Change management is hard, especially when you’re in the middle of it.
We get it. Whether you’re leading a team through a new process or trying to make your own personal changes, it can be tough to find the right information at the right time.
That’s why we’ve put together this list of change management statistics—so that you don’t have to spend hours searching on Google for relevant data and figure out which ones are accurate and which ones aren’t.
No more wasted time! All the stats are here. And they’re all neatly organized into one easy-to-read list.
Change Management Statistics (Key Highlights)
- 49.7% of organizations describe themselves as open-minded, engaged, and flexible when it comes to change.
- 70% of change management programs fail to meet their objectives.
- C-suite executives who describe their change programs as sophisticated and excellent report ROI of as much as 135%.
- 68% of senior managers agree they understand the reasons behind major changes in their organizations.
- At 42%, mid-level managers are most resistant to change.
- 73% of employees affected by change say they’re suffering from moderate to high stress levels.
- 31% of CEOs are fired for mismanaging change.
- 93% of organizations who report excellent change management effectiveness meet or exceed their objectives.
General Change Management Statistics
1. 49.7% of organizations describe themselves as open-minded, engaged, and flexible when it comes to change.
23.9% describe themselves as lethargic or neutral, while 20.9% claim they’re proactive and growth-oriented. Only 5.6% identify as resistant to change.
(Statista)
2. 70% of change programs fail to meet their objectives.
The culprits behind this staggering figure are mainly employees’ resistance to change (39%), the lack of management support (33%), inadequate resources and budget (14%), and other obstacles (14%).
Studies reveal that change programs are 30% more likely to succeed when the people involved are actually dedicated to change. However, other research points to 62% of people either not liking to leave their comfort zone at all or only doing so occasionally.
When it comes to why employees are resistant to change, studies reveal that 44% don’t understand the change and 38% don’t agree with it.
(McKinsey, Forbes, Torben Rick, Strategy&)
3. C-suite executives who describe their change programs as sophisticated and excellent report ROI of as much as 135%.
They also agree that this figure could potentially be higher had they invested more heavily into their change programs. Among the executives who found their change programs to be a success, 69% offered training before and after the changes were introduced.
(WalkMe)
4. 68% of senior managers agree they understand the reasons behind major changes in their organizations.
The corresponding figures among middle managers and front-line supervisors stand at 53% and 40%, respectively.
In addition, 87% of organizations say their managers have been trained in change management. However, only 22% find that training to be effective.
(Forbes)
5. 67% of C-suite executives agree that change champions are crucial to successfully delivering against change goals.
Besides change champions, other factors that improve employee engagement during changes include increasing executive sponsorship (as agreed by 45% of C-level executives), increasing frontline employee consultation to determine their needs (as cited by 42%), and improving communication overall (34%).
(WalkMe)
6. At 42%, mid-level managers are most resistant to change.
Frontline employees rank second with 27%, followed by senior-level managers and executives and directors with 16% and 9%, respectively. Among other types of staff, only 6% are resistant to change.
Additional research reveals that only 32% of employees agree that their organizations consider individual change capabilities when planning change development.
(Prosci, Change Synergy)
7. 73% of employees affected by change say they’re suffering from moderate to high stress levels.
When compared to the average employee, those who experience stress that derives from changes perform 5% worse.
Additional research reveals that only 31% of employees agree that their organizations prevent them from being overloaded by change demands.
(Gartner, Change Synergy)
8. With 65% of employees having experienced it, change fatigue is the top obstacle when it comes to organizational change efforts.
Companies not having the necessary capabilities to sustain the change ranks second with 48%, followed by the way that senior managers plan and implement change, that is without much input from lower-level employees.
(Strategy&)
9. Managing change fatigue is cited as a top mission-critical priority by 50% of communications leaders.
Audience information overload ranked second, as stated by 46.5%, followed by the challenges when adapting to new technologies and digital trends, as cited by 35.6% of communications leaders.
(Gartner)
10. 70% of employees choose their supervisors as their preferred senders of personal messages during change.
10% choose their departments’ heads, followed by 4% who choose their senior managers. CEOs/presidents, executive managers, and team leaders are chosen as the preferred senders of personal messages by 3% of employees each.
HR representatives and team leaders follow at 2% each. Communication specialists, change management team members, and other staff are the preferred choice for 1% of employees each.
Finally, none of the employees chose project team members as their preferred senders of personal messages during change.
(Prosci)
11. 50% of employees choose their CEOs/presidents as their preferred senders of organizational messages during change.
25% choose executive managers, followed by 8% who choose their departments’ heads and 7% who choose their senior managers.
Their supervisors and change management team leaders are the preferred options for 3% of employees each. Communication specialists, project team leaders, and other staff are the preferred choice for 1% of employees each.
That being said, none of the employees choose HR representatives, project team members, or change management team members as their preferred senders or organizational messages during change.
(Prosci)
12. 31% of CEOs are fired for mismanaging change.
Ignoring customers and tolerating low performers follow as the reasons for firing 28% and 27% of CEOs, respectively.
Denying reality and being ‘too much talk, not enough action’ are the reasons for firing 23% and 22% of CEOs, respectively.
(Forbes)
Statistics on Change Management Effectiveness
13. 93% of organizations who report excellent change management effectiveness meet or exceed their objectives.
The above figure compares to only 15% of organizations with poor change management effectiveness and 42% of those with fair effectiveness.
Among organizations that report good change management effectiveness, 77% meet or exceed their objectives.
(Prosci)
14. 88% of companies with high change effectiveness report being effective at finding executive sponsorship for organizational change.
The above figure is substantially larger than the one of companies with low change effectiveness which stands at 26%.
Another 80% of companies with high change effectiveness report being effective at clearly communicating what their employees have to do differently to succeed, followed by 78% who say the same about explaining the meaning behind the change to individual employees. The corresponding figures for companies with low change effectiveness stand at a mere 3% and 5%, respectively.
In addition, 77% of companies with high change effectiveness say they are effective at forming a sense of ownership regarding organizational change initiatives, while 68% report being effective at calculating their progress toward the goals established for change initiatives. Among companies with low change effectiveness, the corresponding figures stand at 8% and 11%, respectively.
(Towers Watson)
15. 81% of organizations with high change effectiveness report being effective at assessing their culture and readiness to change.
None of the organizations with low change effectiveness could say the same.
Another 83% of organizations with high change effectiveness report being effective at predicting the possible impact of anticipated changes within different employee sectors. Only 1% of organizations with low change effectiveness report the same.
Being effective at engaging in two-way dialogues with employees is reported by 72% of organizations with high change effectiveness, which compares to a mere 5% of those on the other end of the spectrum.
(Towers Watson)
16. 81% of companies who report excellent change management effectiveness stay within or under budget.
The lower the odds of staying within or under budget, the lower the change management effectiveness grade.
Namely, among companies who report good change management effectiveness, 70% stay within or under budget. The figure drops to 62% among those with fair change management effectiveness and 47% among companies who report low change management effectiveness.
(Prosci)
17. 69% of organizations with high change effectiveness agree their managers are effective at helping employees adapt to change.
The same applies to only 5% of organizations with low change effectiveness.
Another 77% of organizations with high change effectiveness agree their managers are effective at explaining the reasons for changes that happen within the organizations. The corresponding figure among organizations with low change effectiveness stands at 7%.
(Towers Watson)
18. 65% of companies with high change effectiveness follow a formal, systemic process to manage change.
The corresponding figure among companies with low change effectiveness stands at 14%.
Another difference between organizations with high vs. those with low change effectiveness is that 45% of the first have dedicated change management staff, as opposed to just 16% of the latter.
(CFO Innovation)
19. Organizations that follow a structured methodology are 33% more likely to report good or excellent change management effectiveness than those that don’t.
Among organizations following a structured methodology, 76% use it as general guidance, 46% as an activity checklist, and 38% report using it to monitor progress.
(Prosci)
20. 85% of companies who report excellent change effectiveness report having sufficient or more than sufficient resources to manage it.
On the other hand, an equal portion of companies reporting poor change effectiveness admit to having less than sufficient resources to manage it.
In addition, 47% of companies who integrate change and project management report meeting or exceeding their change objectives, which compares to the 30% of those who don’t/
(Prosci)
21. 84% of organizations with high change effectiveness report having a clear vision of what the change is supposed to achieve.
This compares to just 19% among organizations with low change effectiveness.
Moreover, 76% of organizations with high change effectiveness set clear and measurable change impact goals, and 73% measure their progress against them. The corresponding figures among organizations on the other end of the spectrum stand at 14% and 12%, respectively.
(CFO Innovation)
22. 71% of companies who report excellent change effectiveness report staying on or ahead of schedule.
The lower the odds of staying on or ahead of schedule, the lower the change management effectiveness grade.
Namely, among companies who report good change management effectiveness, 52% stay on or ahead of schedule. The figure drops to 32% among those with fair change management effectiveness and a mere 14% among companies who report low change management effectiveness.
(Prosci
Conclusion
So there you have it! A collection of change management stats that are sure to keep you up-to-date on the latest trends in the world of change management and help you make the right decisions for your business.
Change management is one of the most important aspects of any business. It’s not just about making changes, it’s about making sure those changes happen smoothly and that everyone involved feels included in the process.
It’s clear that there are many ways in which you can improve our approach to change management. By keeping these statistics in mind, you can ensure that your organization is as prepared for the future as possible.
We hope this blog has been helpful, and if you enjoyed this article, please share it with your coworkers! We wish you the best of luck in your endeavors!
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