On change overload I would suggest that it is largely a symptom of poorly handled change. Change is normal and life is change. Help your people to embrace the fact that they change their lives every day willingly and the Organisational change is just like that. Poor change confuses, doesn’t engage, doesn’t deal with fears, patronises, treats people like robots, assumes that because management understand everyone will, and does not provide information to aid understanding. That creates change overload. People have the most complex computer in the planet inside their head and can process tremendous amounts with it if the creators of ‘overload’ are not present.

Really good points from both of you. I concur. One additional item I would add, maybe its there already, is the ability to paint the “Big Picture” of change right accross the business and allowing senior managers better prioritise change plans. One key benefit of this approach is avoiding change overload and its adverse impact on people and business as usual. A real risk I have seen become a problem is multiple change projects operating with insufficient co-ordination resulting in change overload in the business line. Many instances are reported as resistance to change rather than what it really is – change overload and people simply not able to cope.

The Irresistible Change Guide, my toolkit/methodology that I mentioned at the bottom of the post, addresses all of your points with the exception of (4) Balances focus across the entire life cycle of change including “post implementation.” The main reason for the exclusion is that it doesn’t use a life cycle approach, although it is inclusive enough (my point #4) to apply one with it if you like to think of change in stages.