– thinking that change can be "managed"
- reliance on tools, templates and method
- using inexperienced change agents
Middle of the organization change tends to draw clients and consultants into an exercise in creating "engagement".
If somebody likes to run they run. Good luck "engaging" someone who does not.
The core problem is that most organizations do not truly have OCM (Organizational Change Management) built into their corporate strategy. So "change engagement" tends to spend time addressing symptoms rather than root causes. "Un-engagement", lack of sponsorship and hit and miss buy-in are the cough, the sneeze and the runny nose.
Not connecting strategy to competency and not filling in competency for strategy is the cold that creates the system.
In keeping with that analogy, if you market the cold medications effectively you can stay busy- because the still-sick-patient will feel great. In that scenario you will be forced to make the mistakes on purpose ("manage" to match your marketing, pretty forms to fill out and change agents that are affordable in the middle of the organization).
As a client it makes sense to keep yourself healthy- corporate strategy that blends business and people, assume senior change consultants have a quiver full of forms/approach and to budget and pay for experience.