What is strategic change management?

• Strategic change management is a critical discipline that transforms disruption into measurable business value by aligning people, processes, and technology.
• Huron’s six-component framework covers strategy, stakeholder engagement, readiness, communications, training, and support to ensure adoption and sustained performance.
• By putting people at the center of transformation, organizations accelerate ROI, reduce risk, and build long-term adaptability.

How Huron helps organizations turn transformation into sustained value

Change is not the goal. Change is the path.

But that path is rarely linear. Rarely frictionless. And rarely successful without intention.

At Huron, we view organizational change management (OCM) not as an optional layer but as a critical, strategic discipline that determines whether transformation delivers real results. To last in the long term, change must be led, structured, and supported.

Let’s start with what change management is not.

It’s not just communications and training. It’s not a post-launch clean-up effort. And it’s not something to be outsourced entirely to HR or internal communications.

We define change management as a structured, integrated approach to enabling people at every level to adopt new ways of working that drive and sustain business value.

Done right, it starts early. It shapes decisions. It builds capability. And it becomes the multiplier that turns investments into measurable outcomes.

Transformation efforts rarely fail because the technology doesn’t work. They fail because the organization isn’t ready for what that technology requires. That’s why our approach to change is designed to:

• Align with strategic intent, ensuring the “why” is clear from the start.
• Scale with complexity, supporting multi-phase programs across functions and geographies.
• Be embedded in execution rather than bolted on after the fact.

Change isn’t a side project. It’s the engine of transformation and a direct driver of business performance.

To translate strategy into lasting impact, Huron applies a six-component framework proven across industries and transformation types:

• Strategy and management: Establishes governance, risk mitigation, and alignment to business and transformation goals
• Stakeholder engagement: Identifies key influencers, maps impact, and activates champions across all levels of the organization
• Organizational readiness: Gauges preparedness and adapts interventions based on resistance signals and risk profiles
• Communications: Delivers timely, role-relevant messaging from credible senders to ensure clarity and trust
• Training and knowledge transfer: Provides role-based, hands-on, and just-in-time learning aligned to new tools and processes
• Support and continuous improvement: Sustains change post go-live through coaching, enablement resources, and long-term capability building

This framework is embedded in every project we deliver from day one.

We don’t bring a one-size-fits-all playbook. We bring partnership, strategy, and execution tailored to your unique set of circumstances.

We start with your vision

Our change strategy is co-created with your leadership team, grounded in your values, language, and long-term goals.

We work across functions

Our OCM consultants collaborate seamlessly with project teams, business units, and IT to deliver an integrated approach to change.

We speak business in a human way

We pair analytics, behavior modeling, and stakeholder insights with practical messaging, enablement, and coaching so change is both clear and actionable.

We scale to meet complexity

We support large, multi-entity initiatives with a blend of local ownership and enterprise cohesion.

Consider a client implementing Oracle EPM to modernize financial planning and forecasting. The technology promised streamlined planning. But the bigger challenge turned out to be shifting from fragmented spreadsheets to integrated, real-time decision-making across finance, operations, and strategy teams.

Huron’s Change team:

• Mapped impact across user groups
• Built role-based training and job-relevant support resources
• Embedded performance enablement into go-live and post-launch phases

The result? Faster ramp-up, stronger user adoption, and measurable gains in planning maturity, all within the first quarter.

With constant disruption the norm, change management is no longer a soft skill. It’s a strategic necessity.

Organizations that prioritize change management:

• Accelerate time to value
• Reduce risk and friction
• Improve employee experience and engagement
• Maximize ROI from technology, process, and strategy investments
• Build the internal muscle to adapt continuously

Let’s make change work for your people and your future.

At Huron, we don’t just help organizations get to go-live. We help them unlock sustained business value by putting people at the center of change.