Where does Change Management “belong” in the organization?

When first introduced to the concept of Change Management, our clients often ask where does it “belong” in the organization. The answer to this question depends on your strategic priorities and how you want Change Management to assist your organization.

Change Management in your HR

If your goal is to develop change leadership skills, then Human Resources is the right place to grow your Change Management practice.

Given HR’s ability to reach out to multiple stakeholders across the organization and to identify high-potentials, it is the most suitable team to support the development of general change capabilities and/or provide these capabilities to the organization (e.g., assigning an internal consultant to initiatives on demand).

In this model, the focus is to build a network of change champions and instill “change agility” in the organization.

Change Management in your Project Management Office

If you expect Change Management to support mainly in the deployment of your organization’s projects and operational initiatives, then you should consider aligning your Change Management practice with your Project Management Office. Our recommendation is to make the leads of each of these practices be at the same organizational level to avoid giving more prominence to one discipline over another.

In this case, the Change Management team is focused on supporting projects to realize their value by bringing people along with the changes implemented.

Enterprise Change Management

Change Management can also be an organization in its own. This is what some call “Enterprise Change Management.” In some companies, for instance, the leader of the Change Management team will report directly to the COO.

This model is typically applied in organizations with mature Change Management practices. It requires a deep understanding of the value of Change Management and a culture of applying its principles throughout the whole company – from leadership development to project management.

In sum, there is no right or wrong answer when deciding how to bring Change Management to your organization. Your decision should be based on your goals.

Where does Change Management belong in your organization? Share your comments below!