Change management study 2023

The use of data in change management has great potential that has not yet been sufficiently exploited. Decisions and actions are often not data-driven, and there is no measurement concerning the change’s success. Major obstacles are a lack of trust in the data itself and a lack of skills to evaluate and use the data for business decisions.

Our study results show that the level of an organization’s data maturity increases the success of its transformation efforts. The crucial factor in this context – people:

Data-driven leadership promotes change success

A key influencing factor for change success is data-driven leadership. Leaders who adopt data-driven approaches strengthen employees’ trust in the organization and thus increase change success by 23 percent.

Data transparency increases change success

Employees also feel a higher level of being informed when data used in the change process is handled transparently. The result is an increased sense of control, which in turn has a positive effect on change success. Specifically, 86 percent of employees in the study said they felt they could influence change when working in a data-driven organization.

Data maturity is essential for commitment and proactivity

The study also demonstrates that a high level of data maturity, the ability of an organization to meaningfully use its data, strengthens the learning culture in an organization. This learning culture is essential for commitment and proactivity in change. Organizations that rely on comprehensive data analytics show a 24 percent higher commitment to a learning culture and are more successful in implementing change for this reason.