There are a lot of theories that could save companies a ton of money, increase their productivity, and make their employees happier. Plenty of consultants can kill a forest and tell you the many, many things you could do to achieve this nirvana. Very few consultants will give you the roadmap for going from where you are today to this state of nirvana.
It’s even more difficult with resources inside of an organization. When you have a full-time job already, finding time to think differently about an issue in the short-term that will drive long-term change is nearly impossible. Very few people are comfortable running projects that will dramatically change their world – and potentially eliminate their current role.
Change Management has been a hot topic for a long time. It’s a fuzzy world that can be hard to describe. Every Change Management project is unique because it involves helping people in different situations and cultures adopt something new. Selling this concept is hard because either the person on the other side of the table understands the difficulties (and the time it takes) involved in change or they don’t.
If you can’t turn theory into reality, it doesn’t matter how good the theory is.