What is change management?

From the Association of Change Management Professionals^® Standard for Change Management^©, First Edition, 2019 

Change is… the transition from a current state, or the condition at the time the change is initiated, to a future state, the condition at the time when the benefits have been realized.

Change Management is… the practice of applying a structured approach to the transition of an organization from a current state to a future state to achieve expected benefits.

Change is a Process

Change is not a single event, but a transitional process with multiple and varied events supporting the objective of moving an organization and its stakeholders from a current state to a future state.

To reduce the disruptive effects inherent to change and to increase the likelihood of achieving the future state, change management can:

• Increase organization readiness, flexibility, and adaptability
• Increase stakeholder engagement, morale, and preparedness for the new way
• Minimize the depth of any performance and productivity decline during change
• Accelerate and maximize performance during and following the change
• Increase stakeholder utilization of and proficiency in the new way
• Minimize the learning curve and speed to adoption of the new way
• Increase the likelihood of benefits realization
• Optimize long-term sustainability once the future state is achieved

Change management is not a one-size-fits-all approach

and can be scaled to fit any organizational change

Organizational and Individual Change

Change is managed at both the organizational and individual levels. Change management facilitates the transition of organizations and their stakeholders to sustain the future state. Individual behavior change is essential to achieve this objective and the organization’s return on investment.

At an organizational level, change management efforts assess and understand an organization’s:

• Current cultural attributes, which may provide a solid basis for or be an impediment to the change
• Prioritization of change initiatives in an effort to monitor change fatigue and saturation, as well as build change agility
• Shared vision and strategic intent for the change
• New or modified business processes, systems, policies, behaviors, rewards, performance indicators, and procedures needed to successfully work in the future state
• Structure and individual roles needed to support and reinforce the change effort

At an individual level, change management efforts address and manage an individual’s:

• Unique perspectives, biases, motivations, behaviors, mindset, resistance, and reactions to increase acceptance and commitment in a more productive and resilient way
• Willingness, ability, knowledge, skills, and time capacity necessary to transition to the future state
• Sponsorship and active leadership need to ensure successful change and coach an individual through personal transition

The Change Management Processes

Rather than recommend or endorse a specific change management methodology, the ACMP Carolinas Chapter suggests following the process groups described in The Standard for Change Management^© in combination with other effective approaches, activities, and methodologies.

The Standard Change Management process groups include:

1. Evaluate Change Impact and Organizational Readiness
2. Formulate the Change Management Strategy
3. Develop the Change Management Plan
4. Execute the Change Management Plan
5. Complete the Change Management Effort

These processes emphasize the people side of change and the activities required to prepare the organization and individuals for the delivered change, facilitate the transition from the old way of working to the future state, and embed the change as the new norm.

Learn more about the Value of Change Management and Change Management as a Profession on the ACMP Global website.