Why You Can’t Afford to Drop Change Management
The most important part of a technology-enabled transformation isn’t the technology. It’s the people.But how much are you investing in your people versus the technology? Is change management dropped or deprioritised when your business case or budget is under scrutiny?
The Cost of Neglect or Delay
Research from all leading firms proves that projects without a dedicated budget for change management are likely to fail. According to Prosci, projects with excellent change management are 7 times more likely to achieve their objectives. Additionally, Prosci reports that organisations that implement change management late or poorly face 3–5 times higher costs than if it’s incorporated early in a project.
Delaying or neglecting change management can lead to:
Significant financial impacts
Reputational damage
Business disruption
Redesigns, delays, and low adoption rates
Failure to deploy the technology
In fact, Gartner found that failed technology adoption costs companies between $1.5–5 million, depending on the scale and type of technology involved.
Change Management = Greater ROI
The human side of technology implementations is critical for adoption—and even more critical for realising value and sustaining success. Forrester confirms that when change management is incorporated into the planning phase of a technology project, organisations see greater returns on investment.
Why Early Expertise Matters and
helps to:
Identify the impacts and gaps between current and future states
Allow time for meaningful engagement and interventions
Prevent costly problems from arising
According to McKinsey, nearly 70% of large-scale projects fail due to poor change management, with employee resistance being the top reason.
A Small Investment with Big Impact
How much are you investing in functional, technical, and solution roles compared to communication and engagement to actively manage change and resistance?
Projects that rely heavily on self-service for success typically require just 8–10% of their project budget for change management. It’s a small price to pay for:
Increasing project success rates
Accelerating value realisation
Ensuring a smooth adoption process
How Change Management Creates Value
Change management drives mechanisms to foster:
Active sponsorship
Stakeholder engagement
Collaboration and continuous learning
A culture of adaptability
These are all critical for any technology-enabled transformation.
Why Expertise Pays Off
While your internal team is essential for driving change, independent change experts can help accelerate benefits realisation. They:
Bring proven experience in managing complex digital change
Offer best practices and insights from previous projects
Provide credibility, a fresh perspective, and specific skills
Remain fully dedicated to managing change without distractions
Sustainable and Long-Term Change Management
Successful change management isn’t just about adoption and usage at go-live. It’s about ensuring:
Long-term business value
Continuous improvement
A strong foundation for sustained transformation
Including change management early in your planning process ensures you:
Ring-fence the budget for success
Showcase focus on long-term goals
Avoid the need for additional approvals during the project lifecycle
The True Value of Change Management
According to the Harvard Business Review, organisations with strong change management practices are better equipped to sustain transformations over time.
Investing in change management isn’t just about adopting new technology and ways of working—it’s about:
Driving long-term business value
Reducing risks
Fostering a culture of adaptability
By incorporating change management early, you secure faster returns on investment and position your organisation for success.
The question isn’t whether you can afford to invest in change management—it’s whether you can afford not to.