Change management - what is it? why do you need it?
I am often surprised when asked to explain or justify why Change Management is critical to an organisation or a project and what it entails.
Until recently, I assumed the name alone was self-explanatory. However, a recent conversation with an industry contact who said, “I removed ‘Change Management’ from my profile, because I was on a project with 40 Change Managers, and what you guys do require far more respect than we give it” made me reconsider my assumption. It made me realise that Change Management might not be as obvious as I thought.
So, what is it?
In simple terms, Change Management is a structured approach to managing the transition of an organisation's goals, processes, or technologies. It involves processes and tools that help individuals and organisations move from a current state to a desired future state. The practice focuses on preparing, supporting, and guiding teams through change to ensure smooth implementation and achievement of outcomes.
That change can include anything from an organisational design or redesign (scaling up or down), targeted operating model, customer journey mapping, the implementation of a new system or ways of working, a workplace improvement program, an office relocation, a culture change, or enhancing systems and processes for better efficiency and effectiveness and much, much more!
Essentially, it involves any change in the way you work, whether from a people, process, or platform/system perspective. At its core, Change Management addresses the people aspect of change, emphasising the need for employee acceptance and engagement. It involves understanding stakeholders’ needs and providing adequate support throughout the change process.
People often refer to Transformational Change, which relates to significant, enterprise-wide changes, as opposed to continuous improvements or incremental changes that affect only part of the organisation.
Change Management is complex. That’s why there are accredited practitioners like me who specialise in it. It involves understanding the organisation’s strategy for change, evaluating the change, using appropriate methodologies to create a roadmap, and successfully implementing that roadmap. Change Management typically involves three elements: people, process, and platform. In fact, these elements are so interconnected that one cannot be effectively managed without the others.
Why do you need Change Management?
Research shows that failure rates of change initiatives, particularly those that achieve substantially less than the expected value, can be as high as 70-80%. Studies reveal that most change failures are due to a lack of change manager involvement and management support, poor leadership, insufficient resources, inappropriate planning, and a lack of monitoring and evaluation.
I believe this is because Change Management is not well understood and, therefore, not deemed important to a project or organisation. I often compare Change Managers to ambulances at the bottom of a cliff—called upon when it’s far too late, making progress an uphill battle.
Given the challenges we faced in 2024, companies must reassess their strategies to not only survive but thrive in the new market landscape in 2025 and with that, change to adapt and seize the opportunities.
So, don’t wait until it’s an emergency. If you are planning any changes in your organisation, big or small, do yourself a favour and get a Change Manager on board to ensure the change is successfully implemented and embraced by your people!
Let VB Consulting Support Your Change:
VB Consulting is well-positioned to offer comprehensive Change Management support for organisations undergoing complex transformations. As an experienced consultant, I possess extensive expertise in Change Management methodologies, which enable me to effectively guide clients through transitions while anticipating and addressing potential challenges.
