Achieving change in an organization requires a relentless commitment to include people and their thoughts in the process. Most change efforts fail because of a lack of understanding of the dynamics of organizational change. Organizations behave like a biological system. They attempt to achieve balance by resisting agents of intervention or interruption. The organization as a whole – the "system" – will routinely resist organizational change efforts above and beyond the resistance of specific individuals.

Successful change requires a multi-level approach to prevail – a "commitment for the long haul" by top management, full "ownership" by the workforce and continual support for and by middle management.

A rethinking of organizational communication is usually required to ensure a successful change initiative. This includes setting up the right structures, channels and procedures to communicate with the workforce on the progress of the change effort.