Preface:
Walk into any leadership meeting contemplating a strategic change, and you’ll notice a familiar story—PowerPoints stacked with data, industry benchmarks, cost-benefit analyses, and financial number-crunching. Whether it is the internal strategy team or an external strategy consulting firm, people have mastered the art of rational decision making. The argument they present is also very compelling and looks great on paper. It is no wonder that management buys into the story, expecting immediate results.
And yet, despite all this, over 70% of strategic change initiatives fail to achieve their stated objective. Surely something is missing. The answer is not that strategy was wrong, but because the execution ignored the human element of change. Emotions are often dismissed as “soft,” “fuzzy,” or irrelevant in the face of business priorities.
But the reality is that change doesn’t happen in spreadsheets—it happens in people. Most leaders learn this the hard way, and realize that great change leadership is not a either question, but a compliment of both head and heart.
When you get the Strategy right, but People push back
This story is all too common. Companies invest heavily in developing new strategies – digital transformations, restructures, strategy shifts – only to run into employee resistance, fatigue, confusion, or quiet disengagement. The challenge is that much of this is hidden and not visible.
Leaders often express frustration: “We explained the rationale and communicated widely the benefits. Why aren’t people on board?”
This is because these leaders forget one fundamental truth –strategy alone doesn’t move people. People as rational emotional beings are constantly sensemaking and asking the question – what does this change mean for me / us? Employees don’t resist change because they don’t “get it.” They resist when they perceive some kind of a loss either real or perceived.
The Myth of Rational Change
The prevailing belief is: get the strategy right, and the rest will follow. But this myth has been repeatedly debunked in practice.
Strategic change is rarely a purely technical exercise. It is a complex adaptive challenge, where the solution isn’t found in more analysis but in deeper engagement, trust-building, and sense-making across the organization.
Enter the Era of Head + Heart
It is not about Head Vs Heart, it is about both co-existing and creating value. A strategy that doesn’t connect emotionally will never really create value. Strategic change requires the clarity of the head and the conviction of the heart. When logic and empathy co-exist, change becomes not just accepted—but owned.
Srikanth is the founder of Vruddhi India, a management consulting firm focused on Change leadership practices. We specialize in guiding companies through the complexities of change in a way that is uniquely personal and customized. You can email me at srikanth.pv@vruddhiindia.com for more information.