The TQM Magazine

Purpose – Experience shows many change initiatives fail to deliver. They are not always a total failure, but they get stalled, misdirected, or only partially achieve the required results. The main purpose of the research reported in this paper was to examine the apparent gap between often-seen approaches and “best practice”, the output being a helpful framework to support future initiatives. This led to an Organisational Change Framework being developed, based on the experience of many organisations.

Design/methodology/approach – In total, 28 organisations, from a variety of industries including the public sector, were interviewed to gain their insights on how to manage change successfully. The research, which was conducted over a six-month period, examined a number of themes covering the triggers for change, planning for change, and implementing change. The forces for change, as experienced by the respondents, were also captured.

Findings – A number of insights were identified through the research. The research showed that successful change focuses on both strategic and operational issues. The key link between the strategic objectives and operational improvement is the core processes, which need to be understood, measured and improved. If the link is broken, then the change is ineffective.

Originality/value – The research led to the definition of two main constructs of change management: readiness for change and implementing change.