Change Management Implementation and Benefit Choices - Managed Change Vs Unmanaged or Reactive Change
- Peter F Gallagher
- May 24
- 4 min read
"The leadership team controls the organisation’s critical resources, agenda time, and decision-making bodies. No amount of happy talk will negate this fact!"
Introduction:
This quote is a clear reminder that successful change depends on more than slogans or goodwill; it relies on effective and proactive leadership who execute their change responsibilities. Too often, change initiatives fail not because the strategy is flawed but because they are poorly implemented. Unmanaged or reactive change leaves teams unsupported, goals unclear, and benefits unrealised. Ineffective leaders may authorise a change and quickly return to normal day-to-day operations, assuming implementation will take care of itself. When performance drops, they may react, but by then, the damage is done. Managed change, by contrast, is proactive and disciplined. It puts change on the agenda, ensures the right people are engaged, and prepares the organisation to transition effectively. This approach limits disruption, builds ownership, and enables sustainable adoption. Most importantly, it allows the organisation to achieve its strategic intent and realise the expected return on investment.
Unmanaged or Reactive Change:
Change management programmes commonly fail, which means objectives are not achieved and the organisation does not make a return on investment. These failed approaches usually do not have a planned and systematic approach to preparing, communicating, and implementing change in the organisation. In unmanaged change, the leader of the organisation authorises and announces the change and then reverts back to fully focusing on normal day-to-day operations. They leave the change team on their own and wonder why the change implementation fails. In some cases, the change leaves the organisation performing worse than before. In reactive change, the leader still focuses on normal day-to-day operations but reacts and starts to focus on the change when performance dips for longer than expected. By putting in quality resources and focusing on the change, performance can improve.
“While change and transformation programmes focus on strategy execution to improve organisation performance, shareholders at a minimum expect benefits delivery.”
Managed Change:
Managed change requires a deliberate, structured approach that prepares the entire organisation—leaders, teams, and individuals, to transition effectively. It balances operational continuity with change execution by putting the right people on the agenda and ensuring the change is prioritised at the leadership level. Rather than rushing implementation, the organisation builds readiness and capacity before making the shift. While a temporary dip in performance may occur as new processes embed, managed change enables a faster recovery and long-term gains. The result is real adoption, minimal disruption, and measurable benefits. Most importantly, the change is sustained—and the organisation delivers on both the promised return on investment and its strategic intent.
"It never ceases to amaze me how often I have to remind change management professionals that the reason we are implementing the change is to achieve benefits realisation"
Summary:
Change management is not a checklist; it is a leadership discipline. It is a structured process that helps organisations, leadership teams, and employees transition from the current state ‘a’ to the future state ‘B’. Its aim is to enable adoption, sustain the change, and deliver measurable benefits. Successful change requires more than “happy talk” or superficial optimism; it depends on leadership commitment. The leadership team controls the organisation’s critical resources, agenda time, and decision-making bodies, making their engagement essential to implementation. In 'Unmanaged' or 'Reactive Change', leaders may authorise the change but quickly return to day-to-day operations, leaving change efforts under-resourced and misaligned. This approach often leads to resistance, confusion, and failure to realise benefits. By contrast, 'Managed Change' involves an effective and proactive leadership team that executes their change leader responsibilities. It is a planned, deliberate approach that prepares people, minimises disruption, and supports adoption. It ensures employees understand why the change is happening, how it will affect them, and what support they will receive. Change management equips organisations with the tools, communication methods, and leadership alignment needed to deliver change effectively and execute strategy with confidence.
Further Reading: Change Management Handbook - Leadership of Change Volume 3.
Peter consults, speaks, and writes on the Leadership of Change®.
For further information please visit our websites:
Peter F Gallagher is a Change Management Global Thought Leader, Guru, Expert, International Speaker, Author and Leadership Alignment Coach.
Listed #1 by leadersHum Top 40 Change Management Gurus You Should Follow in 2022 (Mar 2022).
Ranked #1 Change Management Global Thought Leader: Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Change Management (2023-2022-2021-2020) by Thinkers360.
Listed #15 in the “Top 30” for Global Gurus Leadership (2024) by Global Gurus.
Ranked #1 Business Strategy Global Thought Leader: Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Business Strategy (2022) by Thinkers360.
Ranked #6 Leadership Global Thought Leader: Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Leadership (April 2024) by Thinkers360.
Business Book Ranking
Change Management Behaviour - Leadership of Change® Volume 6, listed among the 50 Books from Thinkers360 Thought Leaders to read in 2022.
Change Management Adoption - Leadership of Change® Volume 5, listed among year-to-date’s (Jul 2021) most popular books on business and technology from Thinkers360 member thought leaders.
Change Management Handbook - Leadership of Change® Volume 3, listed among the 50 Business and Technology Books from Thinkers360 Thought Leaders to read in 2021.
Change Management Pocket Guide - Leadership of Change® Volume 2, ranked within the top 50 Business and Technology Books (Jan 2020) from Thinkers360 Thought Leaders.
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