HBR IdeaCast The Leadership Skills That Make Transformation Stick
107 snips
May 12, 2026 
Julia Dhar, Managing Director and Partner at Boston Consulting Group and founder of BCG’s Behavioral Science Lab, brings behavioral science to organizational change. She discusses why many transformations stall, the gap between leaders and employees, how emotions shape adoption, the power of stories and symbols, and practical ways to measure and sustain momentum.
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Behavioral Causes Drive Transformation Failure
- Most transformation failures (60–75%) stem from behavioral issues, not just poor strategy or execution.
- Leaders often design the what but neglect the how: will people be willing, able, and motivated to change?
Survey Emotions To Gauge Change Readiness
- Regularly measure emotions and probability judgments during change by asking employees how they feel and if they think success is probable.
- Use short surveys at shift start/end and ask "Would you recommend this transformation?" to surface anxiety and curiosity.
Harness The IKEA Effect With Co-creation
- Let employees co-create parts of the change to trigger the IKEA effect so they'll value and protect the outcome.
- Practical steps: invite input on problem framing, let teams name projects, or set rollout sequence for their area.
