and celebrate what's working.
- Targets and measures, so they reward the new way of working.
- The old way itself - switching off old systems, forms and workarounds, so the new route becomes the easy one.
Little and often tends to work best. Over time, it builds the new way into how work is planned, measured and noticed, so it keeps going without anyone having to remember it. We'd work with HR and the teams who look after these things, since they know them best.
Bringing new people into the new way
We'd help new people pick up the new way from their first day, so it's simply how things are done. That usually means building it into induction and early training, and checking that the people new starters shadow are confident with it themselves - new starters tend to learn whatever they see around them.
Seeing the change settle, and the benefits arrive
How is the change settling, and are the benefits starting to show? We'd help you keep an eye on both, group by group, using the signs of success you agreed at the start - or agreeing a few now, if there weren't any. Alongside those, we'd check how many people can honestly say the six things at the heart of our change management model: I see why it's worth it; my voice counts; I know how to do it; I can do it day to day; I shape my part of it; I have a say in the pace. Can people still say them months on, and can people who've joined since? Short check-ins with teams and managers, and a few simple measures of use, usually tell you a lot. We'd review with you regularly, decide together what to keep, change or stop, and share the benefits as they arrive.
Getting ready for the next change
Another change is usually close behind, so we'd help your people get a little better at change each time. That might mean looking back together at what helped people across and what got in the way, and writing it down while it's fresh. We'd also help the managers and others who carried this change build the skills to lead the next one, so each change asks a little less of everyone.
How much you hold, and how much we hold
How involved we are is up to you, and it can change over time. Some organisations like us alongside for a few months after go-live, then a check-in now and then. Others take it on themselves from the start and call on us as a critical friend when they'd like a fresh view. There's no heavy retainer either way, and our aim is that you'll need us less as time goes on.
A lighter approach might be a few months of support for managers and a simple way to see how the change is settling. A deeper one might run across the whole organisation for a year after go-live, with refreshers for every group, changes to targets and induction, and a regular look at the benefits.
The thinking behind it
A change only delivers what it was made for once people are using it confidently, as part of their everyday work. The technical side can be finished on a set date, while the people side settles at its own pace - and that's where the return on the whole investment comes from. Making change stick is the work of helping that happen sooner, and helping it last.
What success might look like
Success for making change stick is the new way in confident, everyday use, with the benefits it was made for showing up in your work. The signs we'd agree with you are specific to your change, but they often include things like:
- People using the new way confidently, without reminders or workarounds.
- Questions moving from "how do I...?" to "could we...?" - a sign people have started to make the new way their own.
- The old way gone, with old systems switched off and nobody missing them.
- Managers supporting their teams with the new way without needing help themselves.
- New starters picking it up in their first few weeks, as simply how things are done.
- The benefits showing up - the reasons for the change, seen in everyday work, and shared so people can see the effort paying off.
Some signs appear within weeks, like fewer questions about the basics. Others, like the full benefits, become clear over months.
By the time we step back, your own people are keeping the change going - managers supporting their teams, leaders sharing what it's delivering, and a simple way to keep checking the signs yourselves. They'll also be a little better prepared for whatever change comes next.
What happens next is up to you. Many organisations carry on themselves. Others like a check-in now and then, or help when the next change comes along. And if it turns out you need something lighter than you expected, we'll say so.
Common questions
Is making change stick the same as sustaining change?
Pretty much. You might also hear it called sustaining change, embedding change or reinforcing change. Ours focuses on the people side - helping everyone grow confident with the new way, so the change lasts and the benefits arrive sooner.
Is this the same as benefits realisation?
They're closely linked. Benefits realisation is usually about tracking whether a change delivers what it promised. Making change stick is the people side of that, since the benefits only come once people use the new way confidently. We're happy to work alongside whoever tracks the benefits in your organisation.
When should we start?
Ideally a little before go-live, so support is ready for when the project team moves on. But it's never too late. Plenty of organisations come to us months after a change has gone live, when the benefits haven't shown up the way they'd hoped.
Do we need to have worked with you on the change?
No. Many organisations come to us with a change they led themselves, or one someone else helped with. We'd start with a light read of how it's settling, and go from there.
Can you help us build change resilience?
Yes - it's part of this work. Each change is a chance to get a little better at the next one, so we'd help you look back at what worked, and help your managers and others build the skills to lead future changes. We see change resilience as something an organisation builds together, rather than something each person has to find on their own.
Do we have to keep you on retainer?
No. Building the skills inside your organisation is the core of the work, so you can carry it on yourselves. Some organisations like a light check-in now and then, and others call on us only when they need a fresh view. There's never a heavy retainer.
How long does it take?
It depends on the size of the change and how it's settling. A lighter piece of work might run for a few months after go-live, and a deeper one across the whole organisation for a year or so. We'd agree a timeline with you at the start, with points along the way to review it.
How much does it cost?
It depends on how much of the organisation it covers and how involved you'd like us to be. Once we understand the change, we'll give you a clear price before anything starts.
Ready to see your change pay off? Talk to us about making change stick
We work with leaders and managers on the people side of organisational change - supporting everyone navigate change, feel part of the process, at a pace they can manage, until the new way work of working becomes the new normal.
See how ready your organisation is for the change you're planning, from the side of the people making the move.
A change management plan built around the people making the move - thorough enough to rely on, with room to adapt as you learn.
A change management programme that brings everyone across to the new normal - without losing people along the way.
The ADKAR model is a five-stage framework for managing change at an individual level - Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement. It helps organisations understand what people need at each point in a change process and where things are getting stuck.
Lewin's Change Model breaks organisational change into three stages - Unfreeze, Change, and Refreeze. Before anything can shift, the conditions holding the current state in place need to soften. Then the change happens. And then the new patterns need to solidify, or the organisation drifts back.
The Change Curve maps the emotional stages people move through during organisational change, from shock and denial through to acceptance and commitment. It helps leaders understand where people are in the process and what support they need.
The Bridges Transition Model focuses on the human side of change - the psychological transition people go through rather than the external change itself. It maps three phases: Endings, the Neutral Zone, and New Beginnings.
The Burke-Litwin Change Model maps how different parts of an organisation connect and influence each other during change. It helps leaders see which factors are driving performance and where to focus their effort for the biggest impact.
The Satir Change Model maps the emotional journey teams move through during change - from familiar stability through resistance and chaos to integration and a new way of working.
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Making change stick is one of several ways into our change management work. To see how it fits with the others, and the thinking behind them all, visit our main Change Management page.
