Change Management—A Market in Change
By Jim Martin
From mergers and acquisitions to e-commerce, corporations the world over are undergoing constant change. The ability to adjust to that change is becoming more and more important to them.
That, in turn, has led to a surge of activity for providers that offer change management services, as International Data Corp.(Framingham, Mass.) estimates the U.S. change management market will exceed $3 billion in 1999, and by 2003 will more than double.
“Today, there is a realization that change cannot be ignored because it’s a constant feature of corporate life. Change pervades every fiber of an organization: its people, its operations, its structure and systems, its very culture. Whenever a new factor is introduced into an organization, it can cause fundamental change,” says Marianne Hedin, manager for IDC’s Consulting Services research program. “The acceptance of change as a constant feature of corporate life has led to a realization that change management is necessary, if not mandatory."
According to IDC, to compete successfully in the change management services market, consulting firms must be able to meet the complex and ever-changing issues that corporations are facing. “The new e-business environment requires consulting firms to offer both a depth and breadth of change management services, tackling strategic as well as tactical change issues,” Hedin added.