Managing change in multicultural organisations: cultural alignment, structured frameworks and project success in the UN system

Purpose This study aims to examine how cross-cultural dynamics shape the effectiveness of structured change-management frameworks in complex international organisations. Focusing on the United Nations system, it investigates how cultural value alignment and processual frameworks jointly influence the success of change initiatives under conditions of change saturation. Design/methodology/approach This study combines gap-spotting and problematisation with an empirical analysis of 52 United Nations change initiatives complemented by 12 peer-reviewed Kotter case studies. It operationalises framework type and cultural alignment through a CVScale index that captures leadership engagement, two-way communication, cultural alignment and feedback practices across culturally diverse entities. Non-parametric techniques (Spearman’s rank-order correlation and Kruskal–Wallis tests) are applied to examine relationships between these cross-cultural mechanisms, framework use and project outcomes. Findings The results show that using a structured change framework is moderately associated with project success, but higher CVScale scores are more strongly linked to positive outcomes. This research suggests that in cross-cultural, change-intensive settings, processual change models work best when they are enacted through culturally aligned leadership and communication practices. Research limitations/implications The findings from this research may have limited generalisability due to the secondary case data. Therefore, this calls for further research with larger data sets and longitudinal designs. Practical implications For leaders in global public organisations, the findings suggest that CVScale-style diagnostics should be integrated into change programme design as a primary readiness assessment, given that cultural alignment is a stronger predictor of success than framework selection alone. Originality/value This study provides empirical evidence that cultural alignment is a stronger predictor of change success than the use of structured frameworks alone. It also offers a context-sensitive approach to managing change in multicultural organisations.