People Involvement

People Involvement

July 27, 2026

Back in the 1990s, while working as a consultant at Arthur Andersen, we used a change management framework called The Formula for Lasting Change. Its premise was simple: sustainable change can only succeed when six essential conditions are in place. If even one of those conditions is missing, the change process is likely to stall.

Remarkably, even then it was estimated that only about 30 percent of change initiatives were truly successful. Although many new change management models have emerged since then, most are variations on the same underlying principles.

When I apply this framework to Curaçao, several observations stand out.

There is an insufficient Need for Change. Many people recognize that problems exist, but too few feel the urgency to change them.

There is no shortage of visions, but there is no genuine Shared Vision. Everyone has their own plan, preventing the emergence of a common direction.

Management Commitment & Behavior is also not sufficiently visible. Leaders frequently express support for change, but they do not always set the example needed to inspire others to follow.

The greatest challenge, however, lies in People Involvement. Without genuine involvement, there can be no ownership. Change then becomes something for "the government," "politicians," or "someone else"—rather than something that belongs to all of us.

In addition, Supporting Structures and Processes are often lacking. Good ideas fail because the organizational structures needed to implement them are absent or inadequately developed.

Finally, Performance Measures are rarely applied consistently. As a result, we often have no clear way of knowing whether we are actually making progress.

Of these six conditions, I would like to focus today on People Involvement.

Everett Rogers' Diffusion of Innovation Theory shows that virtually every successful change begins with a small group of Innovators (2.5%) and Early Adopters (13.5%). Together, they represent about sixteen percent of the population. They experiment, accept risks, and lead the way.

We see the same pattern in Curaçao. There is certainly no shortage of people with ideas, energy, and initiative.

The real challenge lies with the next group: the Early Majority. Only when this much larger group embraces the change does it gain enough momentum to become self-sustaining.

This is precisely where Curaçao seems to stumble time and again.

There are many reasons for this. A culture of fear, rooted in part in our colonial past. A relatively low educational level, making new ideas less likely to be embraced. And a perfectly understandable tendency for many people to focus first on protecting their own position in a small society where everyone knows everyone else.

As a result, change efforts often remain confined to a small group of enthusiastic pioneers. There is plenty of discussion, writing, and planning. But the broader group whose participation is essential for lasting change rarely becomes fully engaged.

Perhaps this is Curaçao's greatest challenge. Not developing yet another vision or another policy document, but finding ways to make far more people owners of the change process.

Because without People Involvement, there can be no Ownership. And without ownership, sustainable change remains little more than a good intention.

Perhaps we should not look for our innovators and early adopters only on Curaçao itself, but also within our diaspora. It is there that we find a wealth of knowledge, experience, international networks, and the capacity for change that could help us reach the critical mass needed to transform our society.

Miguel Goede