That standby of fast food, McDonald’s, has announced a new brand vision for 2015. The move is one of a series of changes the company has made over the past few years, including a redesign of its stores in 2011. But while this most recent announcement does mention “new packaging and signage,” the focus is not on the physical.
The New Year is a time for change. Invigorated by the opportunity of a blank slate, we start thinking of ways to change ourselves for the better, especially when it comes to our health and well-being.
This year 18,000 employees were laid off from Microsoft. This got everyone thinking and talking about downsizing. It’s a specter that looms over announcements of organizational change, especially ones that include the words “restructuring” or “streamlining.” Workforce reductions aren’t good news for the employees getting fired, of course. But what about the companies?
Organizational change: It’s the bogeyman of the business world. And who’s surprised? About 70 percent of attempts at change fail, and those failures can be public and downright spectacular. Bank of America’s acquisition of Countrywide in 2008—which has since cost the bank over $40 billion—has been called “the worst deal in the history of American finance.”
Change is hard. It is basic human nature to gravitate toward comfortable, familiar projects, environments, and people. So, it’s no wonder that only 25% of change management initiatives are successful over the long term.
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Dora Wang
