88% instead of 13%
The share of projects that meet their goals with very good change management, compared with poor change management.
The new system works, acceptance is signed off, and people still work the old way. Next to the system there is a spreadsheet, a paper trail and “we’ll do it the way we always have”. Change management is the work on the second half of the journey: making sure people really start working differently and the organisation gets what it paid for. I advise the leadership of public offices, public utility companies and businesses on this.
What change management is.
It means preparing and supporting people so that they adopt a new way of working. Every project has two sides. The first is the project: scope, deadlines, vendor, budget. The second is the people: who has to work differently, what they need to learn and why they would want to. The project ends with acceptance. The change ends when the new way of working becomes the normal way of working.
An organisation changes one person at a time.
Neither an office nor a company changes “as a whole”. Each employee changes on their own: first they understand what it is for, then they want to try it, they learn, they start doing it and they no longer go back to the old way. If someone gets stuck at any step, the whole change slows down.
Why it pays.
You pay the same for the system whether people use it or not. The benefit only appears when people change their daily work. That is why change management decides whether the investment pays off.
4.6 times more often
projects with good change management finish on time. On budget: 1.4 times more often.
79% instead of 27%
The share of projects that meet their goals when the sponsor on the board is very engaged, compared with when they are not.
Where these figures come from. From Prosci’s “Best Practices in Change Management” research (12th edition, 2023, more than 2,600 people from more than 100 countries). It is a survey of people who work on change, so treat it as a direction, not a guarantee. The direction is clear, though, and it matches what I have seen in projects for 20 years.
Five terms worth knowing before any change.
On the map, these are shoals: easy to run aground on if nobody has marked them.
Change success how we will know it worked
Not “the system is live”, but “people work the new way and the result is visible”. If nobody wrote this down before the start, everyone will announce their own success after acceptance. What I do: together with the board, we write down the goal and 2–3 simple measures before the system selection begins.
Readiness is the organisation ready for it
Are there people, time, orderly data and processes? Does the board stand behind the change? A lack of readiness does not mean “let’s not do it”, but “let’s fix this first”. What I do: I check readiness at the start, usually as part of the inventory.
Resistance a natural reaction, not an enemy
It usually comes from people not knowing what the change is for, or fearing for their place. Resistance is a sign that the change is real. It is better to prevent it than to fight it. What I do: I help plan who will hear what the change means for them, when and how.
Too many changes at once change saturation
In a single year, the same department gets a new document workflow, KSeF, e-Doręczenia and AI. Each change makes sense on its own, but together they exceed what people can absorb. What I do: I put all the changes on one map and help set the order.
Change fatigue “something new again”
The result of too many changes, or of changes that improved nothing. People stop engaging and wait for “this to pass too”. What I do: I help start with changes that bring quick, noticeable relief, and close down what does not work.
Four things that must work together.
If any one of them is missing, the project starts to wobble, even when the technology works.
- Destination port: the goalWhat should be different in a year, and how we will know. One sentence the board can repeat.
- Captain: the sponsor on the boardA specific board member who stands behind the change, talks about it and makes decisions. “Everyone” in practice means “no one”.
- Course: the projectScope, deadlines, vendor and acceptance. The part that is usually well planned.
- Crew: managers and staffThe heads of departments and teams, from whom employees want to hear what the change means for them. The most often overlooked, and the most important.
Where change management is needed.
Wherever people are expected to start working differently. Most often in four situations.
Across the whole organisation
When there are many changes at once and they need to be managed together, not one by one. A map of all the changes, the order, the load on individual departments and teams, and people in the organisation who can lead further changes on their own after I leave.
In system rollouts
ERP, an EZD-class system, CRM, BPM and workflow, sector-specific and custom systems. Launching a system is the start, not the finish line. A communication and training plan, preparing managers, change ambassadors in departments, and checking after go-live whether people really use the system. The rollout stage.
In digital transformation
When it is not about one system, but about a different way of operating: cases move differently, decisions are made differently, people work differently. Scanning documents is digitisation. The change begins when a case stops circulating on paper. Digital transformation.
When introducing AI
AI changes daily work more than most systems do, so it raises more concerns. First order in processes and data, rules of use and accountability for decisions, then the tool. The goal is better work, not the number of accounts.
What this looks like in your organisation.
The principles are the same, but the projects and difficulties differ depending on where you work.
Public sector – local government
Typical projects: an EZD-class system and electronic case handling, e-Doręczenia, KSeF, integration of sector-specific systems, AI in services for residents.
Typical difficulties: many obligations land on the same departments at once, decisions travel a long path, departments move at different speeds, and experienced staff remember several reforms that “passed”.
Public utility companies
Typical projects: KSeF and invoice workflow, document workflow and digital personnel files, an electronic archive, electronic signatures, ERP and sector-specific systems.
Typical difficulties: some people work in the field or in shifts, the office and the field have different needs, and the company answers at the same time to its management board, its supervisory board and its owner.
Business
Typical projects: ERP and CRM rollouts, system integration, putting processes in order, electronic handling of board meetings, AI agents.
Typical difficulties: pressure for quick results, head-office decisions the company has to implement locally, and the comfort of the old spreadsheet, which beats the new system if nobody has planned for it.
How I advise on change.
The change is carried out by your board and your managers, because they are the ones people listen to. I help prepare it, ask questions, bring order and support you along the way. I only start when the board is ready to take part in the change itself.
- PreparationThe goal and measures, who the change affects and how much, the organisation’s readiness, the sponsor’s role, the order of changes.
- During the changeA communication and training plan, preparing managers, change ambassadors in departments and teams, conversations with those not yet convinced, regular progress checks.
- Making it stickA review after 3–6 months: do people use the new way of working, is there a result, and what should be improved? Responsibility passes to your team.
- Three questions at every stageDid we deliver it? Do people use it? Has the organisation gained anything? The first measures the project, the other two measure the change.
How to start.
Four short services to begin with, depending on where you are. Each one can be ordered separately.
Before you start
An inventory of systems and processes. What you have, what needs fixing, who the planned changes will affect and whether the organisation is ready for them. It takes 2–6 weeks.
The project is already under way
Review of a project in progress. I check four things: the goal, the sponsor, the project and the people. You get a short assessment of what holds the project together, what makes it wobble and what to fix first. Timing agreed after the first conversation.
The system works, but people work the old way
Post-implementation review. I check who really uses the system and how, where people work around it and why. You get a plan for finishing the change without buying a new system. Timing agreed after the first conversation.
KSC obligations apply to you
KSC readiness review. We check whether the organisation (including subordinate units and companies) falls under the Act and as what kind of entity, what is already in place, what is missing for 3 April 2027 and who is responsible for what. The basis is the register of systems, contracts and vendors from the inventory, so if you are doing an inventory, the review comes along with it. You get a prioritised list of gaps, a proposed schedule and one page for the board. Timing agreed after the first conversation.
“He understands that effective transformation requires not only technology, but also the preparation of staff, the ordering of processes and consistent change management.”
Frequently asked questions about change management.
How is change management different from project management?
Project management makes sure the system is built on time and on budget. Change management makes sure people start using it and that there is a result. You need both, because the project can succeed while the change fails.
Isn’t this the system vendor’s job?
The vendor trains people to use the system and is responsible for making it work. The vendor does not know your people, culture and concerns, and leaves after acceptance. The board is responsible for whether the organisation starts working differently. I help the board plan this and see it through.
Will you carry out the change for us?
No, and nobody from outside can. People follow their own board and their own managers, not an advisor. I advise, prepare, ask questions and support you, while the decisions and the conversations with teams stay on your side.
We have many changes at once. Where do we start?
With one map of all the changes: what, who it affects and when. It usually shows straight away that the same people are getting several changes at the same time. Then it is easier to set the order and decide what to postpone or stop.
How do we check whether the change has worked?
With three questions: did we deliver the project, do people use the new way of working, and has the organisation gained anything? Each one has a simple measure, a starting point and a person who keeps track of it. We do the first review 3–6 months after go-live.
Let’s talk about your change.
The first conversation takes 30 minutes and costs nothing. I reply within 2 working days.