The implementation of ABW can be a challenge. One may have to deal with conflicting stakeholder interests, anxieties about change and office politics. There is a risk that projects get stranded due to insufficient support from management or a hastily considered process. See below for general recommendations for how to avoid this.Expect resistanceNo matter how bad the status quo, there will always be resistance to changing it. This is because change costs energy and because people fear the unknown. Resistance cannot be massaged away entirely, but it can be mitigated by informing people, listening to them and by winning them over and reassuring them. Take your timeDecision makers have a tendency to underestimate the time it takes for an organization to change its way of working. Change takes time, especially when there is a big gap between the as is and to be situations. As a rule of thumb, the formal change process should start a year before the planned move into the new environment and continue for a year after it.Set up a change management teamChange management is different from project management. Make it a dedicated function or team and select the right people for it: people with skills in communication rather than engineering. In addition, provide them with sufficient resources in terms people, time, money and external support. Take a multidisciplinary approachBecause of the multifaceted nature of workplace change, the project should integrate the expertise from the organizations HR, IT, FM, CRE and communication departments. All these disciplines should be represented in both the projects steering committee and the project team. Involve leadership at all stagesAs with any organizational change, leadership is essential. Top management should not just take the main decisions concerning ABW, but also be willing to play their part. This means advocating the concept, demonstrating ownership and leading by example. 83