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Management & Leadership vocabulary · Change Management

Change management

Meaning in management & leadership, with examples

nounCore term

In management & leadership, change management means: The planned way an organisation prepares, supports and guides people through a major change, such as a new system or a merger, so that the change is accepted and lasts.

In Turkish: değişim yönetimi

How it is used

Used in consulting, HR and large projects. A change management plan usually covers communication, training and dealing with resistance. Well-known models include Kurt Lewin's unfreeze, change, refreeze and John Kotter's eight steps.

Example sentences

  1. The software works, but we underestimated the change management side of the project.

  2. We've brought in a consultant to lead change management during the merger.

Common collocations

  • change management plan
  • change management process
  • lead change management
  • change management model
  • resistance to changeThe unwillingness of people to accept or adapt to a new way of working, often caused by fear of losing something, lack of information or tiredness from earlier changes.
  • buy-inReal agreement with and support for a plan or decision from the people it affects, so that they actively help to make it work.
  • change agentA person who actively promotes change in an organisation and helps to carry it out, whether as a leader, a consultant or an employee who influences colleagues.
  • restructuringA major change to how a company is organised, such as merging departments, removing management layers or reducing staff, usually to cut costs or support a new strategy.
  • change fatigueThe tiredness, frustration and loss of interest that employees feel when they face too many changes too quickly, which often makes new changes harder to introduce.

More terms: Change Management

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