The False Alignment Trap

In a cover story for Harvard Business Review, BCG’s Julia Dhar, Kristy Ellmer, and Philip Jameson write that transformation efforts often fail because senior leaders falsely believe they agree on how to deliver change, a phenomenon they call “the false alignment trap.” Drawing on their book, How Change Really Works, the authors assert that leaders should encourage early and safe dissent, rigorous debate, and unified communication to improve transformation outcomes.