It used to be that change management is the ‘poor’, neglected cousin of other disciplines in terms of access to functional software to assist in its performance across every aspect of change and risk management. There is a wide range of software available for a range of project management disciplines such as, business analysis, testing, project management, portfolio management, etc. However, for change management, the pickings have been almost non-existent 10 years ago.
Fast forward to 2022, there is now a handful of change management software in the market to assist with various work categories for the change manager. However, there is still ways to go in the understand of organisational change management in the marketplace. Compilations of change management software offering on the internet is usually a mixture of all types of software, many of which are not organisational change management in nature, and instead, technical change management (used by IT folks). For example https://orgmapper.com/change-management-tool/
How does a change management process help a company?
A change management process helps a company by providing a structured approach to minimizing disruptions and transitioning individuals, teams, and organizations from a current state to a desired future state. It minimizes resistance, enhances communication, and ensures that changes align with business goals, ultimately leading to smoother transitions and improved outcomes.
How can change management software help the change practitioner?
What is the implementation of change management?
The implementation of change management involves a structured approach to transitioning individuals, teams, and organizations from a current state to a desired future state. It includes strategies for managing resistance, communication plans, and training initiatives to ensure that changes are adopted effectively and sustainable within the organization.
Project change delivery
The vast majority of change management professionals in the industry are focused on delivering projects and implementing effective change management strategies to enable them to make an informed decision about their approach. It’s no wonder that most change management tools, including project management software and various change tools, are focused to support the entire change process and project delivery as a result, maintaining consistency throughout all initiatives. What are some of the areas in which project change delivery work can be made easier by software?
1. Automating change management deliverable work
A significant part of the work of change management professionals is spent on preparing for and documenting a clear roadmap of change management deliverables. These include detailed impact assessment, learning plan, stakeholder matrix, and type of change plans, etc. These deliverables are critical documents which are critical dependency for other project milestones. For example, stakeholder analysis and matrix is critical before broader stakeholder engagement can be made, since the analysis reveals who the stakeholders are and how they may be engaged throughout the change process.
One of the biggest pains faced by change management professionals is the amount of time required to manually create these deliverable documents. The work can be tedious, requiring weeks of manual work to complete. For example, the stakeholder matrix document can be a brain-numbing piece of activity, wading through a data dump of the organisational directory to determine every Tom, Dick and Harry which titles and names should be included in the stakeholder list for the project. Then, a lot of similar information then must be re-typed and entered into different versions in other change management deliverable documents such as detailed impact assessment or learning needs analysis, ultimately affecting customer satisfaction.
Software can automate much of the manual work involved. For example, Change Automator, a robust workflow automation software, allows the ease of use to link data already captured earlier on in the project, such as the relevant stakeholders matrix, with other change management deliverables such as detailed impact assessment, to ensure the right people are involved and to minimise manual re-work. With the ability to track changes, any data updated in one document will therefore update content in other documents, including integrations with tools like Power BI. This then saves on the tedious re-work required when data is updated or changes, which is pretty much a given throughout the project lifecycle. From a quality perspective, this also ensures any human-error is reduced in the data that should be synchronised across documents.
A common risk in change management delivery is that stakeholders may be left out inadvertently, or that a previously captured stakeholder in the stakeholder matrix is left out in the engagement process due to human-error. The impact of this type of error can be disastrous to the outcome of the project. Having cross-linked documents in one central place reduces the risk for this type of error.
2. Change management survey (readiness and adoption)
A key part of change management success is through careful monitoring of stakeholders throughout the change process to ensure visibility. In the earlier part of the project, this involves understanding to what extent stakeholders may be clear of the objectives of the project, their roles in it, and general awareness. Later on in the project, it could be more on understanding their engagement level of support which can be a predictor of ultimate adoption and overall support for the change. This overall change readiness level should be monitored across the project through surveys or interviews.
Surveys are inherently time consuming to design, administer and report manually. Significant time can be taken throughout each phase of the survey process. This is a no-brainer in terms of using a software tool. Most projects use Microsoft Forms or SurveyMonkey to do the job. However, you may want more robust features such as conditional question design, for example, if a respondent answers ‘yes’ for not supporting the change, then an additional question pops up to ask why.
Surveys can include sentiment analysis where the focus of the survey is on any shifts in stakeholder feelings and attitudes toward the project. In this case, it is critical to define in detail the characters of each stakeholder group in concern. These would then determine respondent characteristics to measure in the survey design.
There are also tools that measure employee sentiments through corporate social media channels such as Yammer and Teams. For example, Swoop Analytics can help to measure collaboration styles and other behavioural insights about how employees interact with each other on those channels. The data map can reveal key influencers and core influential network connectors.
The biggest value of change surveys lies in the reporting. Most survey tools offer fairly simple reporting using bar charts or pie charts. For short, simple surveys these may suffice. However, if you are working on a fairly detailed change adoption tracking survey, more advanced reporting features may be required. You may want to easily change the colour scheme of the chart, change different chart types, identify anomalies and trends, or highlight certain parts of the data to make it easier for your audience.
3. Project change reporting
Having the ease and flexibility of experimenting with different chart designs is critical for stakeholder impact. If you need hours of work to come up with a few charts the likelihood is that you will not bother. Some stakeholders may also have various personal preferences which can easily take significant time to modify. This is especially when you need the time to focus on engaging with your stakeholders, rather than tweaking excel spreadsheets.
Creating the right AI dashboard can create significant impact on stakeholders and help achieve your change objectives. Data speaks for itself and the right data visualisation can create memorable impact more than words alone. If you are driving toward change adoption, then having an AI-enhanced dashboard of core behaviour changes and tracked capability shifts, along with key metrics and key features, can act as a core part of change governance conversations. With a monthly cadence of reviewing these core data points, stakeholders can hold each other accountable to understand remaining work involved and zoom in on how to drive full change adoption.
Change reporting may not be limited to just survey results. Even seemingly ‘boring’ spreadsheet data such as detailed impact assessment may be easily turned into highly visual and interesting reports to help stakeholders understand what the changes mean and how different groups are impacted by the change.
One of the more popular ways in which change delivery has adopted software is in leveraging digital tools that provide functions to onboard or train users of new or changed systems. There are numerous providers in this area. These include WalkMe, UserGuiding, and Userlane.
Most of the tools provide similar functions to help walk users through interfaces of the system and even allow interactive experience where users can be tested in clicking on the right part of the system as a part of the training or onboarding process. The application is always for system interfaces since the tool only supports web-based systems.
Change capability
Another way in which change management software may assist change practitioners is in building change management capabilities related to change capability and documentation methodologies. There are various tools that help to measure, track, and report on change management activities and assess the impact of change initiatives, including key performance indicators and change impact analysis. This clarity could be that you would like to measure the change leadership skills of leaders, change alignment agility of stakeholder groups, or test employees as a part of skills assessment to ensure they have the right skills for the new system or process.
Using change management software, you can easily pre-program test items and answers to make it easy for yourself to score and tabulate audit test results without any manual work. You can also assign weightings to different questions to evaluate the capability of the respondent as a part of an assessment. You can even configure the assessment to provide results to the respondent at the end of the assessment, and email the feedback as well. Generally, these features are only offered as a part of a learning management system where significant time and effort is required to prepare the system for the assessment. Now, digital tools offer easy point-and-click features, with pre-configured templates saving you significant time and cost.
Change portfolio management
Managing a portfolio of initiatives used to be an approach only adopted by more mature organisations. However, with the rapid pace and intensity of changes, more and more organisations are adopting this approach to manage multiple initiatives.
Managing a portfolio of initiatives can only be done via data. There is already a myriad of project portfolio management systems in the market to help PMOs and project portfolio managers manage a slew of initiatives. The focus of project portfolio management systems is on project timelines, cost, resourcing, etc.
Change portfolio management focuses on the impact of changes and how they may impact the organisation across initiatives. There is also focus on change delivery resourcing and change capability development. One of the most critical pain points faced by organisations is change saturation and change fatigue. To better manage a portfolio of initiatives from a change perspective and manage potential change saturation, data is required.
Effective change portfolio management tools can help you:
Identify and plot change saturation points for different parts of the organisation
Identify risk levels of potential change saturation across roles, locations, layers of the organisations, etc.
Assess to what extent changes may be better delivered as an integrated package to one part of the organisation, or broken down to smaller, more digestable chunks
Assess to what extent changes may be better aligned and delivered through integrated messaging from an impacted stakeholder perspective (vs. from project perspective)
In summary, there are many strong reasons why change management professionals should adopt digital change management solutions to achieve greater change outcomes as well as to automate the tedious parts of the work to gain time to spend with stakeholders. With the ever increasing pace of digitisation in organisations, change management must also follow suit in digitising itself. Just as we could use modern fabrication techniques to build skyscrapers that are stronger and more resilient vs using traditional brick and mortar, so should change managers in leveraging digital tools to support digital transformations.
Exploring Organisational Structures for Optimal Enterprise Change Management
Change is an inherent part of every organization’s journey towards growth and adaptability in an ever-evolving business landscape. In the realm of change management, one critical consideration is the organizational structure or design that best facilitates successful enterprise change management. There are plenty of different ways to structure change management practices. Like any type of organizational structures for organizations overall, there is not one way that is the most effective. It depends on the circumstances of the company in concern.
Centralized Change Management Structure
Centralized change management structures consolidate the authority, decision-making, and oversight of strategic change management initiatives within a single, dedicated team or department. In such a structure, the change management team sometimes reports directly to either Strategy or Office of the CEO. This approach provides the change practice significant influence due to its direct linkage with strategy.
Reporting Lines: HR, IT, Strategy, and More
In addition to the choice between centralized and federated structures, change management specialists (and the senior leaders that they report to) often grapple with determining the optimal reporting lines for their change teams. Several departments within an organization are typically considered for hosting the change management function:
1. Human Resources (HR or People & Culture)
Reporting to HR aligns cultural change management with employee engagement and organisational development, which is essential for enhancing a company’s culture. This can be particularly effective when change initiatives heavily impact the workforce, as HR possesses expertise in people-related matters.
2. Information Technology (IT)
With the increasing digitalization of business processes, reporting to IT can ensure that complex technology-driven changes, including the introduction of new technology and digital transformation, as well as improvements in product offerings, are well led and managed across the enterprise. The remit for change practices reporting to IT can range from including just technology changes, to all strategic and funded initiatives, through to all of change management as a function.
3. Strategy or Transformation Office
Reporting to the strategy or transformation office closely ties change management to the organization’s overarching strategic goals. This alignment ensures that change initiatives are directly linked to long-term vision and objectives.
4. Operations
For a lot of organisations, the Operations function can determine a lot about how the organisation is run. This can include the change management function as well. The advantage of having the change practice reporting to Operation can mean that the operating rhythm of the organisation can be designed with the right change management approaches to support business goals. The way employees are engaged, how they’re involved, and how BAU processes are run, measured, and reported can be designed with change management interventions.
Key benefits of a centralized structure include:
Consistency: Centralized control ensures consistent change management practices across the organization, reducing confusion and increasing effectiveness in terms of setting a common level of practice. Consistency in terms of language and concepts mean that it is easier for the business to adopt change management principles and practices.
Resource Allocation: Easier resource allocation, as the centralized team can prioritize and allocate resources based on organizational priorities. With better economy of scale for a larger centralised team, the change group has the opportunity to resource initiatives using different levels of involvement, from sessional, part-time to full-time.
Alignment: Enhanced alignment with the organization’s strategic objectives, as the change management team directly interfaces with top leadership. This means that effort and focus areas as more likely to be on that which is most strategic and can impact the organisation the most.
Change maturity. The change practice has the opportunity to focus on building organisation-wide change maturity due to its ability to interface and influence across the organisation. While other change management structures may also have the ability to focus on building business change maturity, a centralised function has the advantage of having a greater impact level due to its scale.
In contrast, federated change management structures distribute change management responsibilities throughout various business units or departments. Each business unit maintains its own change management team, and these teams collaborate to execute change initiatives. Typically, these teams report to their respective department heads. This means that there is no formal enterprise change management function.
The advantages of a federated structure include:
Local Expertise: Greater understanding of department-specific needs and challenges, leading to tailored change strategies and therefore better change outcomes. Different business units can have very different cultures and different business needs. Having change professionals who understand the various intricacies of the business unit means that they’re able to design change approaches that will better meet business requirements.
Ownership and relationship: There may be increased ownership and commitment among departmental staff, as the change teams sits in the same business unit and are ‘one of them’ versus someone sent from a centralised team. Others in the business unit may be more conducive to advice and support from a colleague in the same broader business unit. It is also easier to establish a closer working relationship if the change practitioner is always working with the same teams.
Flexibility: Greater adaptability to changes in individual departments, as they can independently address unique issues. Without any direction from a central team, the business-dedicated team can better flex their service offering to meet the business unit’s particular focus areas. Whilst, a central team may de-prioritise departmental-level initiatives to be less critical, for a departmental team it is much easier to flex toward their priorities.
Impact on Business Results
The choice of change management structure and reporting lines can significantly impact an organization’s overall business results. Here’s how different structures can yield varying outcomes:
Centralized Structure Outcomes
Efficiency: Centralized structures can excel in efficiency of delivery due to its scale of economy. Whereas small departmental change teams may structure to flex and resource projects efficiently, larger change practices can avoid this by leveraging its range of practitioners with different levels of skill sets and availability.
Consistency: They ensure a consistent approach to change management, reducing confusion among business stakeholders and employees. The consistency of standards also mean that there is less risk that initiatives may experienced a change intervention that is less effective due to the centralised capability standards reinforced.
Top-Down Control: Change initiatives are closely aligned with strategic objectives set by top leadership. This means that any ‘pet projects’ or less prioritised divisional initiatives may not be as likely to be granted change management support. This does not necessarily mean that those departments won’t focus on those initiatives, it just means that change management resources are more prioritised toward what top leadership deems to be most critical.
Federated Structure Outcomes
Local Engagement: Federated structures promote local ownership and engagement, fostering a sense of responsibility among departmental staff. Department-specific change practitioners will be more familiar with ‘what works’ at the department level. They are better able to leverage the right engagement channels and have the ability to access management and leadership roles at the department to garner support and drive overall initiative focus and success.
Adaptability: They allow for greater adaptability to unique departmental needs, which can be crucial in complex organizations. For example, the types of change management approaches and interventions that work for Sales organisations will be very different compared to that for call centres or processing centres, especially as employees transition into new roles. The ability for the change practitioner to adapt locally, supported by a strong company culture, can make or break an initiative’s success.
Innovation: Different units can experiment with various change approaches, leading to innovative solutions. This can be done without the confines of what is the overarching ‘standards and guidelines’ from the centralised change team.
Choosing the Right Structure
The decision regarding the optimal change management structure should be rooted in the organization’s specific context, culture, and the nature of the changes it is undergoing to establish a new status quo. Experienced change management specialists understand that a “one-size-fits-all” approach does not exist. Instead, they carefully consider the organization’s goals, resources, and capacity for change.
Also, it may not need to be either centralised or federated model. It can be a combination of both. For examples:
A federated model by reporting lines, however with a strong community of practice that is centralised and that promotes sharing of practices, standards, and even resources. This ensures that the overall group is connected to each other and new innovative approaches can be shared and proliferated
A centralised model by reporting lines, however with dedicated business-specific change partners that are focused on particular business units so that they are delivering business-focused change solutions. At the same time, the team still maintains a lot of the advantages of a centralised team.
The organisational structure and reporting lines for a change practice may influence various aspects of its work, however, this may not be the most critical part of how it creates value for the organisation. Other aspects in which a change practice should focus on in its development include:
Resourcing model. How to fund change management resources and the service delivery model to support a range of different projects with different needs for seniority, skill set, and even organisational tenure
Change methodology/framework. Organisations should work on at least a change management framework to set a minimum standard for change delivery. Using a generic off-the-shelf methodology may be OK, however they may not cater for the particular language and business needs of the organisation.
Change capability and leadership. Outside of project change delivery, the team should also work on gradually building change capability within the organisation to enhance the ability to drive and support change. This may not need to be in the form of training, it can also be done through structured development through real change projects.
Change portfolio/Enterprise change management. Beyond individual change delivery, the change team should also focus on how to deliver and land multiple initiatives at the same time. Most organisations need to drive change at a faster speed than previously and there is no luxury to only focus on one change at a time. How the team measures, tracks, and ‘traffic controls’ the multiple initiatives is crucial for its success.
To read more about managing a change portfolio visit our Change Portfolio Management section for a range of articles.
Change management structures and reporting lines are not just administrative choices; they can, in some ways, have a profound impact on an organization’s ability to achieve successful change outcomes. Experienced change management specialists must weigh the benefits and drawbacks of centralized and federated structures and align them with the specific needs of their organization. By doing so, they can maximize their ability to navigate the complexities of change and drive the organization toward a more agile, resilient, and adaptive future.
Exploring Organisational Structures for Optimal Enterprise Change Management
Change is an inherent part of every organization’s journey towards growth and adaptability in an ever-evolving business landscape. In the realm of change management, one critical consideration is the type of organizational change structure or organizational design that best facilitates successful enterprise change management and boosts organizational performance. There are plenty of different ways to structure change management practices. Like any type of organizational structures for organisations overall, there is not one way that is the most effective. It depends on the circumstances of the company in concern.
Understanding Change Management Structures
Centralized Change Management Structure
Centralized change management structures consolidate the authority, decision-making, and oversight of change initiatives within a single, dedicated team or department. In such a new structure, the change management team sometimes reports directly to either Strategy or Office of the CEO. This approach provides the change practice significant influence due to its direct linkage with strategy.
Reporting Lines: HR, IT, Strategy, and More
In addition to the choice between centralized and federated structures, change management specialists (and the senior leaders that they report to) often grapple with determining the optimal reporting lines for their change teams. Several departments within an organization are typically considered for hosting the change management function:
1. Human Resources (HR or People & Culture)
Reporting to HR aligns change management with employee/organisational development and engagement while also ensuring the support employees need throughout the process. This can be particularly effective when change initiatives heavily impact the workforce, as HR possesses expertise in people-related matters.
2. Information Technology (IT)
With the increasing digitalization of business processes, reporting to IT can ensure that complex technology-driven changes are well led and managed across the enterprise. The remit for change practices reporting to IT can range from including just technology changes, to all strategic and funded initiatives, through to all of change management as a function.
3. Strategy or Transformation Office
Reporting to the strategy or transformation office closely ties change management to the organization’s overarching strategic goals. This alignment ensures that change initiatives are directly linked to long-term vision and objectives.
4. Operations
For a lot of organisations, the Operations function can determine a lot about how the organisation is run. This can include the change management function as well. The advantage of having the change practice reporting to Operation can mean that the operating rhythm of the organisation can be designed with the right change management approaches. The way employees are engaged, how they’re involved, and how BAU processes are run, measured, and reported can be designed with change management interventions.
Key benefits of a centralized structure include:
Consistency: Centralized control ensures consistent change management practices across the organization, reducing confusion and increasing effectiveness in terms of setting a common level of practice. Consistency in terms of language and concepts mean that it is easier for the business to adopt change management principles and practices.
Resource Allocation: Easier resource allocation, as the centralized team can prioritize and allocate resources based on organizational priorities. With better economy of scale for a larger centralised team, the change group has the opportunity to resource initiatives using different levels of involvement, from sessional, part-time to full-time.
Alignment: Enhanced alignment with the organization’s strategic objectives, as the change management team directly interfaces with top leadership. This means that effort and focus areas as more likely to be on that which is most strategic and can impact the organisation the most.
Change maturity. The change practice has the opportunity to focus on building organisation-wide change maturity due to its ability to interface and influence across the organisation. While other change management structures may also have the ability to focus on building business change maturity, a centralised function has the advantage of having a greater impact level due to its scale.
In contrast, federated change management structures distribute change management responsibilities throughout various business units or departments. Each business unit maintains its own change management team, and these teams collaborate to execute change initiatives. Typically, these teams report to their respective department heads. This means that there is no formal enterprise change management function.
The advantages of a federated structure include:
Local Expertise: Greater understanding of department-specific needs and challenges, leading to tailored change strategies and therefore better change outcomes. Different business units can have very different cultures and different business needs. Having change professionals who understand the various intricacies of the business unit means that they’re able to design change approaches that will better meet business requirements.
Ownership and relationship: There may be increased ownership and commitment among departmental staff, as the change teams sits in the same business unit and are ‘one of them’ versus someone sent from a centralised team. Others in the business unit may be more conducive to advice and support from a colleague in the same broader business unit. It is also easier to establish a closer working relationship if the change practitioner is always working with the same teams.
Flexibility: Greater adaptability to changes in individual departments, as they can independently address unique issues. Without any direction from a central team, the business-dedicated team can better flex their service offering to meet the business unit’s particular focus areas. Whilst, a central team may de-prioritise departmental-level initiatives to be less critical, for a departmental team it is much easier to flex toward their priorities.
Impact on Business Results
The choice of change management structure and reporting lines can significantly impact an organization’s overall business results. Here’s how different structures can yield varying outcomes:
Centralized Structure Outcomes
Efficiency: Centralized structures can excel in efficiency of delivery due to its scale of economy. Whereas small departmental change teams may structure to flex and resource projects efficiently, larger change practices can avoid this by leveraging its range of practitioners with different levels of skill sets and availability.
Consistency: They ensure a consistent approach to change management, reducing confusion among business stakeholders and employees. The consistency of standards also mean that there is less risk that initiatives may experienced a change intervention that is less effective due to the centralised capability standards reinforced.
Top-Down Control: Change initiatives are closely aligned with strategic objectives set by top leadership. This means that any ‘pet projects’ or less prioritised divisional initiatives may not be as likely to be granted change management support. This does not necessarily mean that those departments won’t focus on those initiatives, it just means that change management resources are more prioritised toward what top leadership deems to be most critical.
Federated Structure Outcomes
Local Engagement: Federated structures promote local ownership and engagement, fostering a sense of responsibility among departmental staff. Department-specific change practitioners will be more familiar with ‘what works’ at the department level. They are better able to leverage the right engagement channels and have the ability to access management and leadership roles at the department to garner support and drive overall initiative focus and success.
Adaptability: They allow for greater adaptability to unique departmental needs, which can be crucial in complex organizations. For example, the types of change management approaches and interventions that work for Sales organisations will be very different compared to that for call centres or processing centres. The ability for the change practitioner to adapt locally can make or break an initiative’s success.
Innovation: Different units can experiment with various change approaches, leading to innovative solutions. This can be done without the confines of what is the overarching ‘standards and guidelines’ from the centralised change team.
Choosing the Right Structure
The decision regarding the optimal change management structure should be rooted in the organization’s specific context, culture, and the nature of the changes it is undergoing. Experienced change management specialists understand that a “one-size-fits-all” approach does not exist. Instead, they carefully consider the organization’s goals, resources, and capacity for change.
Also, it may not need to be either centralised or federated model. It can be a combination of both. For examples:
A federated model by reporting lines, however with a strong community of practice that is centralised and that promotes sharing of practices, standards, and even resources. This ensures that the overall group is connected to each other and new innovative approaches can be shared and proliferated
A centralised model by reporting lines, however with dedicated business-specific change partners that are focused on particular business units so that they are delivering business-focused change solutions. At the same time, the team still maintains a lot of the advantages of a centralised team.
The organisational structure and reporting lines for a change practice may influence various aspects of its work, however, this may not be the most critical part of how it creates value for the organisation. Other aspects in which a change practice should focus on in its development include:
Resourcing model. How to fund change management resources and the service delivery model to support a range of different projects with different needs for seniority, skill set, and even organisational tenure
Change methodology/framework. Organisations should work on at least a change management framework to set a minimum standard for change delivery. Using a generic off-the-shelf methodology may be OK, however they may not cater for the particular language and business needs of the organisation.
Change capability and leadership. Outside of project change delivery, the team should also work on gradually building change capability within the organisation to enhance the ability to drive and support change. This may not need to be in the form of training, it can also be done through structured development through real change projects.
Change portfolio/Enterprise change management. Beyond individual change delivery, the change team should also focus on how to deliver and land multiple initiatives at the same time. Most organisations need to drive change at a faster speed than previously and there is no luxury to only focus on one change at a time. How the team measures, tracks, and ‘traffic controls’ the multiple initiatives is crucial for its success.
To read more about managing a change portfolio visit our Change Portfolio Management section for a range of articles.
Change management structures and reporting lines are not just administrative choices; they can, in some ways, have a profound impact on an organization’s ability to achieve successful change outcomes. Experienced change management specialists must weigh the benefits and drawbacks of centralized and federated structures and align them with the specific needs of their organization. By doing so, they can maximize their ability to navigate the complexities of change and drive the organization toward a more agile, resilient, and adaptive future.
In the rapidly evolving landscape of today’s organizations, adaptability and agility have become more than just buzzwords; they are essential for survival and growth. The traditional approach of executing projects on an ad hoc basis is giving way to a strategic imperative—building change management maturity. This shift is not merely a choice but a compelling competitive advantage.
Recent statistics underscore the urgency of this change. According to a survey by Gitnux, more than 80% of businesses face increasing pressure to adapt to market forces, including technological advancements and evolving customer expectations. In this environment, mature organizations can respond swiftly to market dynamics and implement strategic initiatives with unparalleled precision and speed.
Two prominent models have emerged as guiding beacons in this transformative journey: the Change Management Institute (CMI) Change Maturity Model and Prosci’s Change Management Maturity Model. Both models are deeply entrenched in the concept of organizational competency levels, offering a structured framework comprising five progressive maturity levels.
In this article, we will embark on an enlightening journey, exploring the foundations of these two prominent change management maturity models, uncovering their intricacies, and paving the way for a more holistic approach to change management. Additionally, we will delve into the critical role of various organizational functions, shedding light on how they can actively contribute to the organization’s change maturity.
CMI Change Maturity Model
The Change Management Institute (CMI) Change Maturity Model is a comprehensive framework that takes a holistic approach to enhancing an organization’s change management maturity. It’s divided into three core functional domains, each playing a vital role in the overall journey toward maturity: Project Change Management, Business Change Readiness, and Strategic Change Leadership. These domains serve as the foundation for achieving higher levels of maturity within the organization.
Within each of these domains, the CMI model outlines a structured path, consisting of five distinct maturity levels. These levels represent a continuum, starting at Level 1, which serves as the foundational stage, and progressing all the way to Level 5, the zenith of maturity and effectiveness. This multi-tiered approach offers organizations a clear roadmap for growth and development, ensuring that they have the tools and insights necessary to navigate the complexities of change management.
The distinguishing feature of the CMI model is its emphasis on the idea that true change maturity extends beyond the realm of project execution. While executing individual projects is undoubtedly important, the CMI model advocates for a broader perspective. It recognizes that sustainable change maturity relies on the cultivation of readiness for change across the entire organization. This involves preparing teams, leaders, and employees to adapt to and embrace change seamlessly, making it an integral part of the organizational culture.
Furthermore, the CMI model underscores the indispensable role of change leadership and governance in nurturing change maturity. Effective leadership is the driving force behind successful change initiatives, and it’s the cornerstone of achieving higher levels of maturity. Governance structures ensure that change management practices are not just theoretical concepts but are woven into the fabric of how the organization operates on a day-to-day basis. Governance provides the necessary framework for sustaining change maturity in the long run.
Prosci Change Maturity Model
In contrast to the more specific functional domains emphasized by the CMI model, the Prosci Change Maturity Model takes a broader perspective, focusing on the development of overall organizational change management competency. Rather than zeroing in on individual functions, it provides a generic framework that covers key areas integral to building change maturity. These areas include:
Project Execution: The model places a strong emphasis on effective project execution as a cornerstone of change management maturity. It recognizes that the successful implementation of change initiatives hinges on well-executed projects, including detailed planning and efficient execution.
Business Capability and Readiness: Understanding the readiness and capability of the organization is another critical component. The Prosci model highlights the significance of assessing an organization’s readiness to undergo change, including the ability to adapt to new strategies, technologies, and processes.
Senior Change Leadership: Leadership is vital in steering the organization toward maturity. The model underlines the importance of senior change leadership, emphasizing that leaders play a pivotal role in setting the tone for change, championing initiatives, and fostering a culture of adaptability.
Formalized Practices and Organizational Awareness
One of the key drivers for elevating maturity, according to the Prosci model, is the establishment of formalized change management practices. This includes developing and implementing standardized methodologies to ensure consistent change management approaches across the organization. Furthermore, the model advocates for creating widespread organizational awareness about the significance of change management and its role in achieving successful outcomes.
The Role of Change Management Training
A cornerstone of the Prosci model’s approach to maturity is the incorporation of comprehensive change management training. This training equips individuals within the organization with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively manage change initiatives. It emphasizes the importance of investing in the development of internal change management expertise.
While both the CMI and Prosci models address the critical areas of project, business, and change leadership in driving change maturity, they diverge in their approaches. The CMI model offers a broader perspective, highlighting the importance of agility and continuous improvement as essential components of maturity. It places a strong emphasis on crafting the right cadence, establishing efficient business processes, and implementing robust governance practices. In contrast, the Prosci model, while equally comprehensive, provides less specific guidance on embedding change practices within the organization’s fabric and processes. Instead, it places a strong focus on the effective implementation of change initiatives.
What’s Missing in Current Change Maturity Models?
The lacuna in existing change maturity models becomes evident when we consider the need to genuinely embed change management principles and practices within an organization’s DNA. True integration transcends the mere execution of initiatives and building change capabilities among leaders and employees. It calls for collaboration across multifarious functions, including Risk Management, Marketing, Strategy, and Human Resources, to engrain change principles and practices. The focus is on holistic change capability, encompassing different functional areas. This approach fosters a culture where practices, capabilities, and supporting structures converge to enable continuous change.
In the following sections, we’ll explore examples of how change management principles and practices can be applied across seven key functions: Risk Management, Strategy and Planning, Operations, Project Management, Human Resources, Technology, and Marketing.
1. Risk Management
Change management principles and practices can enhance risk management by offering valuable insights into change-related risks. Risk professionals can leverage change management analytics to assess data-based risk factors, such as business readiness indicators and the potential impact of changes on the organization and its customers. Armed with this data, risk professionals can make informed assessments, helping the organization better understand risk profiles and make well-informed decisions.
2. Strategy and Planning
Strategic planning should not only focus on industry trends and financial data but also incorporate change capability assessments. Considerations should include the availability of change leadership talent, the organization’s capacity for executing change, and the historical performance related to change volume and velocity. The strategic roadmap should integrate historical data on change impact volumes and execution, enabling effective planning. Supporting structures and processes, including governance, reporting, and communities of practice, should be designed to ensure successful change execution.
3. Operations
Operations is a core domain for change management. This function offers numerous opportunities for applying change best practices. It involves building change management capabilities in employees and managers, enhancing employee engagement channels, and facilitating effective learning and development. With the right change data and analytics, Operations can strategically plan business delivery by making predictive assessments of performance based on projected change impacts. The key lies in systematically integrating analysis and decision-making processes within the operating cadence.
4. Project Management
This is the most familiar territory for change management. Many organizations have dedicated change managers responsible for project delivery. The conventional practices of change management, including capability building, change methodologies, portfolio management, and project delivery, are all part of the project management function.
5. Human Resources
Human Resources often plays a central role in supporting the people side of change. The function includes building change management capabilities as part of learning and development efforts. However, there’s substantial value in managing restructuring initiatives as change projects, and adhering to structured change management practices. This structured approach ensures that affected stakeholders are appropriately engaged, and processes, systems, and supporting structures impacted by change are meticulously mapped.
6. Technology
Change management is not limited to large projects; it extends to technology changes that impact stakeholders and users. Even smaller technology initiatives can benefit from the application of change management principles. Change management analytics can facilitate better technology releases and deployments. By considering change impact data, organizations can plan technical releases more effectively, taking into account organizational impacts.
7. Marketing and Customer Experience
Change management practices can play a pivotal role in marketing and customer experience functions. Customer change impacts, such as external positioning and alignment with customer needs, should be integral to marketing campaigns, product launches, and communications. These practices, including impact assessment, change analytics, and change planning, enable organizations to deliver what they promise to customers.
In closing, the true value of change maturity emerges when it becomes a part of various organizational functions. It’s not just about developing isolated methodologies or supporting initiative delivery; it’s about becoming an organization where change is seamlessly integrated into every facet.
Ready to Elevate Your Change Maturity?
The journey to achieving a higher level of change maturity begins with holistic integration within your organization. If you’re interested in exploring how The Change Compass can help you in this transformative process, we invite you to book a weekly demo with us.
Change governance maturity varies widely across organizations – from those with established PMOs and formal governance structures to others that rely on existing operational and executive forums without formal change governance setups. Change managers must tailor their influence strategies to fit this maturity spectrum while empowering governance that supports change transformation success. Here we outline practical tips and approaches relevant whether you operate within high-maturity governance or in environments still building foundational capabilities.
1. Leverage Governance Dexterity – Adapt to Your Maturity Context
For organizations with mature PMOs and governance:
Encourage maintaining cadence with purpose – weekly flash checks for quick updates, monthly value reviews to keep benefits front of mind, and quarterly strategic moments for big-picture alignment and celebration. This reduces fatigue and keeps governance tightly connected to business outcomes.
Share frameworks that provide agility within formal governance so cadence remains flexible without diminishing control. For example, leverage agile change management principles to:
Embedding lightweight, iterative review processes that emphasize timely feedback and rapid decision-making without heavy documentation or unnecessary meetings.
Using tools like RACI matrices and decision-rights grids to clarify who has authority and responsibility, so governance can flex in how often or how deeply it engages, but never loses accountability.
Allowing governance forums to scale their activity up or down based on change program phase, risk, or complexity, rather than sticking to a rigid calendar or process.
For less mature organizations without dedicated governance forums:
Propose leveraging existing operational or executive forums to introduce lightweight governance rhythms that do not overburden people. For example, brief monthly check-ins during established leadership meetings or quarterly presentation slots to highlight change progress and risks.
Use simple tools like cadence checklists or short-status emails tailored for existing leaders who may not be change specialists. Position these rhythms as value-adds to existing meetings to gain buy-in.
Practical tips:
Offer templates for flash checks and value meetings that can be easily integrated into the existing meeting culture.
Advocate building urgency without burnout by linking cadence to visible outcomes rather than just process compliance.
2. Drive Enterprise PMO & Portfolio Alignment – Fit Your Organization’s Governance Model
For organizations with established PMOs:
Partner closely with PMO and portfolio managers to ensure change work is fully integrated. Act as a bridge between change activities and portfolio governance to align priorities effectively.
Encourage shared dashboards that combine project and change metrics, giving leadership clarity on both deliverables and adoption risks.
Advocate for change governance representation in portfolio decision forums to embed change risk and opportunities in prioritization.
For organizations without formal PMOs:
Identify operational units or executive groups with portfolio oversight responsibilities and seek informal relationships with key members.
Suggest practical ways to leverage existing governance bodies for change oversight by embedding change highlights in their agenda.
Provide simple portfolio mapping or status tools that don’t require heavy infrastructure but help visualize transformation across initiatives.
Practical tips:
Offer to co-create change input templates that non-PMO forums can use to review change risk, interdependencies and impact.
Share success stories illustrating how integrated PMO-change governance drives consistent messaging and prioritization.
3. Shape Executive Reporting – From Insight to Influence
For organizations with mature reporting processes:
Help refine executive dashboards by ensuring a balance between project status and change readiness/adoption metrics.
Coach change teams to translate data into compelling narratives that highlight risks, opportunities, and decision points.
Push for reporting formats that enable proactive governance action rather than reactive compliance.
For organizations with limited or no formal executive reporting:
Influence existing executive communications by proposing change-related content for leadership newsletters, briefings, or standing meeting updates.
Develop concise, jargon-free reports that fit into current executive reading habits and spotlight what matters most.
Advocate for simple visual reporting tools, e.g., impact bar charts or risk registers that executives can quickly interpret.
Practical tips:
Provide sample executive report templates tailored for different maturity levels.
Offer coaching sessions on storytelling with data to change teams who may be new to executive reporting.
4. Champion Scenario Planning to Build Resilience
Scenario planning is a powerful tool that helps organizations prepare for uncertainty by imagining multiple plausible futures, assessing their impact, and planning appropriate responses. For change practitioners, influencing scenario planning within change governance is critical to making transformation resilient to volatile conditions and unexpected challenges.
For organizations with mature change governance and PMO structures:
Advocate for formal inclusion of scenario planning in governance cycles, such as quarterly strategy reviews or portfolio risk assessments.
Collaborate with PMO, risk, and strategy functions to develop integrated scenario frameworks that tie external uncertainties with change delivery risks.
Use structured tools and templates to develop 2-3 distinct scenarios based on critical uncertainties impacting change programs (e.g., regulatory shifts, technology adoption rates, cost pressures, market dynamics).
Ensure scenario outputs include clear implications for adoption risk, resource allocation, and contingency triggers to inform governance decision-making.
For organizations with limited formal governance:
Promote lightweight scenario planning approaches that can fit into existing forums or leadership discussions without requiring new committees.
Facilitate workshops or brown bag sessions with key stakeholders to brainstorm “what-if” scenarios that highlight risks and opportunities in their own language.
Use simple scenario templates capturing scenario description, key assumptions, impacts, and early warning signs to keep the process manageable and relevant.
Position scenario planning as a practical alternative to reactive firefighting, reinforcing its value for anticipating and mitigating disruption to change efforts.
Practical Tips for All Maturity Levels:
Focus scenario development on a small number (2-3) of meaningful scenarios that highlight material differences rather than an exhaustive list.
Use scenario planning to identify robust strategies that perform well across multiple futures, reducing overcommitment to any single pathway.
Regularly review and update scenarios to reflect new information and organizational shifts, embedding this as a governance cadence.
Engage diverse viewpoints in scenario sessions to challenge assumptions and broaden organizational readiness.
Example Scenario Planning Framework (in brief):
Step
Action
Identify Key Drivers
Pinpoint external and internal uncertainties: economic, technological, regulatory, organizational
Develop Scenarios
Build 2-3 narrative futures exploring combinations of drivers
Analyze Impact
Assess effects on change timelines, adoption, resources
Define Responses
Create contingency plans and decision points
Monitor & Update
Track relevant indicators and review scenarios regularly
5. Clarify Decision Making Authority, and Risk Appetite – Influence Without Direct Control
One of the most frequent governance pitfalls in transformation is unclear decision rights, leading to duplicated effort or “decision limbo,” which stalls progress. Change practitioners can significantly influence clarity around decision making even when not formally leading governance forums.
For organizations with high governance maturity:
Advocate for or refine delegation charters that grant clear authority boundaries across change roles and governance tiers.
Promote use of decision-rights grids paired with RACI matrices, documenting decisions by type, level, and role to eliminate ambiguity.
Encourage articulation of organization’s risk appetite in governance policies to guide decisions on escalation and investment.
Work with governance leads to socialise these tools regularly and embed them in operational processes.
For organizations with emerging or informal governance:
Educate stakeholders about the value of explicit decision clarity through workshops or short guides.
Propose simple RACI templates tailored for key initiatives to clarify roles on responsibility, accountability, consultation, and information sharing.
Introduce a basic decision-rights grid to categorize decisions (routine operational, tactical, strategic) and assign decision tiers even if informally.
Frame this work as risk mitigation: reducing delays and confusion frees leaders to focus on strategic priorities.
Practical Tips Across Maturity Levels:
Develop easy-to-use templates and cheat sheets for RACI and decision grids to distribute widely.
Use storytelling and real case examples to illustrate consequences of unclear decision-making (e.g., project delays, duplicated efforts).
Regularly revisit and update decision frameworks as governance evolves, ensuring ongoing relevance.
Encourage governance sponsors to visibly support and enforce these clarity tools.
6. Define and Promote Clear Escalation Paths
Clear escalation paths empower teams to raise concerns timely and guide issues to the appropriate governance levels without clogging decision forums or escalating unnecessarily. Change managers can champion and embed escalation discipline through influence, education, and practical tools.
For organizations with mature governance:
Collaborate with governance teams to map all escalation routes related to change risks, decisions, and resource conflicts.
Promote communication plans ensuring every contributor understands when and how to escalate – down to roles and contact points.
Incorporate escalation workflows into governance charters, RACI matrices, and decision-rights grids to reinforce paths.
Champion periodic training or refresh sessions aligned with governance cadence to maintain escalation readiness.
For organizations with limited governance forums:
Identify natural escalation points in existing leadership or operational forums and propose embedding change escalation protocols there.
Provide clear documentation and quick-reference escalation flow diagrams for frontline teams and managers.
Coach teams and middle managers on recognizing escalation triggers and the best mode of communication to avoid bottlenecks.
Frame escalation discipline as a way to safeguard both operational pace and leadership bandwidth.
Practical Tips Usable in All Environments:
Use visual flowcharts to depict escalation paths, making them highly accessible and easy to recall.
Set guidelines on what kinds of issues require escalation vs. local resolution to reduce unnecessary escalations.
Promote handling low-level risks swiftly through informal escalation while preserving formal routes for major decisions.
Encourage transparency in escalation outcomes to build trust and learning across the organization.
7. Invest in Stakeholder Education & Engagement – Be the Governance Evangelist
The success of change governance depends as much on people’s understanding and buy-in as on structures and processes. Senior change managers have a vital role in educating stakeholders, increasing governance literacy, and fostering engagement – especially in organizations where governance maturity varies or formal forums are limited.
For organizations with mature governance:
Develop formal stakeholder education programs that provide regular training on governance roles, decision frameworks, escalation processes, and how governance aligns with transformation outcomes.
Use targeted communications that frame governance benefits in terms relevant to each stakeholder group – showing “what’s in it for them.”
Implement forums like governance clinics or Q&A sessions where stakeholders can clarify their roles, raise concerns, and share governance success stories.
Collaborate with governance sponsors to visibly champion these initiatives to prevent stakeholder fatigue and increase participation.
For organizations with emerging or informal governance:
Start small with bite-sized governance literacy sessions embedded in existing communication channels such as team meetings or newsletters – keep it jargon-free and highly practical.
Translate complex governance concepts into everyday language, storytelling, and case examples that resonate with different stakeholder groups.
Identify and coach governance champions within teams who can help cascade key messages informally.
Use tools such as quick reference guides, checklists, and simplified RACI matrices to embed governance knowledge across operational levels.
Practical Tips Across All Maturity Levels:
Conduct a stakeholder governance literacy audit to understand knowledge gaps and tailor education efforts accordingly.
Develop short governance video clips or Q&A hosted by trusted leaders explaining key governance principles and benefits.
Regularly gather feedback through surveys or informal conversations to refine education efforts ensuring they meet stakeholder needs.
Emphasize the connection between good governance practices and the successful delivery of benefits, reducing resistance and increasing advocacy.
Change governance is often viewed as a formal, top-down function but, as change managers, you are uniquely positioned to influence its design and execution regardless of your direct access to governance forums. The key lies in adapting your approaches to the maturity and structure of your organization’s governance, leveraging existing forums and networks, and focusing on clear communication, collaboration, and practical tools.
By championing governance dexterity, bridging PMO and portfolio governance gaps, shaping executive reporting, embedding scenario planning, clarifying decision rights, defining escalation paths, and investing in stakeholder education, you create a foundation where governance truly supports transformation velocity, clarity, and resilience. You also create a strategic change contribution to help the organisation reach its transformation benefit goals.
Tools & Templates for Influence and Education
Cadence Checklists: Ready-to-use templates to propose weekly flash checks, monthly value meetings, and quarterly strategic reviews tailored for different governance forums and maturity.
Sample RACI Matrix & Decision-Rights Grid: Simplified versions that can be adapted for routine and strategic decisions, supporting role clarity and authority distribution.
Escalation Flow Diagram: Visual maps suitable for team briefings and leader coaching in both formal and informal governance contexts.
Stakeholder Education Plan Outline: A scalable framework for assessing needs, designing education content, and measuring engagement impact.
The Strategic Blind Spot in Enterprise Change Management
In today’s volatile business environment, enterprise change management (ECM) functions are under mounting pressure to prove their value. Despite the proliferation of change initiatives – ranging from digital transformation to operational restructuring – many organizations still treat ECM as a support function, primarily focused on capability building and project resourcing. This narrow focus, while important, leaves a critical gap: ECMs are often missing the opportunity to deliver the highest value services – enterprise change measurement and strategic/operational planning.
The Current State: A Tactical Focus
Most ECM functions have evolved to emphasize two core activities:
Capability Building: Developing change skills and mindsets across the business, often through training, coaching, and establishing communities of practice
Project Resourcing: Supplying skilled change practitioners to projects, ensuring adequate coverage for major initiatives.
While these activities are foundational, they tend to position ECM as a cost centre rather than a strategic partner. When business conditions tighten, these functions are often among the first to face budget cuts or downsizing, as their value is often perceived as indirect or non-essential to core business outcomes.
The Consequence: Vulnerability in Uncertain Times
This tactical orientation creates a paradox. As organizations face more frequent and complex change, the need for robust change management increases. Yet, when times are tough, ECM functions are often scaled back precisely when their expertise could be most valuable. This cycle undermines organizational resilience and readiness, leaving businesses exposed to greater risks during periods of transformation.
The Missed Opportunity: High-Value Services
The most significant gap lies in the underutilization of ECM’s potential to deliver high-value, strategic services. These include:
Enterprise Change Performance: Systematically tracking and analyzing the impact, readiness, and adoption of change across the organization.
Strategic and Operational Planning: Partnering with strategy teams and business leaders to anticipate change impacts, model scenarios, and inform decision – making.
By not prioritizing these services, ECM functions miss the chance to influence the organization at the highest levels – where decisions about direction, investment, and risk are made.
Why the Gap Exists
Several factors contribute to this strategic blind spot:
Historical Positioning: ECM has traditionally been seen as an “enabler” rather than a “driver” of business outcomes.
Lack of Data: Without robust change measurement, it’s difficult to provide the insights needed for strategic planning and governance.
Resource Constraints: With limited budgets and headcount, ECMs often default to immediate project demands rather than longer-term, enterprise-wide priorities.
Digital Immaturity: Many organizations lack the digital tools to capture, analyze, and sustain data-driven change insights, further limiting ECM’s strategic contribution.
The Path Forward
To break this cycle, ECM functions must reposition themselves as indispensable partners in enterprise strategy and planning. This requires a deliberate shift from a narrow focus on capability and resourcing to a broader remit that includes measurement, insight generation, and strategic advisory services. The following sections will explore how ECMs can leverage data and digital tools to deliver these high-value services, and how this repositioning can fundamentally enhance their role in change governance and business planning.
Elevating Enterprise Change Management – From Tactical Support to Strategic Insight
The Power of Change Measurement
To become a true strategic partner, ECM functions must anchor their value proposition in robust, enterprise-wide change measurement. This means moving beyond anecdotal feedback and isolated project metrics to a disciplined, data-driven approach that captures the full spectrum of change activity, impact, and readiness across the organization.
What Is Enterprise Change Measurement?
Enterprise change measurement is the systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of data related to all change initiatives within an organization. This includes:
Change Volume and Velocity: How many changes are occurring, and at what pace?
Cumulative Impact: What is the aggregated effect of concurrent changes on teams, processes, and customers?
Readiness and Adoption: How prepared are stakeholders for upcoming changes, and how well are new ways of working being adopted?
Risk and Saturation: Where are the pressure points? Which business units or functions are at risk of change fatigue or resistance?
By establishing a comprehensive measurement framework, ECMs can provide leaders with a “change performance dashboard” that highlights risks, opportunities, and areas requiring intervention.
Why Measurement Matters
Objectivity: Data – driven insights replace subjective opinions, enabling more informed decision – making.
Prioritization: Leaders can see where to focus resources for maximum impact and where to pause or sequence initiatives to avoid overload.
Accountability: Clear metrics enable tracking of change outcomes, supporting continuous improvement and demonstrating the tangible value of ECM.
Proactive Risk Management: Early identification of adoption risks or readiness gaps allows for timely mitigation, reducing the likelihood of failed initiatives.
Leveraging Digital Tools for Continuous Insight
The digital revolution has transformed every aspect of business, and ECM should be no exception. Modern digital tools – ranging from enterprise change management platforms to advanced analytics and AI – make it possible to capture, analyze, and visualize change data in real time.
Key Capabilities of Digital Change Platforms
Automated Data Capture: Streamline the collection of change activity and sentiment data with less manual effort.
Dashboards and Visualizations: Provide leaders with intuitive, up-to-date views of change activity, risk hotspots, and adoption trends.
Scenario Modelling: Use predictive analytics to model the impact of proposed changes on different parts of the organization, supporting better planning and resource allocation.
Feedback Loops: Enable continuous input from stakeholders, surfacing emerging issues and opportunities for course correction.
Building the Digital Foundation
To realize these benefits, ECMs must:
Invest in the Right Tools: Select platforms that fit the organization’s size, complexity, and digital maturity.
Establish Data Governance: Ensure data quality, security, and privacy, with clear ownership and processes for managing change data.
Build Analytical Capability: Develop skills within the ECM team to interpret data, generate insights, and translate findings into actionable recommendations.
Partnering for Strategic and Operational Planning
Armed with robust data and digital insights, ECMs are uniquely positioned to partner with strategy teams and senior leaders in both strategic and operational planning cycles.
Strategic Planning
Change Impact Modelling: Collaborate with strategy leaders to model the implications of major strategic shifts – such as mergers, restructures, or technology rollouts – on people, customers, partners and culture/behaviours.
Resource Forecasting: Advise on the change management resources required to support planned initiatives, ensuring adequate capacity and capability.
Risk Assessment: Highlight potential adoption risks and readiness gaps, enabling proactive mitigation and more resilient strategic execution.
Operational Planning
Change Portfolio Management: Work with business units to sequence and prioritize initiatives, reducing change saturation and maximizing adoption.
Readiness/Adoption Assessments: Provide data – driven readiness assessments to inform operational plans, ensuring teams are prepared for upcoming changes.
Performance Tracking: Monitor adoption and impact metrics post – implementation, feeding lessons learned back into future planning cycles.
Unlocking the Full Value of ECM
By moving up the value chain – from tactical support to strategic insight – ECMs can fundamentally reshape their role within the organization. This shift not only enhances the effectiveness of change initiatives but also positions ECM as a critical enabler of business strategy, resilience, and long-term success.
Embedding Enterprise Change Management in Governance and Planning – Unlocking Strategic Value
From Insight to Influence: The New Role of ECM
When enterprise change management (ECM) functions leverage robust measurement and digital insights, they move from being tactical enablers to strategic influencers. This transition is not just a shift in activity but a fundamental change in how ECM is perceived and positioned within the organization. The true value of ECM emerges when it is embedded in the core governance and planning processes, shaping decisions that drive business performance and resilience.
Integrating ECM Into Change Governance
Change governance is the system by which organizations oversee, prioritize, and manage change initiatives. Traditionally, ECM’s role in governance has been limited, often reactive – providing support when asked or responding to issues as they arise. However, with access to enterprise-wide change data and predictive analytics, ECM can now play a proactive, advisory role.
Key contributions of ECM in change governance include:
Portfolio-level risk assessment: By providing a “change performance dashboard,” ECM can help governance forums visualize where cumulative change is creating risk, enabling more informed decisions about sequencing, prioritization, and resource allocation.
Evidence-based recommendations: ECM brings objective data to the table, shifting conversations from opinion-based debates to fact-based decision-making.
Continuous monitoring: Real-time dashboards and feedback loops allow governance bodies to track adoption, readiness, and business impact, supporting agile responses to emerging issues.
This approach aligns with the Unified Value Proposition for change management, which emphasizes the integration of technical and people aspects to achieve both project objectives and organizational benefits. When ECM is seen as a structured, data-driven discipline, its credibility and influence within governance structures increase significantly.
Shaping Strategic and Operational Planning
The value of ECM is amplified when it is involved early in the strategic and operational planning cycles. By partnering with strategy and business leaders, ECM can:
Model change implications: Use scenario analysis to forecast the impact of strategic decisions on people, processes, and culture, identifying potential bottlenecks or adoption risks before they materialize.
Inform resource planning: Advise on the change management resources and capabilities required to support the planned portfolio, ensuring adequate investment and reducing the risk of under – resourcing critical initiatives.
Enhance readiness and adoption: Integrate readiness assessments and adoption metrics into operational plans, increasing the likelihood of successful outcomes and accelerating benefit realization.
This proactive involvement transforms ECM from a “nice-to-have” support function to an essential partner in delivering business strategy and managing risk.
Real-World Impact: Lessons from Leading Organizations
Organizations that have successfully repositioned ECM as a strategic partner demonstrate tangible business benefits. For example, a large financial services leader, integrated change management and project management, prioritized sponsorship, and leveraged data-driven insights to support multiple simultaneous transformations. The results included reduced risks of change saturation and release clashes, enhanced speed of planning and reduced operational disruptions.
This underscore the importance of:
Early and ongoing ECM involvement in planning and governance
A unified approach that combines technical and people – centric change management
Data-driven decision – making as the foundation for ECM’s strategic contribution
Sustaining the Strategic Role of ECM
To ensure ECM’s strategic value is sustained – even when business conditions become challenging – organizations must:
Institutionalize ECM’s seat at the table: Make ECM participation in governance and planning forums a non-negotiable part of the operating model.
Continue investing in digital tools and analytics: Maintain and evolve the digital infrastructure that enables continuous measurement and insight generation.
Develop ECM talent: Build analytical, advisory, and business partnership skills within ECM teams to match their new strategic mandate.
The Future of ECM Is Strategic
As organizations navigate increasing complexity and accelerated change, the need for strategic, data-driven change management has never been greater. By focusing on high-value services, enterprise change measurement and strategic/operational planning, ECM functions can secure their place as indispensable partners in business success. This shift unlocks their full potential to drive sustainable transformation and competitive advantage.
