Change is an ongoing part of today’s working life, but successful change rarely happens by itself. New strategies, working methods, technological solutions, and organizational forms require clear direction, active leadership, and the ability to get people to understand, accept, and contribute to the transition. Change management creates the structure needed to move from decision-making to lasting results. This article describes what change management entails, why change initiatives often falter, and what factors increase the likelihood of success. You will get an introduction to how vision, communication, participation, skills, and follow-up need to interact throughout the process. For a Chief of Staff, change management is particularly relevant: the role often lies between the management’s intentions and the implementation of the activities. By coordinating stakeholders, clarifying responsibilities, managing dependencies, and tracking progress, the Chief of Staff can help make change understandable, feasible, and sustainable – while managing risks, resistance, and competing priorities in a structured and business-oriented manner over time.
An introduction to the field of knowledge
Change management, transformation management and change management offices (Change Management Office)
Brief
Change management and transformation management are two closely related disciplines that help organizations implement changes in a structured and successful way. They are used when companies, governments, or other organizations want to introduce new work methods, technologies, processes, business models, or cultures. The fundamental difference is that:
- Change management focuses on helping people, teams, and organizations adapt to a specific change.
- Transformational leadership focuses on larger and more comprehensive changes where the entire organization’s strategy, culture, working methods, or business model changes over time.
Examples:
- Implementing a new ERP system is often a change management initiative.
- The digitalization of the entire business is often a transformation.
Many organizations underestimate the human side of change. Statistics from several global studies show that between 60 and 80 percent of major transformation initiatives do not achieve their goals fully. The reasons are rarely technical but often related to leadership, culture, communication, engagement, and the ability to change.
Change Management Office (CMO)
One change management office is a central function that coordinates change initiatives across the entire organization.
Such an office is often responsible for:
- Common methods
- Training of managers and change leaders
- Portfolio management of change initiatives
- Measurement of change maturity
- Communication strategies
- Stakeholder management
- Change analyses
- Capacity for change and the burden of change
In larger organizations, it is often combined with:
- PMO (Project Management Office)
- Transformation Office (TO)
- Change Management Office (CMO)
to ensure that business strategy, project implementation and human change work together.
Important to understand: There is not a single method
There are many change and transformation models. Depending on how you count, there are:
- over 100 established models,
- framework,
- methods,
- tools,
- maturity models,
- transformation architectures,
- leadership models.
These come from:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Organizational development
- Leadership research
- Management consulting
- IT and digital transformation
- Lean and quality development
No one method is universally best. Successful organizations often combine several models at the same time.
History
Modern change management began to emerge after the Second World War. Some important stages of development:
1940-1960: Behavioral Sciences
Researchers began studying how people react to change. Primarily:
- Kurt Lewin
- Edgar Schein
- Douglas McGregor
1970-1990: Organizational development
Large companies began implementing planned change programs. The focus was on:
- culture
- leadership
- motivation
- Organizational design
1990-2010: Structured methods
Consulting companies and researchers developed standardized methods. Examples:
- Kotter
- Prosci
- McKinsey
- Bridges
2010 today: Transformation
The focus has shifted towards:
- digitalization
- AI
- innovation
- agility
- sustainability
- customer-centricity
Transformations have become continuous rather than temporary projects.
15 methods of change and transformation
There are more than 100 change management methods and models. Here are some of them described:
1. Lewin's 3-step model
Origin: Kurt Lewin (1940s). Three steps
- Unfreeze
- Change
- Refreeze
Used for
- Organizational changes
- Cultural changes
- Process changes
Strength: Simple and easy to understand.
2. Kotter's 8-step model
Origin: John Kotter, Harvard Business School. Steps
- Create a sense of urgency
- Build a coalition
- Create a vision
- Communicate the vision
- Eliminate obstacles
- Short-term gains
- Consolidate
- Root the change
Used for
- Corporate transformations
- Cultural changes
- Digitalization
3. Prosci ADKAR
Origin: Prosci Research.
ADKAR
- Awareness
- Desire
- Knowledge
- Ability
- Reinforcement
Used for
- Individual change
- System implementations
- ERP implementations
Very common in the public sector and large companies.
4. McKinsey 7S
Origin: McKinsey & Company. The seven factors:
- Strategy
- Structure
- Systems
- Style
- Skills
- Staff
- Shared Values
Used for
- Organizational design
- M&A
- Transformation
5. Bridges Transition Model
Origin: William Bridges. Focuses on:
The emotional transition of humans:
- Ending
- Neutral Zone
- New Beginning
Used for
- Cultural changes
- Reorganisations
6. Kübler-Ross Change Curve
Origin: Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. Describes reactions to change:
- Shock
- Denial
- Frustration
- Acceptance
- Integration
Used for
- Change communication
- Leadership
7. Satir Change Model
Origin: Virginia Satir. Phases:
- Status Quo
- Resistance
- Chaos
- Integration
- New Status Quo
Used for
- Team development
- Cultural change
8. Appreciative Inquiry
Origin: David Cooperrider. Focus: Focus on strengths instead of problems.
Used for
- Leadership
- Cultural development
- Innovation
9. Lean Transformation
Origin: Toyota Production System. Focus:
- Eliminate waste
- Continuous improvements
- Customer value
Used for
- Production
- Public sector
- Service activities
10. Agile Transformation
Origin: Agile Manifesto (2001). Focus:
- Adaptability
- Shorter development cycles
- Customer focus
Used for
- IT
- Product development
- Digital transformation
11. SAFe Transformation
Origin: Scaled Agile Framework. Focus: Scaling agile practices in large organizations. Used for
- Banks
- Telekom
- Industry
12. Business Transformation Framework
Origin: Capgemini and various management consulting firms. Focus: Overall change of:
- Strategy
- Processes
- Technology
- Organization
Used for
- Group-wide transformations
13. BCG Transformation Framework
Origin: Boston Consulting Group. Focus in a combination of:
- value creation
- organizational change
- implementation
Used for
- Turnarounds
- Growth programs
14. Digital Transformation Framework
Origin: MIT Sloan, Deloitte, etc. Focus:
- Digital business model
- Customer experience
- Data
- AI
Used for
- Digitalization
15. Change Acceleration Process (CAP)
Origin: General Electric. Focus: Rapid implementation of change.
Used for
- Industrial companies
- Operational improvement initiatives
The ecosystem of change and transformation
A modern transformation program often involves:
| Area | Examples |
| Strategy | Balanced Scorecard |
| Project management | PMI, PRINCE2 |
| Agile development | Scrum, SAFe |
| Business development | Lean |
| Architecture | TOGAF |
| Digitalization | Microsoft, SAP, Salesforce |
| HR | Talent Management |
| Communication | Stakeholder Management |
| Culture | Organizational Development |
| Data & AI | Data Governance |
Practical example 1
ERP implementation. The organization adopts SAP. The project team focuses on technology. The change management team works on:
- education
- Communication
- super users
- counter-attack management
Method:
- ADKAR
- Kotter
Practical example 2
Digital transformation. The bank wants to become data-driven. Transformation Office is established. Methods:
- Agile Transformation
- SAFe
- McKinsey 7S
- Kotter
The change management office ensures that hundreds of initiatives are coordinated.
Summary
Change management mainly involves people adapting to change, while transformation management deals with steering extensive organizational changes over a longer period. A change management office or transformation office serves as the organization’s central capability for coordinating change initiatives, methods, competencies, and follow-up. There is no universal method. On the contrary, there are well over 100 established methods, models, and frameworks. The most commonly used today are often combinations of:
- ADKAR
- Kotter
- McKinsey 7S
- Lean
- Agile
- SAFe
- Bridges
- Lewin
Organizations that succeed best see change management as a permanent capability rather than a temporary project.
Advantages
- Higher acceptance of change
- Lower resistance
- Better project results
- Faster re-realization
- Higher employee engagement
- Stronger transformation capability
- Increased competitiveness
Disadvantages, risks and limitations
- Methods can become bureaucratic
- Risk of ”model religion”
- Can create a lack of enthusiasm for change
- Requires management commitment
- Cultural changes often take several years.
- Transformations are expensive and complex
- No method guarantees success
Five readiness questions
- Do we have a clearly defined vision and a strong ”why” behind the change?
- Does the management have a unified and visible commitment to the change?
- Does the organization have sufficient change capacity and expertise?
- Do we have an established structure for measuring adoption, behavioral change, and re-realization?
- Do we need a Change Management Office or Transformation Office to coordinate multiple initiatives?
Recommendation
For organizations that implement multiple parallel changes, it is recommended to establish a Transformation Office (TO) or Change Management Office (CMO) which combines strategic management, portfolio management, change management, and re-realization. Where one should use a method portfolio rather than a single model, and adapt the methods according to the organization’s maturity, culture, and business goals.
Read more about change management here->
