Managing change: quality‐oriented design of strategic change processes

Purpose The continuous change with which companies are faced, requires an approach to implement the necessary changes to the organization's structure. Existing approaches represent sequential procedures, which do not meet the requirements to deal with the characteristics of continuous change. Furthermore, existing models for managing change only state what has to be done but do not explain how it can be done. Aims to remedy these shortcomings. Design/methodology/approach Based on existing models and on the criteria of the EFQM model, a control loop for the management of strategic change processes was developed. A quality gate concept was defined to measure the performance of the change process by measurements at the quality gates after each phase of the process. Findings The integrated methodologies and tools were validated in projects with various companies and adapted to practical needs. Research limitations/implications A crucial point for the presented procedural model is the applicability of the integrated tools. Therefore, in an actual investigation project the tools are implemented in a multimedia training module to train the handling and application of the tools. Practical implications The procedural model and the training module will enable companies and their employees to plan and implement necessary change processes autonomously. Originality/value The procedural model is the first one to meet the requirements to deal with continuous changes, with which companies are faced. It describes the tools and methodologies to complete the phases of a change process.