Change vs. Change Management: What is the difference and why does it matter?

Change and Change Management... On the surface these terms may seem interchangeable. However, there is a significant and important difference between change and change management. When there is no clear delineation, the result is confusion and lack of clarity on what is needed to move an initiative forward. The better we can separately define and address change and change management, the better position we will be in as change management practitioners with a clearer scope and shared sense of direction and purpose. This tutorial presents the difference between change and change management and why it is important to address potential confusion.

 

At its most basic level, change is a movement out of a current state (how things are today), through a transition state and to a future state (how things will be done). Change happens all around us - at home, in our community and at work. Changes can be internally motivated or externally motivated. The change can be a dramatic departure from what we know or it can be minor. Changes can be anticipated or unexpected. But in all cases, the fundamental nature of change is a movement from the current state through a transition state to a future state.