1. The Truths About Change What It Takes to Get It RightA Spotlight on Effective Change ManagementBased on results from the 2011 2012 Change and Communication ROI Study

2. This years findings reveal that organizationswith both highly effective communicationand change management practices aremore than twice as likely to significantlyoutperform their peers as organizationsthat are not highly effective in either ofthese areas.2011 2012 Change and Communication ROI StudyThe 2011 2012 Change and Communication ROI Study analyzesdata collected in April and May 2011 from 604 organizations invarious industry sectors and regions around the world. The majorityof participants have experienced significant change over the last twoyears, and the typical participant has gone through at least threecommon organizational changes (e.g., reorganization, implementationof a new performance management system, change in corporate focusor direction, or downsizing). Our goal was to clarify what effectivechange management looks like and then assess its influence on anorganizations overall success and financial performance.To learn more about the participants, methodology, and the relationbetween financial performance and effective communication and changemanagement, access the full report at towerswatson.com/roi-study. 3. The Truths About Change:What It Takes to Get It Right Table of Contents Executive Summary2 Key Findings 3 Measuring Change Management Effectiveness4 The Big Six6Leading 6Communicating 8Learning 11Measuring11Involving13Sustaining 13 Defining the Phases of Change 14 A Spotlight on Effective Change Management This report provides a deeper look at the change management findings from Towers Watsons 2011 2012 Change and Communication ROI Study, which sheds new light on the pivotal role that effective change and communication processes play in global organizations today. Representing more than 600 organizations from a broad cross section of industries and countries, this study investigates how top companies create a clear direction in a complex world. The Truths About Change: What It Takes to Get It Right 1 4. At a GlanceCompanies face serious challenges when it comes to managingchange. Less than half of respondents across a variety ofindustries around the world indicate they achieved the desiredoperational goals from change initiatives.Because managing change is difficult work.It requires agility, courage, teamwork and a clear, strategic planfrom the start and the right mix isnt always intuitive. In fact, ourdata show that more than half of surveyed participants struggleto meet the mark, sometimes with serious consequences to theschedule, budget and achieving goals.Our study shows that, across any industry or geography, effectivechange management can help the bottom line and that certainactivities can drive success in any type of change.Executive SummaryManaging change is difficult work right tools to adapt to change. And its aboutrobust leadership, and aligning and sustainingAcross a variety of industries and regions around programs. Effective change management alsothe world, companies face serious challenges when requires thoughtful, strategic measurement so anit comes to managing major organizational change. organization can course-correct along the way. TheLess than half of respondents indicate they achievedbest change practitioners balance rational, data-desired operational goals from change initiatives.driven approaches with a deep understanding ofOnly 44% are able to stay on schedule, and just 47% emotional drivers.hold team members accountable for deadlines. In There are six activities that really count. Wevethe end, a mere 48% stay on or under budget.identified six activities that influence overallIn short, organizations are committing effort, fundingchange success. It doesnt matter what type ofand resources toward change but not getting the change a company is going through or whereoutcomes they want. Considering the prevalence of that companys operations are located. Fromchange and the effect of change managementhighly complex mergers and acquisitions to moreon bottom-line performance there are plenty ofstraightforward types of change, focusing on thereasons to take a hard look at how organizations areright activities can help companies outperformapproaching change management and learn how the their peers in any industry or geography worldwide.best do it. Well describe these activities in the following pages. Doing the right things at the right times is Effective change management is a little bit artpivotal. How and when an organization integrates and a little bit science. Its about understanding the six activities during each change phase will the unique needs of a company and itsimpact organizational and financial outcomes. employees, and then providing insight and the Whether youre going through a complex or straightforwardchange, effective change management can help you shine whenit matters most.2 towerswatson.com 5. Key Findings Our research sheds new light on the pivotal role that effective change processes play in global organizations today. Heres what weve learned: Defining The Big SixThe six activities that influence overall change Organizations that manage change effectively tendsuccess are:to have formal, systematic processes, as well asdedicated staff members who help communicate Leading: Equips leaders to inspireand support change.confidence in the change, creates clarity The best involve internal communicators early in among employees and fosters a sense ofthe decision-making process, while the company iscommunityidentifying challenges or opportunities that require Communicating: Fosters understandingchange and considering appropriate solutions.and guides employee actions We have identified six activities that influence Learning: Ensures that people have theoverall change success The Big Six. Of these,knowledge and skills to adapt to changeleading, measuring and sustaining activities haveand be effective in their rolesthe biggest impact on overall change success. Measuring: Uses a balanced set of metrics The activity of involving building a shared senseto define success and support continuousthat employees and leaders are in it togetherimprovement is a hallmark of organizations that are highly Involving: Creates intentional opportunitieseffective at managing change. These companiesfor employees to shape direction, unearthuse a combination of communication methods challenges and model the way forwardand the influence of their managers to support Sustaining: Reinforces behavior changechange, and as a result are about seven times as over time through structure, technology,likely as low-change-effectiveness organizations toprocess and people programscreate a sense of ownership of the change amongemployees throughout their organization.Leading, measuring and Of all companies surveyed, 82% report thatthey train managers in the area of change sustaining activities have the management, but only 36% find it effective. biggest impact on overallAlthough theyre being intentional, thesecompanies are not providing the right kind of change success. training in the right way. Effective communication is an important element Companies that practice effective changeof change management and, if both are done well,management are six times as likely to report that can significantly impact financial performance.their managers are skilled at helping employees Companies highly effective at both communicationadapt to change, compared to companies with low and change management are 2.5 times as likelychange effectiveness. to outperform their peers as companies that arenot highly effective in either area. The Truths About Change: What It Takes to Get It Right 3 6. Measuring Change Management Effectiveness Figure 1. Five indicators for effective changeWe measure change management effectiveness managementusing the five indicators in Figure 1. The organizations How effective is your organization at each of the following areas?whose survey responses were in the top third of the 0% 20%40% 60% scores for these indicators are designated highly effective change management companies. The Achieving the desired operational goals from change initiatives one-third of organizations with the lowest scores are 43designated as low effective. Improving organizational financial performance through change initiativesComparing high-effectiveness43 and low-effectiveness companies Identifying the changes that are necessary to be successful Most questions in our survey used a five-point43 Likert, or effectiveness, scale. Where we compare Changing at the right pace high and low effectiveness, we are showing how35 many of the organizations designated as having high Sustaining the positive impact from changes for at leastor low change effectiveness responded to the item five yearswith a four or five score (i.e., agree or strongly agree,31 effective or highly effective), or answered with a yes. Overall Note: Percentages include respondents indicating effective or highly effective in these areas. How does employee readiness impact change? The concept is quite simple: A more aligned workforce supportsFigure 2. Effective companies take the time to understand a more successful change. Making sure employees understandemployees and their readiness for change the reasons for a change, what will happen during the change, 0% 20% 40% 60% and what new skills or behaviors they will need to be successful Defining project objectives through the change process can ensure greater employee57 confidence, satisfaction and support for company goals. Gaining leadership sponsorship for change management plans In general, however, our survey data show that the opposite is 53 happening. Almost half of the surveyed participants spend time Understanding the risks of proposed changes evaluating how a change may impact their business processes46 or technologies, but relatively few look at the impact it will have on their employees and culture. Since businesses consistUnderstanding the potential impact of anticipated changes on processes of both rational and emotional elements of technology, 45 processes and people effective change management must Understanding the potential impact of anticipated changes consider all of them. on technology Preparing employees for change can include communicating43 important details, taking surveys to gauge their knowledgeUnderstanding the potential impact of anticipated changes on people or skills related to the change, providing informed leaders as38 resources, offering opportunities for employees to learn more Assessing organizational culture and readiness for change or provide feedback throughout the change process and35 then adjusting the change strategy as necessary. Taking the time to deeply understand employees is a wise investment. It Overall helps develop training, communication and incentive programs that are relevant to their needs, and it facilitates involvement, ownership and feedback to improve the results of change.4 towerswatson.com 7. Who manages change?Our data show that the organizations with the best change management practices are more likely to havea formal, systematic process and a dedicated staff that includes the internal communication function(Figure 3). These companies also involve their communication function earlier in the decision-makingprocess (Figure 4).Figure 3. Effective companies include communication in their changemanagement processTo what extent do you agree with each of the following statements?0%20% 40% 60% 80%The internal communication function is part of the change management staff4362 26My organization follows a systematic change management process3365 14My organization has a dedicated change management staff264516Overall High change effectiveness Low change effectivenessFigure 4. Effective companies involve the communication function early in the change processAt what phase does the internal communication function rst become involved in the decision-making process?30%29 25% 26 2222 20% 20 21 201817 15%14 13 1310%11 101096 675% 50%2Identifying the IdentifyingSelecting the Planning the ImplementingOnly if a problem Not applicableproblem orpossible approachesapproach to address implementation the changearisesopportunity to address the issue the issue Overall High change effectivenessLow change effectiveness The Truths About Change: What It Takes to Get It Right 5 8. The Big Six activities for change success The Big Six Leading Leading activities have the most influence on Only a third of all participants create an integrated overall change success. Its not surprising thatcommunication and change management strategy organizations that miss this element are less likelyto help employees understand and align with what to achieve their change goals. A company withoutis expected of them. clear vision is like a ship without a captain it has a lot of exciting places to go, but its adrift in a big Leading activities are not owned only sea. Companies that implement effective change by the C-suite strategies from the very start greatly increase theirCommunication and change management chances of reaching their objectives.professionals also have an important role to play. Heres a more detailed look at what the results show:Highly effective companies involve the internalcommunication function and change leaders early. Companies with high change effectivenessChange leaders provide direction and reinforceare seven times as likely as companies withthe importance of getting the right stakeholderslow effectiveness to create strong employeeinvolved at the right time, to ensure both change andmotivation for organizational change whichcommunication expertise is there at the start of theincludes getting support from executives, as wellchange journey.as creating an integrated communication andchange management strategy. While these results vary by region, the point still Only 19% of companies with low change stands that there is room for improvement in thiseffectiveness have a clear vision of what their essential part of effective change management.organizational change is intended to achieve,compared to 84% of highly effective companies.Should the type of change affect our approach?Not really. Our research shows that no matter what the change,leading, measuring and sustaining drive overall success.6 towerswatson.com 9. The Big Six activities for change success Figure 5. Effective change leaders provide direction and get the right stakeholders involved at the right time 0%20%40%60% 80%100% Finding executive sponsorship for organizational change 56 85 26 Developing a clear vision of desired organizational change48 8419 Creating an integrated communication and change management strategy 37 72 15 Creating strong employee motivation for making organizational change3267 9 Overall High change effectivenessLow change effectivenessCompanies that implement effective change strategies from the very start greatly increase their chances of reaching their objectives. Figure 6. Across the globe, there is room for improvement in effectively leading change 60%61 59 59 5657 50%52 51484947 46 44 44 40%3736 343232 30% 2724 20% 10% 0% Finding executiveDeveloping a clear visionCreating an integratedCreating strong employee sponsorship forof desired organizationalcommunication and motivation for making organizational changechange change management organizational change strategy Overall Asia Pacific Canada Europe and Middle EastU.S. The Truths About Change: What It Takes to Get It Right 7 10. The Big Six activities for change success Communicating Communication aligns the organization from the top But even the highly effective organizations could down, and it guides and motivates employees. It do a better job of explaining what the changes may seem as though communicating about changesmean for employees, what actions employees would be an obvious component of the process, but must take to be successful during the change and fewer than half of our study participants are doing how they can be part of the process by providing this effectively. Again, we see big differences in what helpful feedback. highly effective companies accomplish in this area compared to their less effective peers. Communication aligns The vast majority of companies that are highlyeffective at managing change are good atthe organization from thecommunicating their business rationale forchange. Since businesses consist of bothtop down, and it guides andrational and emotional elements, effective change motivates employees.management practices must consider both sides. Figure 7. Effective companies align communication to guide and motivate employees 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Communicating the business rationale for change55 8728 Communicating what the change means to individual employees41 68 13 Encouraging employees to provide input40 65 15 Clearly articulating what employees need to do differently to be successful 39 66 12 Avoiding misinformation about changes being made or the motivation for them 36 63 14 OverallHigh change effectiveness Low change effectiveness8 towerswatson.com 11. The Big Six activities for change success Lessons Learned While Changing a Benefit ProgramTowers Watson recently helped a leading Beyond the plan changes, developer and supplier of plant genetics launcha successful change management campaignlong-term program successto drive benefit awareness, appreciation andworkforce engagement. The company strives depended on employeesto help employees be healthy and build being engaged in learningpersonal wealth, and it is committed to offeringcompetitive and valuable employee programs about their benefits andthat leaders believe are critical for attractingworld-class talent. However, to ensure they could using them wisely.continue to meet these objectives, leaders hadto make changes to company-sponsored medicalthe diverse workforce and spouses throughand retirement plans. home mailings, online modeling tools forretirement planning, face-to-face meetingsBeyond the plan changes, long-term program(in English and Spanish, as needed) at allsuccess depended on employees being engagedworkplace locations, optional one-on-onein learning about their benefits and using themfollow-ups with meeting facilitators and wisely. This required a new, hands-on approach:adding further variety WebEx meetings. All Use focus groups to test benefit communication emphasized the link between communication preferences. Proposedphysical and financial health, while continuing medical and retirement plan changes needed to reinforce the companys core values toward to be communicated using several channelsa more united workforce. to reach diverse employee groups, as well Measure change effectiveness. Throughout as spouses, who often play a primary role in the change management campaign, Towers employee benefit decisions.Watson helped the company assess employee Introduce changes under a new theme. understanding of company benefits before and The look and feel helped differentiate after the campaign and launch of the online the campaign from other employee-facingmodeling tool. The results were impressive: communications.87% of employees agreed the change man- Reach every employee, and strengthen agement tactics improved or confirmed their the health-wealth connection. In alignment understanding of the benefit program changes. with the companys core values, senior leadership made a commitment to inform every employee about the program changes. Additionally, the campaign reached out to The Truths About Change: What It Takes to Get It Right 9 12. The Big Six activities for change successManagers make change real for their people. The crucial role of managers inspecific and effective training for them and communicating changesprovide support and motivation to help them applywhat they learn. Highly effective organizations are more likely to report that their managers are capable of The majority of firms (82%) train their managers to implementing new approaches to work and helpinghelp employees adapt to change, but only 36% find employees adapt to change. Managers make changethat training effective. Companies that close this real for their people. Thats why they need to begap are getting a better return on their investment effective at translating what change means to thein training. day-to-day reality of their teams as well as model the new behaviors and practices. To develop this key resource, the best invest in managers, and design Figure 8. Managers play a crucial role in translating change for employees 0%20% 40% 60%80%100% Enthusiastically implementing new approaches to work 40 67 19 Helping employees adapt to change38 6816 Overall High change effectiveness Low change effectiveness Figure 9. Nearly all companies train managers, but is the training effective? 0%20% 40%60% 80%100% Percentage who train8292 67 Percentage of those who train who are effective3663 13 Overall High change effectiveness Low change effectiveness10 towerswatson.com 13. The Big Six activities for change success LearningLearning activities can help push a change initiativeFigure 10. How effective is your organization at the following?along, and theyre worth attention. Why? Becauseemployees need to have the knowledge and skills0% 20%40% 60% 80%100%necessary to adapt to change. Our data show that Creating accountability for employees to learn new skills required for changeseven among highly effective organizations there is 36room for improvement, especially in encouraging 62employee feedback on how to make change 12successful.Creating accountability for employees exhibiting new behaviors required for changes 29Change management is about56educating employees, right?9 Encouraging rapid employee feedback on best practices around new behaviorsCertainly employees need to understand changes and skills required for changesahead and learn how to navigate them successfully.23But our research suggests that focusing on learning48activities alone is a mistake.6Effective investments in learning rest on aOverallHigh change effectivenessLow change effectivenessfoundation of leading, measuring and sustainingactivities. (Read on to learn more about measuringand sustaining on the following pages.) Success in While many organizations provide learningthese areas differentiates the organizations that areopportunities to their employees, relatively fewmost effective at change from those that struggle. execute them well, and even fewer close the loopWhile its important to offer employees learning by creating accountability and encouraging feedback.activities and strong communication related to a Its important to approach employee learning withchange, the other key drivers of success must be inclarity around new processes and behaviors,place for learning and communication to really work. with sustainable outcomes in mind. MeasuringMeasurement is among the biggest drivers ofFigure 11. Across the globe, there is room for improvement in effectivelyoverall change success, and it cannot start midway measuring change impactsthrough the initiative. Setting clear, measurable0% 20%40%60%80%100%goals up front will help an organization head inthe right direction, use resources efficiently, make Anticipating the business impact of changescorrections along the way and assess whether the4081organization achieved what it set out to do. In short, 13its essential to keeping the change on target, ontime and within budget.Defining clear, measurable goals for the impact of changes 39As the results show, organizations that are highly 76effective at change management are much better 14at measuring progress against goals than are low- Measuring progress against goals established for change initiativeseffectiveness organizations.377312 OverallHigh change effectivenessLow change effectivenessThe Truths About Change: What It Takes to Get It Right 11 14. The Big Six activities for change successMeasurement is among the biggest drivers of overall change success, and it cannot start midway through the initiative.Figure 12. Effective companies identify change measures up front andcontinually reassess 50%4746 45 4342 40%40 39 39 39 37 3736 3735 33 30% 20% 10%0% Anticipating the Defining clear, Measuring progress business impact of measurable goalsagainst goals changesfor the impact of established forchanges change initiativesOverall Asia PacificCanadaEurope and Middle East U.S. Lessons learned at a large financial corporation After recently working with Towers Watson on a broad change Listen for results and concerns. Tell people whats going to initiative, a large financial corporations leaders offered happen and what it means for them. Then create a two-way the following advice for companies that need to prepare dialogue by setting up ways for them to provide feedback. employees for significant change: Be sure to respond to them quickly with real solutions, not inspirational platitudes. Use a data-driven approach that aligns with your desired Define and measure success. Set target metrics forbusiness results. Undertake an inventory of change things like employee retention, engagement and customerrequirements to better understand both the magnitude of satisfaction, and be honest about whether theyre being metimpending change and the impact of individual changes on or course corrections are needed.different employee groups and their businesses. Help managers become change leaders. Employees often Avoid traditional silo thinking. Major change often has a look to managers for day-to-day leadership, so give them thecross-functional, cumulative impact on employees across an knowledge and tools they need to lead the change.entire organization. That impact needs to be managed fromthe start by involving key leaders who represent all affectedemployees within your company.12 towerswatson.com 15. The Big Six activities for change successInvolvingCompanies that involve their employees in theFigure 13. Effective companies involve employees in the changedesign and implementation of change are more likely 0%20%40%60% 80%to be effective at change management and lesslikely to face employee resistance to change. Heres Developing support from enough employees for change initiatives to succeedwhat the data show: 35 70 Companies that are effective at change manage- 11 ment are over seven times as likely as low-change- Creating a sense of ownership about organizational change initiatives effectiveness organizations to create a sense of32 co-ownership about organizational change initia-66 tives a corporate sense among employees and 9 leaders that they are all in it together. Dealing with resistance to change initiatives If leadership clearly explains the business case29 for change and can motivate employees to61 support that change, resistance melts away. 10 The overall survey results suggest there is room OverallHigh change effectivenessLow change effectiveness for improvement in this area among all of our participating companies.SustainingWhen it comes to change management, in someFigure 14. Effective companies sustain the positive effects of change over timeways, organizations are never done. One of the top 0%20% 40% 60% 80%three drivers of successful change is developinga sustaining structure, programs and policies to Continuing to exhibit new behaviors and use new skills after changes have been madereinforce behavior change. What may surprise many30organizations is how few make this happen. Heres 648what we learned in this area: Finding additional improvements to be made in subsequent years Companies with high change effectiveness are 37 over seven times more likely to avoid reverting 70 to the status quo than low-change-effectiveness 12 organizations. They continue exhibiting new Avoiding reverting to the status quo as everyone moves on to the next thing behaviors and using new skills that result from a31 change initiative.62 These companies are six times more likely than 8 low-change-effectiveness organizations to continue finding ways to improve, and they extend the impact OverallHigh change effectivenessLow change effectiveness of their changes beyond quick wins and short- term benefits to achieve long-term results.Effective change management requires planningand implementation, but it also requires ongoingstructure, technology, processes and governance tosupport long-term traction.The Truths About Change: What It Takes to Get It Right 13 16. Defining the Phases of ChangeThe saying change doesnt happen overnight is Needless to say, change can only be effectiveespecially true when applied to the topic of effectivewhen given a chance to take root, and whenchange management. Organizational change is a supported and sustained over time. Unfortunately,complex process that happens over time, and itorganizations are weakest where it matters theincludes several essential, strategic phases: most. By the time many companies reach the finalchange phase Implement and Improve they Understand and Segment: Understand theoften fail to support change initiatives with sufficient environment, including whats changing, thefunding or governance, and dont commit adequate underlying business needs, impacts by audienceresources to sustain those changes over time. and how key stakeholders define success. Design and Build: Develop tailored plans and recommendations including tools, tactics, Change can only be effective timing and owners - to build awareness and drive behavior change.when given a chance to take Implement and Improve: Execute the changeroot, and when supported and management plan, measure its effectiveness (both perceived and real), celebrate successes sustained over time. and make improvements along the way.Figure 16, page 15, indicates where some ofEach of these phases requires its own set of changethe greatest opportunity for improvement lies.activities to ensure a successful overall outcome.Depending on a companys needs, the solution couldFor example, as evidenced in Figure 15, leadinginclude managing change resources, auditing theactivities are especially important in the Understandimplementation process, or strategically reviewingand Segment phase, but less critical later in thethe results and what they imply.change process when involving and sustainingactivities have more influence.Figure 15. Effective companies use the right activities at the right timeHighdirectimpactLittle/No directimpactUnderstand DesignImplementand Segmentand Buildand ImprovePhase of change processCommunicating Learning MeasuringInvolving LeadingSustaining14 towerswatson.com 17. Figure 16. Companies have room for improvement throughout the phasesof change management0%20%40% 60%Providing employees with the tools and resources to be successful37Making sure employees understand the changes the organization is making44Making sure employees affected by the change demonstrate any new behaviors required 31Developing incentives to drive the new behaviors24Refining our plans to address gaps between objectives for change and actual resultsof change initiatives 29Sustaining changes in behavior and performance over time31Continuously improving results beyond initial impact of change33Overall Resource Planning Is Key Many of our participants start off strong. We find relatively Despite different circumstances among companies, only high percentages of participants report they are doing the rightone-third of participants say they invest enough resources to things during the initial planning phase. These percentages support their change management strategy. Organizations that drop by 12 percentage points during the Implement and dont allocate enough resources up front will probably spend Improve phase. This may be a symptom of the difficulty of more time later filling the gaps (and often at a higher cost), or allocating sufficient resources to cover the whole change their change management efforts will languish due to lack of process from beginning to end. For some companies, it could resources. also imply a mid-change shift in priorities.Figure 17. Percent of companies that report they do theFigure 18. Effective companies use a more disciplinedright things in the various phases of change approach to manage change 0%20%40% 60% 50% 44Establishing governance structures and project management processes Average percent favorable 40 40% 5132 Building detailed communication plans 30% 49 Engaging the right stakeholders 20% 48 Building detailed training plans 10%450% Developing supporting materials and appropriate change interventionsUnderstand Design Implement 38 and Segmentand Buildand Improve Building detailed change management plans36 Providing necessary resources to meet all change management objectives32 Overall The Truths About Change: What It Takes to Get It Right 15 18. Do organizations have the rightorganizations were most likely to agree they were approach to managing change? effective at leading change. Leading is one of themost important change activities, but the data When looking at how survey participants across suggest companies have an imbalanced focus. regions ranked different change activities in(Read more about the importance of governance order of how effectively they manage them, webelow.) find very minor differences. In almost all regions,While companies are most likely to rate themselvesas effective in the aspects of leading change, on Figure 19. Percent of companies that rate themselves as effective at the average, fewer than 40% of organizations rate six activities themselves as effective at the activities in the otheressential areas such as measuring progress against50% goals and then putting systems or programs in place4742to sustain the benefits of change long term.Average percent favorable40% 38 3232How does your company compare? Organizations30% would do well to understand how effective they are 28 at implementing each of these levers, given their20% importance in a successful change program.10% 0%LeadingCommuni- Measure- InvolvingSustainingLearningcating ment The Importance of Governance Regardless of the type of change, we cantFigure 20. Outcomes for companies that establish governance structures overemphasize the importance of establishingand project management processes compared to those that do not good governance protocols right from the start. 0%20% 40%60%80% Change teams that clarify how decisions will be Making sure employees understand the changes the organization is making made, how conflict will be resolved, and how 63 project management processes will be con-23 ducted and communicated have the basis for Providing employees with the tools and resources to be successful dealing with the inevitable challenges that come56 with managing change. Change is never linear17 nor always smooth, and companies with strongContinuously improving results beyond initial impact of change governance are much more likely to achieve and53 sustain successful change and ultimately13 deliver stronger financial performance. Sustaining changes in behavior and performance over time 5012 Making sure employees affected by the change demonstrate any new behaviors required47 13 Refining our plans to address gaps between objectives for change and actual results of change initiatives47 10 Developing incentives to drive the new behaviors399 YesNo16 towerswatson.com 19. ConclusionContinuous change is a global reality. We know that those whocommunicate effectively are more likely to outperform their peers.This finding has been consistent since Towers Watson started theChange and Communication ROI Study in 2003.Our latest research shows that the link with financial performanceis even stronger among study participants who implement effectivecommunication and change management strategies. Regardless of thetype of change organizations experience, the important change activities and their respective role and place remain constant. And the keyelements of successful change are promoting effective leadership, andmeasuring activities and programs that sustain the benefits of changeover time. Get these activities right, and youll be well on your way togreater success. 20. About Towers WatsonTowers Watson is a leading global professional servicescompany that helps organizations improve performance througheffective people, risk and financial management. With 14,000associates around the world, we offer solutions in the areasof employee benefits, talent management, rewards, and risk andcapital management.Copyright 2012 Towers Watson. All rights reserved.TW-NA-2012-24639towerswatson.com