Five things poor change management consultants say

Selecting the right change management consultant can make or break a transformation programme. Mark Green, founder of Change Rebellion, picks out five red flags to help clients pick the right change management consultants for the right job.

Change is a tricky business – that’s why there are a whole raft of consultants out there primed to swoop into a company and help it transform. But not all of these experts are created equal.

The good news is that they’re fairly easy to spot. If the uncomfortably-long PowerPoint presentation and fanatical diatribe about their particular favourite ‘change methodology’ doesn’t set your internal alarm bells ringing, then listen out for some of these ill-advised yet often-used phrases:

1. "People are resistant to change."

This is the equivalent of a doctor saying ‘people seem reluctant to be ill’.

No kidding.

The reality is that most people aren’t resistant to change. They’re resistant to confusion, poor leadership, lack of information, unrealistic expectations, and having their workload doubled while being told it’s an exciting opportunity. There are remarkably few employees who wake up in the morning thinking ‘today I shall oppose progress’.

What they do oppose is being told a new system is ‘intuitive’ by someone who hasn’t actually used it, and so they give feedback which can often appear as frustration.

Good consultants listen to it. Poor consultants diagnose it.

2. "We just need better communications."

Ah yes, the corporate equivalent of prescribing paracetamol for a broken leg.

Don’t get me wrong. Communication really does matter, but somewhere along the way organisations became convinced that change management is simply sending more emails.

It isn’t.

If communication solved transformation challenges, every organisation with Outlook would be thriving. The problem is that many consultants confuse broadcasting information with creating understanding.

People don’t change behaviour because they received another newsletter. They change behaviour when they understand why something matters, how it affects them, and whether they trust the people asking them to change – meaning your repeated ‘send to alls’ can’t compensate for poor leadership or a flawed implementation

3. "We’ve got a proven methodology."

This is where my eye usually starts twitching.

Methodologies are useful: they provide structure; they provide consistency; they help inexperienced practitioners avoid obvious mistakes. But some consultants speak about methodologies with the devotion normally reserved for religious texts.

The truth is that change management isn’t engineering and humans aren’t pre-programmed to behave according to diagrams. So, methodology can be a guide, but it’s not the Ten Commandments (or seven, or 12, or whatever random number of steps devised for that particular approach).

The best consultants adapt their approach to the organisation, while the worst try to force the organisation to fit the methodology – which often results in hundreds of thousands of pounds being spent (read: wasted) on implementing frameworks that looked fantastic on paper, but achieved approximately nothing in reality.

People don’t care what model you’re using. They care whether you’re helping them.

4. "The project is on track."

This one deserves special recognition because it’s often delivered while the building is visibly on fire.

We’ve created a strange culture in transformation where optimism is rewarded and honesty is treated like a disciplinary offence. So, instead of talking about people being overloaded, misaligned leadership, or an across-the-board lack of understanding about the future operating model, we’re all ignoring the flames roaring towards us.

The result is that everything is ‘fine’ until the second that it spectacularly isn’t. One of the most valuable things a consultant can do is tell uncomfortable truths early – yes, they might make people uncomfortable, but at least everyone can start putting out rather than fanning the flames.

5. "We’ve successfully managed the people side."

This is my personal favourite - usually because it’s said three weeks before complete organisational chaos. The phrase itself reveals the problem. ‘The people side’ – as though human are a secondary consideration attached to the real work.

They’re not. They are the work. Technology matters, process matters, and strategy matters; but none of it happens without people. Yet organisations still regularly treat change management as an optional add-on rather than a core delivery capability. Then they act surprised when adoption stalls, engagement drops, and employees start referring to transformation programmes using language normally associated with natural disasters.

The irony is almost perfect: the thing most likely to determine success is often the thing most likely to be underfunded.

The bottom line

The best change consultants understand that successful transformation isn’t about frameworks, certifications, maturity assessments, or impressively complicated language; it’s about helping humans navigate uncertainty - everything else is supporting material.

So, the next time a consultant tells you that people are resistant, communications will solve everything, and their methodology guarantees success, be careful.

You may not be listening to a change expert. You may simply be listening to someone who’s swallowed the Change Management Cliches Dictionary and has spent longer perfecting the graphics on their PowerPoint slides than actually out there solving organisational problems.