MBA 5237: CHANGE MANAGEMENT
Intro to Course +
LECTURE 1
Why Change Fails (and How to Make It Stick)
HELLO ☺
My name is Dr. Bushra Khan
Consultant, trainer, professor
Expertise: emotional intelligence, change management, communication,
and behavioural leadership
BREAKOUT ACTIVITY: THINGS IN COMMON
Small group work (groups of 2-3) – 5 minutes:
• Find classmates you haven’t worked with yet this year!
a) Share your names + discuss 1 thing you all have in common.
b) Why are you here? (…other than you have to be in this course)
Big group share out:
• One person per group will share out their group members’ names, their
commonality and why they are here.
AGENDA
▪Expectations
▪Briefly go over course assessments
▪Emotional intelligence framework
▪Kotter’s 8-steps of change process
▪In-class assignment
EXPECTATIONS
▪During
this session, technology turned off/kept silent – this is to encourage
mindfulness and allow us to fully immerse into the learning.
▪Pleaseask questions any time! We will try to answer it immediately or
“parking lot” it.
▪Attendance – only 6 classes! Start/end on time, participate fully, and stay for
the entire class. You are required to attend no less than 80% of scheduled
course sessions.
EXPECTATIONS
▪Required readings – HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Change Management. You can
purchase online ($28) or find a free digital copy on Brightspace.
▪Students should come to class having read the assigned articles and be ready to
engage thoughtfully.
▪Participation is evaluated based on quality and consistency of contributions to
discussions and group work.
▪Anything else we should add?
STRUCTURE OF CLASS TIME
▪Asa class, it is important that we hold each other accountable in creating the best
learning environment…which means appropriate and meaningful structure of class time!
▪We will try our best to hold the following schedule and make adjustments as needed:
Time Session
7:00 – 8:10 Lecture
8:10 – 8:20 Break
8:20 – 8:50 In-class assignment
8:50 – 9:20 Discuss in-class assignment
9:20 – 9:30 Close out
9:30 – 9:45 Check in with professor (optional)
ASSESSMENTS
Course Deliverable Individual or Team Due Date Weight on Final
Grade
Class Participation Individual Ongoing 15%
In-Class Assignments Done in teams, graded Ongoing 25%
individually
Case Study Team May 16, 2025 20%
Simulation Presentation Slides Team June 2, 2025 20%
Simulation Presentation and Q&A Team June 3, 2025 20%
Peer evaluation (only as needed) Individual June 10, 2025 -
COURSE OUTCOMES
▪By
the end of this course, MBA candidates will be able to design, implement, and evaluate
change interventions in complex human systems using behavioural science frameworks.
1. Analyze change dynamics at the individual, team, and systemic levels using behavioural science
models
2. Evaluate resistance to change and formulate strategies to manage it
3. Differentiate types of change (e.g., system vs. cultural, socio-technical vs. structural)
4. Design culturally responsive interventions in cross-cultural and knowledge-based organizations
5. Apply emotional intelligence to lead and communicate change across stakeholder groups
If we have time, what else would you like to explore?
WHAT IS
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE?
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
▪What distinguishes great leaders from merely good ones? It isn't IQ or technical skills, says
Daniel Goleman (HBR 1998). It's emotional intelligence.
▪EI enables the best leaders to maximize their own and their followers' performance.
▪We're each born with certain levels of EI skills. And we can strengthen these
competencies through persistence, practice, and feedback.
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE (EI)
▪Definition: the ability to recognize which feelings are appropriate in which situations, and
the skill to communicate those feelings effectively
▪Why is emotional intelligence so important?
▪Knowing your feelings
▪Managing your emotions
▪Handling setbacks
▪Channeling feelings to achieve goals
▪Having empathy
▪Having realistic optimism
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE (EI)
▪When senior managers have a critical mass of EI capabilities, their divisions outperform
yearly earnings goals by 20%.
▪When calculated the ratio of technical skills, IQ, and emotional intelligence as
ingredients of high performance, emotional intelligence proved to be twice as important
as the others for jobs at all levels.
technical skills + IQ + emotional intelligence = high performance
DOMAINS AND COMPETENCIES OF
EI FRAMEWORK
▪There are 4 domains and 12
competencies in Daniel
Goleman’s model of EI.
▪A competence is a skill
needed to perform a role, or
task. These 12 competencies
are those traits found in the
highest performers that set
them above the average.
What do you think is the connection between emotional intelligence & change management?
Stage 1 Actions needed Pitfalls ▪Execs can underestimate how
hard it can be to drive people out
of their comfort zones
▪ Paralyzed by the downside,
worried about creating “crisis
at work”
▪Failing in the first phase of change
can be a good and bad thing!
Why?
▪ Good: Catch people’s
attention by losing
▪What are some ways/tools you money/resources
can use to examine the market?
▪ Bad: less room to
▪ Ex: SWOT analysis, stakeholder maneuver/take risks
analysis
▪Bring the pain to the front. How?
▪ Ex: Use surveys to highlight
dissatisfaction, or
underperformance
Stage 2 Actions needed Pitfalls ▪Without strong line leadership
(e.g., responsible for running the
day-to-day operations of a
business, real change won’t have
the power to succeed
▪Comradery! Someone (or a small
group of people) must rally
everyone together, build trust,
and drive a shared vision for
renewal.
▪ Why?
▪Create a taskforce or “army”
committed to change — must be
diverse and cross-functional
▪Coalition should include influential
leaders beyond just senior
management.
▪ Do you need a leader or
manager for successful
change?
Stage 3 Actions needed Pitfalls ▪Without a clear vision, change
efforts become scattered and
confusing.
▪Thick reports ≠ inspiration — overly
complex plans derail momentum
(or go nowhere at all!).
▪A strong vision is simple,
memorable, and compelling.
▪A vision goes beyond numbers in
a typical 5-year plan. ▪Test: If you can’t explain it in
under 5 minutes, it’s not ready.
▪Should the vision change
overtime?
▪ Early versions may be rough,
but with time and teamwork,
clarity and inspiration emerge.
▪ Some/most parts of the first
draft often carries over to the
final vision.
▪Common examples of
Stage 4 Actions needed Pitfalls undercommunicating the vision?
1. One-time announcement =
not enough
2. Long speeches = confusion
3. Leaders acting against the
vision
▪Communicate the vision
constantly and credibly — through
actions, not just words.
▪Even long-timers can shift—if the
message is clear, repeated, and
▪Link everyday activities to the vision: team check-ins, reinforced by peers
performance reviews, town halls, etc.
▪Bottom line: Don’t just talk the talk
▪Use multiple channels. What are some examples? — walk the talk!
▪ Newsletters, meetings, training, informal chats
▪People won’t commit unless they believe change is
possible and real. So how do you convince?
▪ Repetition + consistency + role modeling = key to
winning hearts and minds
Stage 5 Actions needed Pitfalls ▪Watch out for leaders who say yes
but act no (e.g., lip service)— this
kills trust and builds cynicism
▪Align systems (job descriptions,
rewards, leadership behavior) with
the new vision
▪What to do if there is a person is
the block?
▪ Support blockers with fairness
▪What if there are blocks to taking ▪ Upskill, reassign, coach — or
a step towards the new vision? let go if necessary
▪ For ex: Rigid job roles, ▪ Nobody wants to let someone
misaligned incentives, resistant go…but why might that be
managers = block progress helpful in the long run?
▪Real empowerment means
people can take initiative without
fear or friction
Stage 6 Actions needed Pitfalls
▪Focusing on early small wins helps
clarify the vision in action. How?
▪ Wins boost morale, reinforce
urgency, and build credibility
▪ No early wins = burnout +
resistance takeover (e.g., give in
to the naysayers)
▪Don’t wait for big milestones — look for quick,
meaningful victories
▪ Actively look for ways to create small wins. How?
▪ Celebrate performance improvements
▪ Call out when (small) targets are met
▪ Establish goals in the yearly planning system
▪ Reward the people involved with recognition
and/or promotions
Stage 7 Actions needed Pitfalls
▪Small wins vs victory? What’s the
difference?
▪ If victory is claimed then weary
teams believe the battle is over
and are reluctant to re-engage
▪ Change stalls, and old habits
slowly creep back in
▪In an effort to show "we're
winning!" by initiators to resistors:
▪ Premature victory celebration =
momentum lost, old habits return
▪Stay focused: keep building on early wins and
push for deeper change
Stage 8 Actions needed Pitfalls
▪2 factors when institutionalizing
change:
1. Show how changes drive
better performance – don’t
assume people see the link
2. Ensure future leaders embody
the new way – succession
planning matters
▪Change sticks when it's seen as “it’s just the way
we do things here”
▪Embed new behaviours into daily routines,
values, and norms
BREAK ☺
IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENT #1
Step 3: Create a Visual (10 min)
▪Step 1: Read the Case Study (5 min)
▪Use black to outline the steps.
▪Use red to highlight weak or missing steps
▪Step 2: Map the Change Effort to Kotter’s 8
(“failure points”).
Steps (10 min).
▪Use blue to note emotional intelligence
▪Identify whether each of Kotter’s 8 Steps
strategies (or lack of) used to support people.
was followed. On your flipchart, write each
step and make a brief note:
▪ If the step was done well Step 4: Present back (3-5 min per group):
If it was done poorly or skipped ▪ Show your visual
▪One critical failure point
▪One EI insight (what could have helped?)
1. Analyze (10 min)
Map the case to Kotter’s 8 Steps
IN-CLASS ASSIGNMENT #1 = done well = weak or skipped
2. Create visual (10 min)
Black = steps
Context: Red = failure points
TechCo, a mid-sized software firm, decided to implement a Blue = EI strategies (or gaps)
new project management platform across all departments.
Senior leadership believed this would streamline 3. Present (3–5 min)
communication and increase productivity. Show your visual
Share 1 failure point + 1 EI insight
Timeline & Events:
•The CEO made the decision with little input from mid-level managers.
•The rollout was announced via email, with a mandatory training scheduled the
following week.
•Many employees felt blindsided and anxious about learning the new system.
•Team leads were not trained in how to support their teams emotionally or
technically.
•Within a month, the platform was underused, with employees reverting to old
systems.
•Some staff expressed frustration in anonymous feedback surveys; leadership
dismissed it as “resistance to change.”
PLUS/DELTA
▪We are striving to become better, and we can only do that if we learn to give and
receive feedback.
▪We will conduct a form of feedback to know what was good and what we can improve
on.
▪PLUS: what worked well, something you appreciate
▪DELTA: what could be better and how we can change.
DELIVERABLES
▪Check syllabus for next week’s reading
▪It is your responsibility to check your email and Brightspace regularly for
updates, announcements, assignments, etc.
▪Email me if you any questions or comments!
[email protected]
