Change management vocabulary refers to the specific terms and concepts used in the field of change management.

Change Management Vocabulary

An individual (internal or external) who helps an organization transform itself by focusing on such matters as organizational effectiveness, improvement, and development.

A goal-oriented change management model that guides individual and organizational change. It stands for Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement.

The process of identifying the individuals or groups that are likely to affect or be affected by a proposed action, and sorting them according to their impact on the action and the impact the action will have on them.

The act of opposing or struggling with modifications or transformations that alter the status quo in the workplace. This can be active (voicing complaints) or passive (lack of engagement).

A senior leader or executive who authorizes, funds, and champions the change initiative. They provide the necessary resources and political support.

A metaphor used to describe a crisis or urgent situation that necessitates immediate change; it implies that maintaining the status quo is more dangerous than taking the leap into the unknown.

A general sense of apathy or passive resignation towards organizational changes by individuals or teams, often resulting from too many changes happening at once.

A method of assessing the differences in performance between a business's information systems or software applications to determine whether business requirements are being met and, if not, what steps should be taken.

A description of the organization's current processes, culture, and systems before the change is implemented.

A vision of how the organization will look and operate after the change has been successfully implemented.

A popular change management framework developed by John Kotter, starting with "Create Urgency" and ending with "Anchor New Approaches in the Culture."

A roadmap for getting the right message to the right people at the right time. It outlines the audiences, key messages, channels, and frequency of communication.

The ability of an organization to design, implement, and adopt changes effectively. It assesses if the culture and resources are prepared for the transition.

The uncontrolled expansion to project scope without adjustments to time, cost, and resources; a common risk during change initiatives.

A group of individuals who are open to new ideas and are the first to embrace the change. They are crucial for building momentum.

Individuals who are the last to adopt a new system or process. They often require specific, targeted interventions to accept the change.

The process of identifying the gap between employee training and needs of training. It is the first stage in the training process and involves a procedure to determine whether training will indeed address the problem.

A study to determine the extent of the effects of the change on various stakeholders, processes, and systems.

The process of ensuring that the organization's culture (values, beliefs, behaviors) supports the strategic goals and the specific changes being implemented.

The final stage of the ADKAR model; mechanisms (like rewards, recognition, or audits) used to ensure that the change sticks and people do not revert to old ways.

A small-scale, short-term experiment that helps an organization learn how a large-scale project might work in practice.

The framework of rules, relationships, systems, and processes within and by which authority is exercised and controlled in corporations.

The psychological process that people go through to come to terms with the new situation. Change is external (situational); transition is internal (psychological).

Quantifiable measures used to evaluate the success of an organization, employee, etc., in meeting objectives for performance.

An assessment and review of the completed working solution. It is performed after a period of live running, some time after the project is completed.