The Codex working definition
Change management is the deliberate work of shaping the conditions through which people and organisations move towards, use and sustain different ways of working, and assess whether those changes deliver worthwhile outcomes.
This is an editorial working definition of Workplace Codex, our own synthesis. It does not come from a single scientific source. Below, sources support specific concepts only.
The word 'conditions' is chosen on purpose. People rarely change their work because someone asks them to. They do so when the new work makes sense, is feasible and is supported. Change management therefore focuses less on persuading and more on shaping what makes the new work possible.
What the work consists of
In practice the work covers eight connected topics. They do not come in a fixed order.
- Reason and legitimacy
- Why change, why now, and who has the mandate to decide.
- Intended outcomes
- What should be better afterwards, for whom, and how you would notice.
- Actual work and local context
- How the work is really done today, which differs per team and location.
- Interests, power and room to decide
- Who gains or loses, who decides, and which choices are still open.
- Behaviour and required conditions
- What people need to do differently and what makes that possible.
- Participation and support
- Real influence on open choices, plus help while people learn.
- Introduction and learning
- Starting, observing, adjusting, and being willing to change course.
- Operational ownership
- Who keeps the new way of working going once the project ends.
Related disciplines
Change management works alongside other disciplines. The boundaries are not sharp: a good project manager also pays attention to behaviour, and communication contributes to learning.
| Discipline | Mainly focuses on |
|---|---|
| Project management | Organising delivery: scope, planning, budget, risks. |
| Communication | Information and dialogue: who knows what, and who can respond. |
| Learning | Knowledge and skills people need for the new work. |
| Organisation development | How organisations develop and function over time. |
| Change Management | Connects these contributions around changed ways of working. |
Four different questions
- Do people understand the change?
- Do they want to contribute?
- Can they carry out the work?
- Does it deliver results?
A training, positive sentiment or a go-live does not automatically answer all four. After a training people may understand, yet lack the time to apply it. Research on readiness for change makes a similar distinction between shared commitment and confidence in collective capability [S02, Weiner (2009)].
Outcomes, behaviour and conditions
These three influence each other. Intended outcomes require certain behaviour. Behaviour depends on conditions. The COM-B model organises those conditions into capability, opportunity and motivation [S01, Michie, van Stralen & West (2011)]. And what people actually do shows whether the outcome was feasible.
An organisation introduces a process in which managers review leave requests digitally within two working days. After the training they know the system (understand). Many find it sensible (want). Still, requests pile up: managers with large teams have no time for it and the system works poorly on a phone (can). The result, faster clarity for employees, does not appear. More explanation does not help here. Simplifying the process or assigning the review differently does.
When not to persuade harder
If people understand the change but cannot do the work, simplifying or redesigning is better than another campaign. If the change turns out not to deliver the intended result, or the costs for those involved outweigh the benefit, stopping may be the best decision. Resistance is then possible information about the design, interests or circumstances.
Research and own synthesis
Sources S01 and S02 support only the concepts named. The definition, the eight topics, the comparison and the example are Workplaced's own practical synthesis, not a validated model.