7 Types of Change Management & How To Handle Organizational Change in 2025
96% of transformation programs experience challenges that cause them to go off track. The solution? Understanding what kind of change your organization wants to implement, how to manage it properly, and how best to prepare your workforce for it.
Understanding different types of change management and how to handle each one is essential for an HR professional. 73% of HR leaders say employees suffer from change fatigue, and 74% believe managers lack the skills to lead change. This highlights the need for clear strategies that keep operations running, support staff, and drive business success.
This article discusses the different types of change management you should know and how to tackle each one and provides an HR checklist to help you identify the type of change your organization needs.
Contents
Why managing change properly matters
7 types of change management to know
How HR can support successful change management
Checklist: Identifying the type of change (HR’s quick assessment)
Why managing change properly matters
A clear change management strategy prevents confusion by setting clear goals and managing expectations, ensuring business continuity and productivity. Without it, teams struggle to understand the reasons behind changes, priorities shift unpredictably, and communication gaps hinder progress.
Tracking change management metrics like employee engagement, adoption rates, and feedback can also help you quickly correct errors and refine strategies. Effective change management is not just about new strategy; it’s about guiding people with clear communication, the right tools, and strong leadership.
HR’s role in change management
HR plays a multifaceted role in change management. This includes:
- Communication and feedback: Ensuring employees understand the reasons for and benefits of the change, communicating it clearly through emails, FAQs, and town halls. HR also gathers employee feedback to gauge their attitudes toward change.
- Employee training and support: Offering personalized training to upskill the workforce, as well as workshops, e-learning modules, and mentoring programs to develop employees’ confidence and adaptability.
- Aligning change with company values: Modeling the operating system’s policies, processes, and cultural expectations to ensure the system aligns with company values. To get staff support, they also define how the change reflects the company’s vision.
- Building the framework for implementing change: Developing change management plans, including policies, communication strategies, and training programs. HR also works with leadership to ensure company-wide alignment and provide a clear roadmap for implementation.
7 types of change management to know
Below are seven types of change management to familiarize yourself with as an HR professional, along with the recommended change management models you can use in each case:
1. Organizational change management
Organizational change deals with organizational design, leadership, or operations shifts. This includes mergers and acquisitions, department restructures, layoffs, or leadership changes. This affects both business operations and employees.
Example: When two companies merge, HR must help combine teams, align policies, and manage the uncertainty that comes with significant transitions. The goal is to keep employees informed, reduce resistance, and maintain productivity.
Recommended change management model
Lewin’s Change Management Model is suitable, as it simplifies the change process into a beginning, middle, and end. It helps tackle resistance by first preparing people mentally, supporting them during the shift, then locking in the new ways of working.
It’s especially useful when clear planning and execution are critical, like during a company merger or leadership change. This model breaks change into three clear stages:
- Unfreeze: Prepare employees by explaining why the change is happening and what problems it will solve.
- Change: Begin the transition. HR should lead communication efforts, support managers, and ensure people have the necessary tools and training.
- Refreeze: Once the change is in place, reinforce it with new policies, procedures, and continued support to make it stick.
2. Technological change management
Technological change focuses on adopting new tools or systems, such as CRM software or automation tools. This type of change requires upskilling employees and minimizing workflow disruption.
Example: A hospital that plans to transition to using electronic health records (EHR) must train its staff on the new technology involved. The implementation of the new tools should be done in phases to ensure widespread adoption.
Recommended change management model
The ADKAR Model is appropriate, as it’s structured, goal-oriented, and people-focused. It recognizes that change only succeeds when individuals move through their own change journeys.
This makes it ideal for tech rollouts where adoption depends on user behavior, not just installation. It targets the following aspects of an individual’s readiness:
- Awareness: Employees must understand why the hospital is adopting EHR. HR can provide training to explain how EHR helps improve patient care and streamline processes.
- Desire: Encourage staff to participate in and support the transition. Highlighting benefits like reduced paperwork and providing incentives like recognition can further motivate employees.
- Knowledge: Provide hands-on training for staff on EHR software functions, workflows, and troubleshooting procedures. A practical look at how the new technology can benefit employees can make them more enthusiastic about it.
- Ability: Conduct simulations or supervised usage periods where staff can apply their training in real-life situations, with support from the IT team or other qualified trainers on hand to help them.
- Reinforce: Schedule regular check-ins, feedback sessions, and refresher training to ensure consistent and correct use of EHR. This will help current employees and new hires as well.
3. Transformational change management
Transformational change involves large-scale shifts in business strategy or culture, such as HR digital transformation or entering new markets. This type of change requires visionary leadership and sustained momentum.
Example: A traditional bank wants to transition to a fully digital-first service model in order to advance technologically and appeal to younger clients and potential customers.
Recommended change management model
This type of change requires Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model is ideal for transformational change because it helps create buy-in across the organization. It breaks big changes into manageable steps, ensuring both leadership alignment and frontline engagement.
By emphasizing communication and early wins, it helps maintain energy throughout long-term transformations. It works in the following ways:
- Creating urgency around digital trends: Highlighting the need for digital change to meet regulatory requirements or remain competitive.
- Building a coalition of leaders to drive the vision: Forming a group of executives, IT leaders, and department heads to drive digital transformation.
- Empowering employees via training and quick wins: Pilot testing mobile banking in select regions to build momentum and demonstrate progress.
- Embedding changes into company culture: Establishing digital-first practices by updating policies to reflect the transformed business model.
4. Incremental change management
Incremental change is all about continuous but minor modifications rather than overall restructuring. Organizations commonly use it for quality control, process optimization, or minor policy tweaks.
Example: A manufacturing plant wants to optimize assembly line efficiency by making a series of necessary changes to achieve this goal.
Recommended change management model
The Kaizen process is suitable in this case, as it focuses on continuous improvement by all employees, and builds on a culture of small but consistent changes that add up over time. It works well for companies that value employee input and prioritize gradual improvements over dramatic shifts.
It builds a mindset of everyday innovation, where small changes lead to big gains over time. In manufacturing or operational settings, this approach can reduce waste and improve efficiency without overwhelming employees. Its main characteristics include:
- Encouraging employee feedback to help identify inefficiencies: Employees are urged to share their daily experiences, such as delays or inefficient tool placement, to help improve workflow.
- Implementing bite-sized improvements: Based on employee feedback, the plant manager rearranges workstation layouts to reduce unnecessary movement. They also install additional equipment to eliminate or minimize repetitive tasks.
- Measuring results and refining processes: After implementing changes, supervisors measure production speed, defect rates, and downtime. Staff must also assess whether their workflow or employee productivity rate has improved.
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5. Remedial change management
Remedial change focuses on rectifying past errors or inefficiencies, such as post-merger integration problems or sales decline. Its purpose is to address the root causes of issues and make necessary changes in the system.
Example: A tech startup is planning a restructuring after a failed product launch and needs to reassess its business strategies and the product’s value proposition.
Recommended change management model
The McKinsey 7-S Framework is valuable because it looks at both the hard and soft elements of an organization. It’s especially helpful for remedial change, where one issue (like a failed product) could be linked to deeper misalignments in structure, leadership, or values.
The framework ensures the entire system is realigned, not just one component. It can guide the company in identifying misalignments and making effective changes by focusing on the following areas:
- Strategy: The startup revises its strategy by improving its flagship product, adjusting its value proposition to meet customer needs, and involving all stakeholders.
- Structure: It establishes cross-functional teams to speed up decision-making and improve coordination during product development.
- Systems: Next, it upgrades its project management tools to monitor progress better and introduces data analytics tools to obtain customer-related insights.
- Shared values: The startup then reinforces its commitment to innovation and customer-centricity by hosting town hall meetings, where management shares lessons from the failed launch.
- Skills: It identifies skills related to its user experience design problems and invests in upskilling employees through targeted training programs conducted by UX experts.
- Style: Management then facilitates an open-door approach that allows everyone to voice their opinions to help with decision-making.
- Staff: Finally, the startup realigns positions to match employees’ skills with organizational needs post-restructuring.
6. Developmental change management
Developmental change prioritizes enhancing employee skills or processes (e.g., leadership training and upskilling programs). It aims for long-term growth without disrupting core operations.
Example: A consulting firm plans to roll out a company-wide mentorship program.
Recommended change management model
The Bridges Transition Model is useful as it can help employees cope emotionally and psychologically during transitions. Unlike other models that focus on the external changes (like systems or processes), Bridges focuses on internal transitions — what people are feeling and experiencing.
It helps leaders support employees through the emotional curve of change, which is critical in developmental initiatives where people need time and space to grow into new roles or habits. It helps employees through the following stages:
- Ending stage: Employees may feel apprehensive about the shift from informal mentoring to a structured program.
- Neutral zone: Employees learn the new mentorship framework, including guidelines, roles, and expectations for mentors and mentees. HR provides feedback and assistance during the transition.
- New beginning: The firm integrates mentorship into its culture by including it in performance reviews, career development plans, and new hire onboarding.
7. People-centric change management
This addresses emotional responses to change (e.g., cultural shifts or hybrid work policies). It prioritizes empathy and psychological safety.
Example: A company decides to switch to a hybrid work model after many employees express concern over a lack of workplace flexibility.
Recommended change management model
Originally a model for grief, the Kubler-Ross Change Curve gives leaders insights into how employees react to change. It’s useful in people-centric changes where resistance can stem from fear, uncertainty, or loss of control.
It reminds HR leaders to lead with empathy and patience, helping them create and implement strategies to support them during the change. The model focuses on the following areas:
- Denial: To counter employee resistance, managers should explain the reason for the transformation, emphasizing the benefits.
- Anger: Managers should acknowledge employee resentment by allowing them to voice their concerns and address them to reduce their frustration.
- Bargaining: Employees may attempt to negotiate by proposing alternative arrangements. Managers should listen to suggestions but explain that work arrangements should be consistent across the organization for fairness and efficiency.
- Depression: Managers may expect low morale due to employees’ difficulty adapting to new workflows. They can offer emotional support in team-building activities (e.g., virtual coffee chats) and encourage open dialogue about challenges.
- Acceptance: Employees may start to acclimatize to the hybrid work schedule and new ways of working. Managers can reinforce this positive behavior by offering ongoing training to support employees further.
How HR can support successful change management
Here are some important ways in which you can support successful change management as an HR professional:
Preparation
HR must understand the scope of the change, anticipate its impact on the workforce, and gather employee feedback. To do this, start by scheduling a meeting with the project lead or change management team to discuss the change’s scope and objectives.
Next, establish a clear understanding of why the change is happening, identify the key stakeholders, and consider the potential impact of this change on different employee groups and work processes.
Planning
HR should work with management and department heads to kick off the change management plan. Discuss HR’s role in the change with leadership, as well as potential training and development needs. Then, explain this role (e.g., communication, training, or policy updates) to the rest of the company so everyone understands what your team is doing during the change.
At the same time, review all employees’ existing skills and competencies to identify any gaps that could hinder the adoption of change. This will help you reskill and upskill employees through workshops, micro-learning, or leadership coaching.
Communication
HR owns communication, which is a vital part of the process as it’s where trust is built or broken. Be sure to share the why, what, and how of the change clearly and succinctly. Design a change communication plan that caters to different employee segments, roles, and locations.
Communicate the important details of the change clearly and consistently via emails, meetings, intranet, or town halls, and be ready to react to different emotional responses. Explain the benefits of change and how it positively impacts the business. Additionally, maintain two-way communication. Encourage employees to ask questions and give transparent answers.
Implementation
Once the change is implemented, you must make sure both managers and employees have everything they need to be productive. Give managers talking points and FAQs so they can confidently support their teams and offer drop-in sessions, office hours, or quick consults. It’s important to be present and accessible as often as possible.
At the same time, develop resource centers or toolkits to assist employees in navigating and settling into the new systems and structures. Regularly check on early adopters’ progress and communicate with department heads regarding any bottlenecks and problems they encounter.
Support
After the initial launch, it’s critical to empower and support employees to ensure a successful transition. You can do so through training, coaching, and mental health resources. You can also organize follow-up meetings or specific development programs to reinforce new workplace practices.
Create mental health resources such as employee assistance programs (EAPs), stress management workshops, and peer support groups, and be sure to recognize and celebrate small wins (e.g., successful adaptation or team milestones). Additionally, don’t forget to continuously engage employees to prevent burnout, and answer any questions they may have.
Evaluation
The last step in the change management process involves tracking progress, gathering feedback, and making any necessary adjustments. Determine the change management metrics you’ll use, such as adoption rates, productivity KPIs, or employee engagement scores.
Next, survey employees or conduct focus groups after change implementation to collect honest feedback. This will help you evaluate what was effective and what was not so you can adjust your change management approach for future initiatives. Communicate the results and make recommendations for further support or change.
Checklist: Identifying the type of change (HR’s quick assessment)
- ✔ Does the change primarily involve shifts in company structure, leadership, or operations? (Organizational change)
- ✔ Does the change mainly focus on implementing new software, hardware, or digital systems? (Technological change)
- ✔ Does the change represent a fundamental shift in the organization’s culture, strategy, or business model? (Transformational change)
- ✔ Does the change involve small, gradual improvements to existing processes or systems? (Incremental change)
- ✔ Does the change’s implementation address a crisis or significant performance issue requiring immediate action? (Remedial change)
- ✔ Does the change focus on improving existing skills, processes, or performance within the organization? (Developmental change)
- ✔ Does the change approach prioritize the emotional and psychological impact on individuals? (People-centric change)
To sum up
Whether adopting new technology or making simple, continuous improvements, each type of change presents unique challenges and requires different strategies to address them. The right change management model will help organizations adapt better, encounter less resistance, and maintain productivity.
HR plays a vital role in every phase of the change management journey. From planning and communication to training and evaluation, you can help turn even the most disruptive change into opportunities for growth and resilience with the correct approach.
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