A useful analogy that change professionals sometimes employ when describing how attempts
at implementing change succeed or fail is by comparing it to a rocket loaded with experiments. This example comes out of the early years when rockets were first being launched into space. There was a flurry of excitement in the scientific community and it seemed everyone had an experiment that needed to be conducted in space or on the moon.
Naturally, the more experiments on the rocket the more difficult it becomes to successfully launch the rocket. At a certain point, when enough experiments have been loaded onto the rocket, it simply becomes impossible to get it off the ground. There are times when attempts at implementing change are like the overloaded. What will happen is a brainstorming session in which a list of ideas about what could be improved is generated. In and of itself, this is good. It shows genuine engagement in the organization. Where this falls apart is when there is an attempt to get every idea on the list made part of the change implementation.
The company is like the rocket. If you want to have one or two experiments (changes) loaded onto the rocket, the rocket will launch. Anything more than that and failure becomes more likely than success.
Changing just one or two things in a company is difficult because it is never just one thing. It typically requires a significant number of alterations to everything from manuals and job descriptions to manufacturing processes and payroll adjustments. With each additional thing that is expected to be changed, it creates an additional set of alterations that must be accommodated.
The change professional needs to help the organization set a realistic goal with its attempt at implementing change. That may mean quietly encouraging the company to narrow down the list. It may also mean telling them directly that they need to pick the top two priorities or the change initiative will fail. No matter what method is ultimately chosen, the idea must be gotten across.