Kristy Ellmer and Julia Dhar, co-authors of How Change Really Works and founders of BCG’s Behavioral Science Lab, explain why so many transformations fail and what the science says separates success from failure. They break down the “messy middle,” why people resist being changed rather than change itself, and how giving employees real agency turns resistance into momentum.

What You’ll Learn:

Why “false alignment” among leaders, not resistance from employees, derails most transformations before they start.

Why giving employees real ownership, not just participation, turns resistance into momentum.

What makes AI transformations distinct from other kinds of organizational change

Learn More:

Read How Change Really Works: https://on.bcg.com/3SpBPzd

Your AI Change Is Actually a People Change: https://on.bcg.com/3RKUp4J

The False Alignment Trap: https://on.bcg.com/45R9ULH

CEOs Are Betting Big on AI Transformations. Science Is How They Win: https://on.bcg.com/4bGy1jG

We Found the Real Reason 70% of Transformations Fail: https://on.bcg.com/4xqmOMq

Chapters

(0:00) What Is Transformation?