In a recent article, written by Bruce Turvey, he explored how, in too many organisations, change management gets pushed to the side. It’s often seen as an HR function or a last-minute communication exercise rather than a core part of business transformation. The problem? When change leadership is sidelined, projects fail to deliver, employees burn out, and companies waste enormous amounts of money trying to fix problems that could have been prevented.

It’s time to rethink how change management is positioned, and why it needs to be at the centre of every organisational transformation strategy.

Where Organisations Get Change Management Wrong

Most companies don’t ignore change management intentionally. But certain mistakes keep it from delivering the impact it should:

1. Putting HR in charge by default

HR departments play a critical role in supporting employees, but change management requires specialised expertise in behavioural science, communication strategy, and business transformation. HR often lacks the strategic mandate to lead major change programmes effectively.

2. Assuming anyone can “handle change”

Change management isn’t about sending out memos or scheduling training sessions. It’s about driving behavioural adoption, cultural alignment, and operational readiness across the organisation. Without trained professionals, companies miss early warning signs like resistance, low adoption, and declining morale.

3. Measuring the wrong outcomes

Too often, success is measured only by whether a project went live on time or on budget. But if employees aren’t using the new systems or processes correctly, the initiative hasn’t truly succeeded.

Positioning Change Management for Real Impact

If change management is to deliver measurable business outcomes, organisations must elevate their role and approach:

1. Make it strategic, not reactive

Change management should sit alongside programme management and business strategy, not buried in HR. Giving it executive-level visibility ensures leaders stay accountable for change adoption and not just project delivery.

2. Bring in specialists who understand change science

Experienced change professionals, whether internal or external, can assess readiness, gather insights, and design interventions that align with the company’s culture and transformation goals. Their objectivity helps surface resistance points others might miss.

3. Use data to track progress

Change readiness metrics, adoption data, and employee sentiment scores help leaders identify risks early and adjust plans before fatigue turns into failure. Numbers tell the real story behind whether transformation efforts are sticking.

4. Communicate with clarity and purpose

Employees need more than announcements: they need context, transparency, and a clear link to business impact. When people understand the why and the how, adoption rates climb, and resistance drops.

The Payoff of Getting Change Management Right

When change management strategy is integrated from the start, organisations see:

• Faster, smoother adoption of new systems and processes
• Higher employee engagement and lower resistance
• Greater return on investment for transformation projects
• Stronger alignment between business goals and workforce behaviour

In other words: less chaos, more progress.

Treating change management like an afterthought is a costly mistake. To achieve digital transformation success and sustain competitive advantage, organisations need to prioritise change leadership, readiness planning, and adoption measurement from day one.

When change is managed strategically, employees feel supported, leaders stay accountable, and transformation delivers the impact it promises.