Bacon to develop a readiness for change in order to get the changes in place and to press for ongoing evaluation and for additional change as needed. He might have prepared his managers better for the fact that certain types of changes would be necessary, and now that they know what those changes are, he must keep the managers focused on the fact that change is needed because the system in place is not sufficient and has not provided the data needed. Given the nature of the resistance, he might make the need clear to his managers and solicit their recommendations, to be discussed and considered in the same type of forum as was sued for the reading of the first report. Had the managers been more directly involved from the first, they might have shown less resistance to the idea of change. Indeed, that first meeting could have been made more effective by presenting the report as coming from upper management rather than from the product managers. One reason for the resistance might be a view that these subordinate personnel lack the experience or authority to make such recommendations, while coming from upper management, the same recommendations would have more force. The issue might still be raised and discussed, but the dismissive manner of many of the managers might have been avoided.

In this case, the lack of an ongoing process for change has produced a situation where the sudden need for change is seen as...

Even though that type of criticism is not what is intended, they may see themselves as under fire. The process was undertaken because the business has suffered in recent years, and something does have to be done. The managers were left out so they could keep working and overseeing their departments, and this may have been a mistake because they now have less invested in the idea of change. That could have been voided with a different approach. The resistance now has to be overcome by bringing the managers together and making the reality of the situation clear while also soliciting input for a final decision.