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Change Management
Whether balancing budgets, reorganizing an agency, or implementing social programs, public sector leaders frequently encounter the complexity of change. The teaching cases in this section allow students to discuss outcomes and engage in problem solving in situations where protagonists wish to enact change or must guide their colleagues or constituents through change that is already occurring.
Charting a Course for Boston: Organizing for Change
Publication Date: March 5, 2024
Boston Mayor-elect Michelle Wu was elected on the promise of systemic change. Four days after her November 2021 victory—and just eleven days before taking office—she considered how to get started delivering on her sweeping agenda. Wu...
Mayor Curtatone’s Culture of Curiosity: Building Data Capabilities at Somerville City Hall Epilogue
Publication Date: February 21, 2024
This epilogue accompanies HKS Case 2255.0. A practitioner guide, HKS Case 2255.4, accompanies this case. For sixteen years, longer than any mayor in the city’s history, Mayor Joseph Curtatone has led his hometown of Somerville,...
Mayor Curtatone’s Culture of Curiosity: Building Data Capabilities at Somerville City Hall Practitioner Guide
This practitioner guide accompanies HKS Case 2255.0. An epilogue, HKS Case 2255.1, follows this case. For sixteen years, longer than any mayor in the city’s history, Mayor Joseph Curtatone has led his hometown of Somerville,...
Mayoral Transitions: How Three Mayors Stepped into the Role, in Their Own Words
Publication Date: February 29, 2024
New mayors face distinct challenges as they assume office. In these vignettes depicting three types of mayoral transitions, explore how new leaders can make the most of their first one hundred days by asserting their authority and...
Mayor Curtatone’s Culture of Curiosity: Building Data Capabilities at Somerville City Hall
For sixteen years, longer than any mayor in the city’s history, Mayor Joseph Curtatone has led his hometown of Somerville, Massachusetts. The case begins in January 2020 when the mayor is looking ahead at his recently won,...
Confronting Constraints: Shashi Verma & Transport for London Tackle a Tough Contract Sequel
Publication Date: December 19. 2023
This sequel accompanies HKS Case 2275.0, "Conflicting Constraints: Shashi Verma &Transport for London Tackle a Tough Contract." The case introduces Shashi Verma (MPP 97) in 2006, soon after he has received a plum appointment: Director...
Confronting Constraints: Shashi Verma & Transport for London Tackle a Tough Contract
The case introduces Shashi Verma (MPP 97) in 2006, soon after he has received a plum appointment: Director of Fares and Ticketing for London's super agency, Transport for London. The centerpiece of the agency's ticketing operation was the Oyster...
Shoring Up Child Protection in Massachusetts: Commissioner Spears & the Push to Go Fast
Publication Date: July 13, 2023
In January 2015, when incoming Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker chose Linda Spears as his new Commissioner of the Department of Children and Families, he was looking for a reformer. Following the grizzly death of a child under DCF...
Evelyn Diop
Publication Date: May 30, 2023
Evelyn is a seasoned nonprofit fundraising professional with roots in the corporate world, who thrives when faced with a strategic challenge. While she had been successfully leading change as a chief development officer (CDO) at...
Confronting the Unequal Toll of Highway Expansion: Oni Blair, LINK Houston, & the Texas I-45 Debate (A)
Publication Date: April 6, 2023
In this political strategy case, Oni K. Blair, newly appointed executive director of a Houston nonprofit advocating for more equitable transportation resources, faces a challenge: how to persuade a Texas state agency to substantially...
Confronting the Unequal Toll of Highway Expansion: Oni Blair, LINK Houston, & the Texas I-45 Debate (B)
Architect, Pilot, Scale, Improve: A Framework and Toolkit for Policy Implementation
Publication Date: May 12, 2021
Successful implementation is essential for achieving policymakers’ goals and must be considered during both design and delivery. The mission of this monograph is to provide you with a framework and set of tools to achieve success. The...
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Home » Change Management » Amazon: The Ultimate Change Management Case Study
Amazon: The Ultimate Change Management Case Study
Amazon’s innovations have helped it become extremely successful, making it an excellent change management case study.
Since it was formed, Amazon has innovated across countless areas and industries, including:
- Warehouse automation
- The web server industry
- Streaming video and on-demand media
- Electronic books
Considering that Amazon started as an online bookstore, these accomplishments are quite impressive.
Examining Amazon as a change management highlights a few important business lessons:
- Innovation fuels success, especially in today’s digital economy
- Speed is the ultimate weapon
- Those who resist organizational change can easily get left behind
Below, we’ll examine some of Amazon’s changes … and hopefully discover a few reasons why it has become so successful.
Let’s get started.
Below are 10 ways Amazon has changed its business, transforming itself far beyond a mere online bookseller.
In no particular order…
1. Amazon Web Services
When Amazon Web Services (AWS) started out, most developers didn’t take it seriously.
A decade later, it was the go-to cloud server company in the world.
In fact, Bezos has even said that AWS was the biggest part of the company.
Since it has more capacity than its nearest 14 competitors combined, this shouldn’t come as a surprise.
2. Whole Foods
After acquiring Whole Foods , Amazon began making changes to the grocery store chain.
A few of these include:
- Adding Amazon products to the shelves
- Integrating Whole Foods and Amazon Prime
- Internal restructuring
Other programs include food delivery from Whole Foods, rewards for customers using Amazon credit cards, and discounts for Prime members.
3. Delivery
Amazon has drastically innovated product delivery.
For instance, customers with Prime memberships can enjoy free two-day delivery.
In certain cities , Prime members can also get free same-day or one-day delivery.
And with its drone delivery program on the horizon, customers may be able to receive orders in 30 minutes or less .
4. Warehouse Automation
Amazon warehouses have undergone major technological transformations.
Currently, Amazon warehouses uses robots to collect and transport many of its products.
In coming years, though, even more of the company’s 200,000+ warehouse workers could be replaced by robots .
In 2016 alone, it increased robot workers by 50% .
5. TV and Prime Video
Another innovation of the former bookseller is its foray into TV, movies, and video.
Amazon began by selling videos and DVDs. Now it streams, rents, and sells digital copies of videos.
On top of that, the company has joined YouTube, Netflix, and other tech giants by producing its own movies and TV shows.
6. Amazon in Other Countries
Change managers would also be interested in how Amazon adapts itself to other countries’ economies.
In India, for instance, Amazon has been forced to adopt unique measures.
These include:
- Using mom-n-pop stores as delivery locations
- Hiring bicycle or motorcycle couriers for last-mile deliveries
- Creating mobile tea carts that serve tea and teach business owners about e-commerce
These types of innovations are necessary to succeed in other countries.
Failure to adapt to these changes often proves disastrous, which is a major reason why Google China failed .
7. Amazon Go
Amazon isn’t just an online retailer … it has now opened up physical grocery stores.
However, as with all of its business ventures, it aims to disrupt, transform, and dominate retail grocery stores.
In this case, Amazon wants to create grocery stores with zero clerks .
Amazon Go is a venture that promises no checkout lines, no hassle, and ultra-convenience.
8. Kindle and E-Books
Everyone knows that Kindle has been one of Amazon’s biggest innovations.
This product has single-handedly revolutionized the book publishing industry.
For better or for worse, Kindle has changed the way books are read, sold, and distributed.
Some estimates have placed Kindle e-book revenue at over half a billion dollars per year.
9. Affiliate Marketing
Early on in Amazon’s career, it opened its doors to online sales associates.
Members of Amazon Associates can earn revenue by sending web visitors to the sales giant.
According to Amazon, there are over 900,000 global members – all working to promote the company’s products and online presence.
10. Blue Origin
Technically speaking, Blue Origin is a different company from Amazon.
However, it’s worth noting that Amazon and Jeff Bezos can hardly be separated.
Without the famous founder’s extreme drive and vision, Amazon wouldn’t be what it is today.
And without his willingness to innovate, he never would have founded Blue Origin.
Like Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Blue Origin literally aims for the stars.
Its mission and goal – “millions of people living and working in space.”
Conclusion: Amazon Proves that Change Drives Success
It’s safe to say that Amazon’s defining trait has been its willingness to change.
What started as an online bookstore has become a multi-industry behemoth.
It has crushed companies that don’t innovate … it has revolutionized several industries … and it shows no signs of slowing.
The biggest lesson from this change management case study?
Innovation and change drive success .
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Discover how organizations are utilizing Prosci to customize our methodologies, incorporate training seamlessly into their corporate cultures, and expand the implementation of change management within their organizations.
UVA Elevates Project Portfolio Management With Prosci Change Management
SoCalGas Builds a Change-Ready Organization With Prosci
Credit Union Creates a Culture of Change and Change Learning
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Explore these inspiring tales of innovation, growth, and success from our valued customers. Learn how they harnessed our products and services to overcome challenges, drive transformation, and achieve extraordinary results.
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Testimonials from a Selection of Our Valued Clients
Gary Vansuch
Director of Process Improvement CDOT
Here at CDOT, we know that building and maintaining effective organizational change capability is crucial. Prosci’s approach is straightforward, research-based, and easy to use, and aligns with our strategic direction.
Mary Brackett
Senior Associate, Organizational Excellence University of Virgina
The practical nature of Prosci's approach to change management, along with the larger body of Prosci knowledge that's readily available to us, is paying tremendous dividends to the University of Virginia.
Quick Guide Change Management for all Cases
What Case Studies Teach Us
- © 2023
- Thomas Lauer 0
Faculty of Business and Law, Technical University Aschaffenburg, Aschaffenburg, Germany
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
- Compact practical tips on the most important success factors, based on science and practice
- Special notes on the most common events requiring change
- Numerous illustrative case studies
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Table of contents (6 chapters)
Front matter, change management: a brief introduction.
Thomas Lauer
Success Factors of Change Management
Change in the context of mergers & acquisitions, change as a result of digitalization, change in the context of corporate growth and professionalization, change in the context of business succession.
- Change Management Tips
- change management
- Corporate change
- Change management and corporate succession
- Change Management and M&A
- Change Management and Digitalization
- Change Management and Internationalization
- Change Management, Mergers, Acquisitions
- Case Studies Change Management
About this book
This Quick Guide to Change Management for all cases serves as a short guide. It offers those responsible and those affected a quick overview of how corporate change can succeed. To ensure practical transfer, it provides valuable tips based on real-life experiences and illustrated by a series of case studies drawn from the author's own research and consulting experience. In addition, there is an in-depth look at typical occasions of corporate change, such as business succession, acquisitions and mergers, digitalization and corporate growth or professionalization.
Authors and Affiliations
About the author.
Thomas Lauer has held a professorship for corporate management at the Technical University of Aschaffenburg for over 15 years. His areas of expertise include change management, strategic management, innovation management and customer-oriented corporate management. He has many years of consulting experience in the areas of change management and strategy and has also supervised numerous academic theses with large and medium-sized companies on the topic.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title : Quick Guide Change Management for all Cases
Book Subtitle : What Case Studies Teach Us
Authors : Thomas Lauer
DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-66625-8
Publisher : Springer Gabler Berlin, Heidelberg
eBook Packages : Business and Management , Business and Management (R0)
Copyright Information : The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE, part of Springer Nature 2023
Softcover ISBN : 978-3-662-66624-1 Published: 09 February 2023
eBook ISBN : 978-3-662-66625-8 Published: 12 March 2023
Edition Number : 1
Number of Pages : IX, 154
Number of Illustrations : 6 b/w illustrations
Topics : Human Resource Management
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Change Management: Results With and Without. A Case Study.
22 February 2022 Same change, same time, two different approaches, widely different outcomes. Article written by Nelly Tire and Vincent Piedboeuf
Prosci Europe's case studies offer practical insights for organisations wishing to make changes that stick.
Executive Summary
Why should I read? To get a real-life example of what can happen without a structured approach to managing the change. We uncover the difference in outcome between two organisations seeking to deploy the same technological solution to a recurrent and common issue in the personal care service sector.
Highlights:
- In one case, the implementation phase proved much longer than expected. Only half of the staff was or stayed on board. The gulf between the target set and the number of people proficiently using the change kept widening every day.
- The second case shows adoption and utilisation rates close to 88%. A clear CM plan with actionable strategies delivered expected results on time.
- For a complete overview of what a successful CM plan looks like, please see Keys to application.
Background
Year – 2021.
Sector – Personal Care Services.
Who – Two non-profit organisations offering social services such as childcare, home nursing, special assistance to vulnerable people, heavy-duty housework, etc.
What – In a nutshell, outdated paper-based management and monitoring systems generate errors, poor responsiveness, and late payments while also causing the organisations and the sector to miss out on new opportunities. The new "Mobile Teleprocessing System" attempts to leverage technology to optimise the provision of existing and future services.
Type of change – See below.
The challenge (why the change?)
Baseline. Managing and controlling provided services happens through a two-fold mechanism of phone check-in used by staff members in the home of users (elderly, physically- challenged people, etc.) and paper-form shift sheets subsequently signed by users (date of the month, number of hours).
Internal reasons to change. Both entities sought to provide practical solutions to recurrent problems reported by frontline employees/account services. Climbing on the train of digitisation was also expected to raise the sector's attractiveness. More specifically, both associations faced the following issues:
- The excessive shift sheet volume led to repeated data processing and validation delays, pushing back invoicing and wage payments to 15 days the following month.
- Frontline employees (caretakers) found it challenging to check-in using the user's phone landline .
- There were problems managing shift sheets/forms , sometimes signed by disabled or vulnerable people (users), by staff members themselves, when not simply lost.
External reasons to change. The availability of game-changing technological solutions, which could also respond to concerns related to funding, turned the change into a pressing issue. The mix of specific requirements and opportunities included:
- system loopholes – the phone clocking in/out mechanism could only be used for some services.
- technological developments and new apps designed to smooth out the problems of bureaucracy and speed up data exchange.
- requests from funders to better control the use of resources allocated to the associations and allow real-time communication with home care services.
The solution
This set of external and internal drivers led to "Mobile Teleprocessing" project. The overarching element of the action plan was the switch from the aforementioned "point system" (fixed phone system and shift sheets) to the use of a particular app running on a professional smartphone and connected in real-time with the all-in-one software for planning/accountancy . This advanced solution could also help manage instant alerts in case of a change in the internal working schedule. Sending off invoices would be just one click away. Other apps responding to specific health and care issues were also under consideration.
Expected benefits ranged from shortening processing times and reducing errors when logging data to improving communication with frontline employees and funders.
Keys to application – 1st case
Highlight: The first organisation implemented the solution within one month, impacting 500 employees. The plan was based upon Prosci's best practices and ADKAR model for individual change. Here is an overview of the main items:
a. Sponsorship, the face of change.
Active and visible sponsorship throughout the whole duration of the project is the number-one success factor of any change initiative. In this case, the Director-General was designated as the primary sponsor. Beyond its involvement in the early phases, he was provided with data fresh from the field to remind people of the rules and communicate results.
b. Bringing in Change Management resources.
The association allocated resources to CM, setting up a dedicated team with a change practitioner and a network of change agents.
c. Evaluating impact.
The organisation identified the groups impacted by the change (frontline employees, team leaders, accounting services) to prepare targeted training sessions.
d. Creating Awareness and Desire.
Before moving any further along the change journey, the association communicated extensively around the project and the strategic reasons underpinning it. They proceeded to:
- Convene and conduct a meeting to introduce the project and CM plan to team leaders and super-users.
- Get executives and team leaders actively involved with CM and fully committed to the process.
- Circulate a promotional film featuring the change and its rationale, along with footage of an employee using the new tool.
- Disseminating information on the intranet to communicate with frontline staff (caretakers operating in users' homes)
- Send mail communications to present the "Mobile Teleprocessing" project to users and employees.
e. Building Knowledge and Ability.
After completing the impact analysis and conducting preliminary campaigns to raise awareness and desire, the organisation started to prepare the people for the change. They did so by:
- Delivering 21 training sessions to 500 collaborators
- Choosing instructors among expert users
- Designing high-quality training materials, with a strong focus on user-friendliness (practical exercises, quizzes, appropriate evaluation forms, ….)
- Systematically collecting and analysing feedback to improve materials
- Creating FAQs on the intranet
- Uploading Video tutorials on the association website
- Developing memos for teams on specific topics
- At the end of the project, team leaders took over the role of instructors for new employees entering the application.
f. Reinforcing.
To ensure long-lasting results and effective use of the phone and app, the association proceeded to:
- Collect info on clocking in/out processes and the remaining volume of shift sheets.
- Hold a special briefing on results, including a quick review/reminder of the rules (main sponsor).
- Diffuse reminders on the intranet.
- Issue warning letters to people tricking the system by logging incorrect data, holding multiple broken phones, or repeatedly losing them.
Keys to application – 2 nd case
Highlight : The size of the change was even more significant in the second case, impacting about 800 employees. The expected time for completion was one month and a half. But unlike its counterpart, this association did not implement any structured Change Management plan. Team leaders viewed the technical solution as an easy fix.
Items : Team leaders were tasked with demonstrating how the application worked, with the following consequences:
- Employees complained that they received poor guidance and struggled to use the phone or the application.
- Employees perceived the new tool as a "policing instrument."
- The roll-out proved difficult, triggering resistance among staff and causing the training modules to be delivered late.
Results and Takeaways
Clear differences in outcomes show the importance of adopting a structured approach to managing the change. The implementation lasted one month without any significant setback in the first case . Not only did this association meet the deadline. Adoption and utilisation rates after four months were close to 88% . In contrast , implementation suffered from major delays in the second case . While leaders had planned on a one-month and a half roll-out, deployment was only complete after six months. Moreover, adoption and utilisation rates proved grossly insufficient , with a more modest 50%.
If all the above-described Change Management items account for what did go well in the first case, what went wrong in the second one?
A common mistake is to jump right into equipping the people without raising A wareness and creating D esire. This second case study clearly illustrates the consequences of not laying the foundations for the change. Omitting this part led to early resistances, crystallizing without any strategy or capacity to mitigate them. The new system was seen as a policing maneuver of sorts.
Furthermore, there was no attempt to create engaging training materials, leaving team leaders without a clear roadmap or tools to deliver K nowledge. Frontline employees lamented the lack of information or guidance. Issues with the phone connection in some rural regions also meant that employees were unable ( A bility) to use the solution. The new system, first seen as a quick fix, created distrust, and with nothing being done, the snowball effect sat in.
Change cannot be left to chance.
Check out our resources to learn more about Change Management and stay updated!
PROSCI Methodology in action
PROSCI's impact analysis provides a very accurate overview of the kind of change involved. The following "radar graphs" identify how the project "Mobile Teleprocessing" affects the three main target groups: Area Managers, Domestic Helpers, and Accounting Services. Most dimensions are self-explanatory [1] , but let's point out that processes , systems , tools, and critical behaviours – heavily emphasised in this case study – refer to:
- the "action steps to achieve a defined outcome" ( processes ), or how the provision of care services will be managed and monitored from this point on.
- the "combination of people and automated application" necessary to meet a set of goals ( systems ), in this case, all stakeholders and what is expected from them in terms of promoting, showcasing, and or being able to use the new "Mobile Teleprocessing" system.
- "an item used for a specific purpose" ( tools ), that is, a professional phone and related app to clock out, report, or log other relevant information.
- "a specific response to a stimulus" ( critical behaviours ), in this example, the consistent and proficient use of the professional phone and app.
[1] PROSCI's change impact model offers a robust framework to define the change along 10 dimensions that may impact people involved. These dimensions or areas typically include Processes (1), Systems (2), Tools (3), Professional Roles (4), Critical Behaviours (5), Mindset/Attitudes/Belief (6), Reporting Structure (7), Performance Review (8), Compensation (9), Location (10). To learn more: https://www.prosci.com/resources/articles/defining-change-impact
After having managed a large number of changes in a wide range of business sectors, Vincent Piedboeuf dedicates his time helping managers to optimise their return on investment through effective integration of the people side in their change projects. He is one of the most active Change Management instructors and certifies hundreds of people in Prosci methodology every year.
Nelly Tire and Vincent Piedboeuf
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