124 PART II Bridging the Knowing-Doing Gap

You are looking for results. But this is also the time when consulting contracts end. Many such contracts end at Roll Out on the cycle. At first glance, that seems to make sense. They helped you analyze the current state and develop a comprehensive plan. They convened planning meetings and provided expert resources. They offered training and installed new systems. You’d think that’d be enough, but it isn’t. All you do at Roll Out is tell the organization, “Today, we go live.” Real benefits don’t come rolling in until you get to the Results stage. And that takes a lot more effort.

Take it from Miles Cook, who writes in Pulling Away: Managing and Sustaining Change, “In one survey, executives reported that their average cost reduction project only returned 56 percent of the estimated savings, a pretty disappointing statistic. Most executives say that the savings esti- mates upfront were fine. They blame the gap on a failure to execute the required changes.”1)

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO KEEP CHANGE ALIVE?

There are three things that need to happen to Keep Change Alive. First, you must make sure that all systems, procedures, and new ways of work- ing are implemented. Second, you need to monitor this roll out to make