Taking Stock of Change Management

Ideas and tools for promoting change

I just read an impressive study on change management entitled, "Taking Stock: A Survey on the Practice and Future of Change Management." I think the study will be of particular interest to people who (in Yogi Berra's terms) go for "deep depth." I know some managers and executives who like to explore the theory and practice of change management, but the primary audience will be consultants and quality team members who spend a significant amount of time working on change management projects.

The responses came from around the world. Here are a few findings from the survey:

* Change management is not a fad. (That's good news to those of us who have staked our careers on the field.)

* The longer people experience change management approaches, the more confident they get in their future use.

* Even though change leaders often trumpet the transformational possibilities of major projects, only 15% of respondents saw any lasting transformational change.

* Ownership and support of top-level management is the single most important factor in the success of change. (In my experience, change projects get delegated down a level or two very quickly and they die. When the top person is a real champion, the success rate goes up.)

* Senior level leaders believe that people understand the practice of sound change management. People below them don't have a clue.

* More than half of the respondents (51%) said they "had seen many change management initiatives" fail.

* Ninety four percent of the participants said they personally benefited from learning change management methods.

* Change management has moved from the work of just organization development practitioners, and out into line operations. (This suggests to me that technical and financial professionals are beginning to see the benefits of managing change well. It's not just the consultants who are promoting change management these days.)

* Sound change management theory and practice seem to cross cultural boundaries. Although the practice of change management initially developed in the United States and Western Europe, it seems to have broad applicability around the globe today.

* Organizations benefit from change management and so do the people who get personally involved in the process. (You only need to attend one ASQ meeting to witness just how members benefit from helping to make effective change happen.)

* Internal change agents feel the bottleneck more than others. (That's not good news, but it is probably not surprising for most readers of this publication.)

Another section gives pithy, one-page descriptions on a range of change management methods used by people who responded to the survey. These short descriptions range from personality theories to complex, large-system interventions to theoretical models that help explain the dynamics of change. The descriptions give a fine overview of the range of thinking and practice in the area.

The final section explores a number of possible scenarios that could influence how we approach change management.

By the way, prior to receiving a copy of the report, I had no knowledge of the firm that put it together, and I have no financial stake in their success. However, I do feel I have a stake in helping people learn about managing change in organizations, and this report significantly adds to our knowledge of the field. Bravo to the authors! For more information, you can visit: http://www.change-management-toolbook.com/res/ Reports.html.

Rick Maurer is author of many books on change and uses his Change Without Migraines(TM) approach to advise organizations that need to lead change more effectively. You can access more than 100 free articles, tips, and tools on his Web site: http://www. beyondresistance. com. You can contact him directly at 703-525-7074 or via e-mail at rick@beyondresistance.com.

Copyright Association for Quality and Participation Fall 2005
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