Foundation 20 of 20 · Lead
People Do Not Resist Change. They Resist Being Changed.
"How do you get a crew to stop doing it the old way?" You bought the better tools. You announced the new way. A month later, the new tools are on a shelf and the crew is back to the old way. Here is what change management is, and the five steps that make a new way stick.
Last Updated: 10/25/2026 · Written by Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA
The Short Answer
What Is Change Management?
Textbook Definition
Change management is a structured approach to transitioning individuals and teams from a current state to a desired future state, including communicating the rationale, engaging those affected, piloting changes, and reinforcing adoption.
In Plain English
Change management is helping people move from the old way of working to a new one so the change actually lasts. Announcing it is the first two minutes. The rest is explaining why, asking how, trying it small, and only then rolling it out everywhere.
Why It Matters
Why Do Employees Go Back to the Old Way?
Every good leader does this at least once. You figure something out, you can see it is better, and you announce it, because to you it is obvious. Then you go back to work. A month later, the old way is back. You had the whole journey: the doubt, the testing, the moment it clicked. Your team got one sentence at a Monday meeting.
People go back to the old way the minute you turn around, not because they are stubborn, but because nobody asked them how it should work. The people doing the work often know exactly what will break it. Getting their buy-in means they understand the change and agree it is worth doing.
Signs you have this problem:
- You announced a change and walked away.
- New tools or software sit unused.
- The crew does it your way when you are there, and the old way when you leave.
- Nobody told you what was getting in the way.
- The first time someone tried the new way, it went badly, and they quit.
- You rolled a change out to everyone at once.
What It Looks Like
What It Looks Like When a Change Is Only Announced
From the Fabled Forest · Chapter 20
Blueprint Bella measured it herself: the new powered drills were about 40 percent faster than her old hand cranks, with the same quality. She bought six of them and told the whole crew at the Monday meeting: we are switching, starting today. Then she went to her next job site.
A month later, the new drills were on a shelf in the shed. Her crew was out on the job with the old hand cranks. They waited until she left for her other site, then switched back. Only one crew member used the new drill, the one who had shown Bella how.
Doctor Owl asked Bella who had taught her to use the new drill. Then he asked who had taught the crew. She was quiet for a long time.
Bella's story is Chapter 20 of Management and Leadership for Small Businesses, Book 1 of Dr. Paul's Fabled Forest Business School Series.
The Fix
How to Get Employees to Accept Change in 5 Steps
Five steps sounds like a lot for one new tool. It is a lot fewer than doing it twice.
Explain why, and show them what convinced you.
Not "it is faster." Show the numbers, the test, the comparison, the way you saw them. Let them go through the same journey you did, in miniature.
Ask how it should work, and what will get in the way.
Before you decide the details. The people holding the tools know about the dead batteries, the missing training, and the step that keeps failing.
Try it on one job first.
That small trial is a pilot. One job, one team, with everyone watching what works and what does not.
Review it together and adjust.
Sit down after the pilot and go through what went right and what went wrong. Change the parts that need changing. Keep the rest.
Roll it out everywhere, only after the pilot works.
Now it is their method too. People rarely walk away from something they helped build.
Dr. Paul's Insight
Where most owners slip is announcing the change and walking away. It feels efficient. It is the slowest way there is, because the change has to be made twice: once when you announce it, and again when you finally ask the crew how to make it work.
Sample: A One-Page Rollout Plan
Use this for any change: a new tool, new software, a new process, or a new schedule.
| 1. Why | Show the crew the timing test: about 40 percent faster, same quality. Show the competitor's work. |
| 2. Ask | "What will get in the way?" Example answers: one charger, batteries die by ten, nobody showed us how to start the hole. |
| 3. Pilot | One job. Three chargers in the truck. One morning of training from the person who already knows how. |
| 4. Review | After the pilot, the whole crew sits down. What worked? What changes? Keep the crew's best idea. |
| 5. Roll out | Every job, starting the next week. Check in at 30 days. |
Sample for illustration. The order matters more than the details.
The Shortcut That Costs More
Announce It by Memo and Replace Whoever Does Not Comply?
In the book, a company called Talon and Beak keeps offering owners shortcuts. Every one is legal. Every one sounds reasonable. Every one costs more than it saves. Here is the one in Chapter 20.
Announce the change by memo and replace whoever does not comply.
Everybody says yes, right away.
They say yes and then quietly do it the old way, and nobody tells you, because telling you is how people get replaced.
Fear gets you agreement, not adoption. The only change that lasts is one the people doing the work understand, helped shape, and saw work on a small job first.
Watch
Video: Roll Out a Change Your Team Will Actually Use
What Is Change Management? How to Get Employees to Accept Change
Dr. Paul walks a real-looking tool switch through all five steps on screen.
From the Book
Who Showed the Crew?
Chapter 20 · Change Management
New System, Same Forest: A Beaver's Rollout
"Bella," he said. "When you learned the powered drill, who showed you how?"
"Chuck. He taught me to start slow so the bit bites clean."
"And when you told the crew to switch, who showed them?"
Bella was quiet.
"I told them to switch," she said slowly. "At the meeting. Then I went to the bridge job."
What did the crew finally tell Bella, and whose idea made the new drills work? Chapter 20 has the answer. Book 1 of Dr. Paul's Fabled Forest Business School Series.
Get the Book on Amazon →FAQ
Change Management Questions
What are the steps of change management?
Why do employees resist change?
What is a pilot in change management?
What is buy-in?
Keep Going
Related Foundations
Change that sticks pulls together measurement, written steps, clear communication, and the right leadership style. New to a term on this page? Every one is in the small business management glossary.
Foundation 1 · Standard Operating Procedures
Write the new way down so it does not drift back to the old one.
Foundation 8 · Leadership Styles
A change takes direction, involvement, and room, at different moments.
Foundation 9 · Continuous Improvement
Measure first, so the change is based on numbers, not opinions.
Foundation 13 · Communication
Announce it with an agenda, and confirm what people heard.
Written by Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA, business consultant, author, and educator with 14+ years and 1,000+ clients served. Have a change that keeps sliding back to the old way? Dr. Paul works with owners one-on-one.
This page is for general educational purposes only. It is not legal, financial, tax, accounting, or other professional advice. Dollar figures are illustrations. The Fabled Forest and its characters are fictional. For decisions about your own business, consult a qualified professional.