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Why the People Side of Change Determines Project Success
Why do so many projects struggle despite solid plans, capable teams, and significant investment? In my experience, the answer often comes down to people. Drawing from more than 20 years of leadership experience in retail and healthcare, I explore why leadership buy-in, stakeholder engagement, and a culture that embraces change are critical to project success.
8/7/20263 min read
Why the People Side of Change Determines Project Success
For more than 20 years in leadership roles, I've participated in projects ranging from operational improvements to large-scale organizational transformations. Looking back, I've noticed a consistent pattern: the projects that struggled the most were rarely held back by the technology, the budget, or even the strategy. They struggled because people weren't fully bought into the change.
We've all heard statistics about project failure rates, with some studies suggesting that up to 70% of transformation efforts fall short of their intended goals. While the actual number can vary depending on the study, the message remains the same: successful change is far more about people than it is about processes or technology.
Leadership Sets the Tone
One of the biggest misconceptions about change management is that it is solely the responsibility of the project team or the project owner to gain stakeholder support. While stakeholder engagement is certainly a critical component of any project, sustainable organizational change requires something even more important: visible leadership commitment.
Change starts at the top.
Organizations often talk about the need to innovate, adapt, and transform. Leaders may communicate the vision and explain why change is necessary. However, the true test comes when that change begins to impact established routines, long-held processes, or individual comfort zones.
That's when resistance appears.
If leaders begin questioning the solution, pulling back their support, or failing to model the behaviors they expect from others, employees take notice. The message becomes clear: if leadership isn't fully committed, why should anyone else be?
When leaders demonstrate uncertainty or resistance, even unintentionally, they create an environment where change becomes optional. And when change becomes optional, projects begin to stall.
People Follow What Leaders Do, Not What They Say
Employees watch leadership more closely than many leaders realize.
A company can spend months communicating the importance of a new initiative, but if leaders continue operating the same way they always have, employees will follow their example rather than their words.
Successful change cultures are built when leaders actively participate in the transformation. They embrace new processes, support difficult decisions, and remain committed even when implementation becomes challenging.
Real leadership during change means focusing on how the organization can make something work rather than immediately listing reasons why it won't.
Lessons from Retail
Before healthcare, I spent years working in retail. If there's one thing retail teaches you, it's how to adapt.
Change happened constantly. New systems, new processes, new priorities, and new customer expectations seemed to arrive every day. There was even a saying:
"If you don't like the change, wait three years. It will change back."
While humorous, the saying reflected an important truth about retail: standing still wasn't an option.
Leaders learned quickly that adaptability was part of the job. You got on board, figured it out, and helped your teams navigate the change. Those who resisted often found themselves being left behind.
That environment created a culture where change wasn't viewed as a disruption. It was simply part of doing business.
What Healthcare Can Learn
Healthcare is different. Patient safety, regulatory requirements, clinical outcomes, and operational complexity all require thoughtful decision-making. We cannot, and should not, implement change at the speed of retail.
However, I believe healthcare can become more agile than it is today.
If we are serious about improving outcomes and reducing the cost of care, we must be willing to challenge long-standing assumptions and established ways of working. That doesn't mean changing for the sake of change. It means being open to new ideas, new technologies, and new approaches that can improve how we serve patients.
Too often, organizations acknowledge the need for change but become hesitant when the change affects familiar processes or personal comfort.
Real progress requires us to become comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Change Requires Courage
One of my favorite analogies comes from the book Who Moved My Cheese? Change often involves "moving the cheese" away from where we've always found it. The routines, systems, and processes that once worked well may no longer be the best solution for today's challenges.
The organizations that thrive are not necessarily the ones with the best technology or the largest budgets. They are the ones whose leaders are willing to move first, model adaptability, and create an environment where change is embraced rather than feared.
At the end of the day, project success is rarely about the project itself. It's about the people responsible for making that project a reality.
When leaders genuinely commit to change, support it through challenges, and demonstrate the behaviors they expect from others, people follow.
And when people follow, projects succeed.
Final thought: Technology enables change, processes support change, but people determine whether change actually happens. Leadership buy-in isn't just part of change management. It is the foundation of it.
