Return-on-Change (RoC): Strategische Perspektive

The research ‘Return-on-Change (RoC) – Strategic Perspective’ explores the strategic positioning of change management in real-world settings and provides solutions on how change management can be embedded in the organisational design, the operating system as well as organisational capabilities, culture and leadership practices. The focus of this research is on the strategic dimension of organisational change. The impetus that gave rise to this research was the need to redefine and reposition change management in the organisational context. In fact, change management was often not used ‘ahead of the curve’ to proactively drive strategic transformation and differentiation but to reactively mitigate pressures and resistance during implementation. The research study was sponsored by PwC People & Change practice lead Till R. Lohmann and deployed in cooperation with WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management with the involvement of Professor Dr. Peter-J. Jost and Dr. Miriam Zschoche. The study sample included 250 of the largest industrial companies as well as the 25 largest banks and insurance companies in Germany. Furthermore, the development of sustainable change management capabilities depends on various organisational and strategic aspects. The study reinforced the basic beliefs that change management is a dynamic core competence as economic actors constantly drive the transition towards a desired future state to achieve competitive advantage. In that sense, it is the foremost task of managers to fulfill the role as ‘change agents’, and change management professionals help them to assume this role. Change management is an integral part of the organisational ‘DNA’ and a structural element of managing the organisation.