--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In almost any change there is 20 - 60…" description: "\"In almost any change there is 20 - 60 - 20. 20% are doing the change and we need to stay out of their way. 20% will never get there (a large percent st..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/dave-ulrich-28475_atm_in-almost-any-change-there-is-20-60-20-2_799799.jpg" --- # In almost any change there is 20 - 60 - 20. 20% are doing… ![“In almost any change there is 20 - 60 - 20. 20% are doing the change and we need to stay out of their way. 20% will never get there (a large percent still go into banks to see tellers vs. ATMs). 60% are in the middle. I think you will always find some companies where the head of HR is not a member…” quote by Dave Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/dave-ulrich-28475_atm_in-almost-any-change-there-is-20-60-20-2_799799.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/dave-ulrich-28475_atm_in-almost-any-change-there-is-20-60-20-2_799799.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7aa/dave-ulrich-28475_atm_in-almost-any-change-there-is-20-60-20-2_799799.jpg) > “In almost any change there is 20 - 60 - 20. 20% are doing the change and we need to stay out of their way. 20% will never get there (a large percent still go into banks to see tellers vs. ATMs). 60% are in the middle. I think you will always find some companies where the head of HR is not a member of senior management team (bottom 20% and some companies where she or he has always been (top 20%).” [Dave Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ulrich/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Change adoption follows a 20‑60‑20 distribution: a minority leads, a minority resists, and most are in the middle needing support. **In simple terms:** Most people fall in the middle of change, with few leading or resisting. Key Takeaway Identify and empower the 20% leaders, support the 60% middle, and address the 20% resistors. Themes change management leadership organizational behavior Mood pragmatic analytical Type strategic insightful When to use this quote - HR policy rollout - technology implementation - culture shift Key Concepts adoption curve resistance support strategies Questions to Reflect On - How can you elevate change agents to senior roles? - What tactics help the middle group adopt change? A Different Perspective If the 20% leaders are not senior, change may stall. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atm/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [Senior management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/senior-management/) [Team](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [It does not stand to give banks millions of dollars at an interest rate of one percent, when banks charge students an interest rate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/it-does-not-stand-to-give-banks-millions-of-dollars-at-an-interest/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [“The state arbitrarily set the mortgage interest rate at 8.5 percent—below the prime rate of 9 or so percent—so banks could make more money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-auletta/the-state-arbitrarily-set-the-mortgage-interest-rate-at-8-5-percent/) [Ken Auletta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-auletta/) > [“The diversity along with deep knowledge of the business will allow board directors to be real “thought partners” with senior management as they consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/the-diversity-along-with-deep-knowledge-of-the-business-will-allow/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [“It has the most awesome responsibilities of any corporation in the world, the largest budget of any corporation in the world, and the largest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-whipple/it-has-the-most-awesome-responsibilities-of-any-corporation-in-the/) Chris Whipple > [The job of senior management is to cultivate an environment where store managers can learn from the market and from each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-walton/the-job-of-senior-management-is-to-cultivate-an-environment-where/) [Sam Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-walton/) > [The more senior your management position is, the more important it is to connect the organization or the project to the outside world. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-crowley/my-mindset-is-of-the-person-who-is-still-unsure-whether-they-have/) [Dennis Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-crowley/) > [Consider this: I can go to Antarctica and get cash from an ATM without a glitch, but should I fall ill during my travels,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-deal/consider-this-i-can-go-to-antarctica-and-get-cash-from-an-atm-without/) [Nathan Deal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-deal/) > [Viewing the web as a platform for generosity is very different than seeing an opportunity to turn it into an ATM machine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/viewing-the-web-as-a-platform-for-generosity-is-very-different-than/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Congress is not an ATM.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-byrd/congress-is-not-an-atm/) [Robert Byrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-byrd/) > [The only thing useful banks have invented in 20 years is the ATM.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-volcker/the-only-thing-useful-banks-have-invented-in-20-years-is-the-atm/) [Paul Volcker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-volcker/) > [The first time I walked into the Olympic athlete village seeing the Visa ATM machine with my picture on it and the Chinese characters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nastia-liukin/the-first-time-i-walked-into-the-olympic-athlete-village-seeing-the/) [Nastia Liukin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nastia-liukin/) > [ATM is still a cash channel; we want to migrate it to the digital channel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-bhattacharya/atm-is-still-a-cash-channel-we-want-to-migrate-it-to-the-digital/) [Arundhati Bhattacharya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-bhattacharya/) [Browse all 31 Atm quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atm/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In almost any change there is 20 - 60 - 20. 20% are doing the change and we need to stay out of their way. 20% will never get there (a large percent still go into banks to see tellers vs. ATMs). 60% are in the middle. 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