If a decision is made to return to the pre-change state, then a person or organization has benefited very little from the change effort. The same old problems remain unsolved. Those who formerly were optimistic about solving these problems through change are now disillusioned, because the change didn’t work, or embittered, because the change was never given an adequate chance to succeed. New problems may be added to the list of old problems as the person or organization attempts to make up for the drop in productivity and morale that was produced by the change effort.
At the very least, this person or organization is much less inclined to initiate another change in the near future. Frequently, we find that those people who are now the recalcitrants in an organization—resisting any and all change efforts—were formerly those who advocated change, but found that their change efforts were unsuccessful or, more frequently, never given a fair test. Thus, when we abort a change effort in the middle of a change curve we may be producing people who will be hindrances to change efforts in the future.
When a change effort is stopped in mid-stream, the future options and resources of the person or organization in adapting to changing conditions and responding to complex problems are reduced. This person or organization has become immobilized—stagnated—by its premature rejection of the change initiative. This premature rejection is based, in turn, on a failure to anticipate, identify and understand the change curve phenomenon.
Deciding Whether or Not to Initiate Change
Because of the negative consequences associated with an aborted change effort, it is better for a person or organization never to undertake a major change effort if this person or organization is unable to see this change through to the end. One should keep open the option of stabilization as well as change when engaged in organizational consultation. To paraphrase a passage from Ecclesiastes: for everything there is a season—a time for change, and a time to refrain from changing.
