Change Agility vs. Change Management

Why Embracing Agility is Essential for Today’s Business Leaders

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, the pace of change is relentless. With the rise of technologies like Generative AI reshaping entire industries, leaders are facing a new era where traditional approaches to managing change simply aren’t enough. In this environment, the concept of “change agility” has emerged as a critical skill for organizations to not only survive but thrive. But what exactly is the difference between change agility and change management, and why does it matter for the future of business?

Defining Change Management vs. Change Agility

Change management is a structured process designed to lead organizations through well-defined transitions. It involves developing strategies, tools, and techniques to manage the people side of change, ensuring a smooth, controlled transition. Historically, this was enough to guide businesses through predictable shifts.

Change agility, however, is about cultivating the mindset and organizational readiness to anticipate, adapt, and respond to ongoing, rapid changes. It’s not about handling a single transition, but about maintaining flexibility in a constantly evolving landscape. In the era of AI, where disruption is constant, change agility is critical for long-term success.

My Journey into Change: From Federal Policy to Corporate Transformations

Looking back at my career, I can see that change and innovation have always been central to my work—starting with one of the first large-scale transformation projects I had the privilege to be part of.

In 2006, I was selected to work on the implementation of the National SMART Grant as part of the Higher Education Reconciliation Act. President George W. Bush signed the bill into law, and in just four months, we were tasked with disbursing funds to thousands of students pursuing high-demand majors like engineering, mathematics, and technology. What many didn’t realize was the massive amount of work behind the scenes—reconciling data from two completely disparate systems held by different federal contractors had never been done before.

I was placed on the policy implementation team, thanks to my background in federal policy (I have a Master’s in Public Administration) and my understanding of technology and change management. The challenge was enormous, but by leveraging communication skills and assembling a strong change management team, we successfully implemented new processes, streamlined communications, and disbursed funds to 60,000 students in the first year.

This experience was personal for me. As someone who had benefited from federal and state aid in my own education, the success of this program wasn’t just professional—it was deeply meaningful. I saw firsthand how effective change management could make a difference, not just in systems, but in people’s lives.

Fast Forward: Navigating Corporate Transformations

My career eventually led me to corporate environments, where I’ve led or been part of over 20 large-scale transformations for Fortune 500 companies. From migrating businesses to AWS cloud storage to redesigning operating models after mergers, I’ve seen how much more dynamic and complex change has become in modern organizations.

One example that stands out is helping a company shift from hardware products to a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model. This transformation required changes across technology, people, and processes. It wasn’t just about implementing new systems; it meant upskilling an entire workforce, redefining business models, and embracing innovation. While traditional change management techniques helped guide the process, our ability to remain agile—pivoting and adapting quickly—ensured the success of the transformation.

During my time as the Director of Organizational Effectiveness at Slalom Inc., my team and I introduced a change agility approach to help companies manage continuous transformations. It was clear that while structured change management was important, it wasn’t enough to keep pace with the constant disruptions businesses faced. Embracing change agility became the key to staying competitive.

The Fundamentals of Change Agility: What Leaders Need to Know

As businesses face increasingly rapid and complex shifts, leaders must adopt change agility to navigate these transitions effectively. Below are the key fundamentals every leader should know to successfully implement change agility:

1. Cultivate a Growth Mindset

Leaders must encourage teams to view change as an opportunity for learning and growth. A growth mindset allows organizations to embrace innovation and experimentation, even in the face of failure. This shift in mentality is crucial for organizations looking to remain adaptable.

2. Develop Adaptive Leadership

Leaders must be flexible and responsive, adjusting quickly to new information and leading their teams through uncertainty. Rather than relying on hierarchical decision-making, adaptive leaders empower teams to make decisions in real-time, allowing the organization to respond faster to changes.

3. Foster Cross-Functional Collaboration

Breaking down silos and encouraging collaboration across departments is essential for change agility. Cross-functional teams bring diverse perspectives and can quickly adapt to new challenges, making the organization more agile and responsive.

4. Empower Decentralized Decision-Making

To respond quickly to changes, decisions should not be confined to top leadership. Empowering teams to make decisions at every level allows the organization to pivot rapidly and adapt to real-time feedback.

5. Encourage Resilience and Emotional Intelligence

Navigating change requires resilience and emotional intelligence. Leaders must provide emotional support and foster trust, helping their teams bounce back from challenges and remain productive during turbulent times.

6. Create a Feedback Loop and Iterate Quickly

Agile organizations gather feedback continuously, using it to make quick adjustments. By setting up regular feedback mechanisms, teams can learn from real-time data and iterate rapidly, avoiding the pitfalls of static change processes.

7. Leverage Technology for Flexibility

The right technology enables organizations to stay agile, whether through collaboration tools, data analytics, or AI. Investing in scalable, flexible technologies is critical to maintaining change agility.

Rethinking Change: From Waterfall to Change Agility

Traditionally, many organizations approached change using the waterfall method and Lewin’s unfreeze–change–refreeze model developed in the 1940s. 

Yes, you read that correctly! Kurt Lewin was a physicist and social psychologist who developed this model as a cornerstone of change management that’s is still widely used today. Let that sink in.

While these approaches worked well in stable environments, they don’t hold up in today’s fast-paced world. Below is a comparison of how these models differ from change agility using the example of migrating databases to the cloud.

Aspect	Waterfall & Freeze/Unfreeze Approach	Change Agility Approach
Change Example	Migrating databases from on-premise to cloud infrastructure with a detailed plan.	Transitioning to the cloud using an iterative, flexible approach.
Planning	Linear, upfront planning: Everything is planned in detail from the start.	Continuous, adaptive planning: Plans evolve in response to feedback.
Change Phases	Freeze-Unfreeze-Refreeze: A rigid process with a fixed end-state.	Ongoing adaptation: Change is continuous, with no assumption of a fixed end.
Execution	Top-down, siloed execution: Leadership dictates the plan, executed by a few teams.	Cross-functional execution: Multiple teams collaborate throughout the process.
Decision-Making	Centralized: Decisions are made by leadership.	Decentralized: Teams have the authority to make decisions based on real-time data.
Feedback	Post-change feedback: Feedback is collected after completion.	Real-time feedback: Continuous feedback shapes ongoing iterations.
Time to Completion	Fixed timeline: Completion is scheduled long in advance.	Flexible timeline: The project is completed in iterative phases.
Handling Resistance	One-time engagement: Stakeholders are engaged early and late in the process.	Continuous engagement: Stakeholders provide feedback throughout the process.
Outcome	Rigid end-state: The change is finalized, with minimal adjustments afterward.	Ongoing evolution: The system evolves based on continuous feedback and optimization.

The Age of AI: Why Change Agility is the Future

As we look ahead, the pace of change is only accelerating. Technologies like AI and Generative AI are transforming industries, and businesses can no longer rely on static strategies to lead through disruption. Those who cling to traditional change management methods will struggle to keep up.

Change agility, on the other hand, is about embracing an entrepreneurial mindset. In this new era, businesses must view change as an opportunity, experiment with new ideas, and adapt quickly when those ideas don’t work. As someone who has taught strategic innovation and organizational behavior at a high-ranked business school since 2015, I’ve seen how these entrepreneurial skills are critical for success—not just for startups, but for large corporations too.

Leading into the Future

When I began my career, I didn’t fully appreciate how impactful change could be—not just for organizations, but for individuals. Today, I see it more clearly than ever. From my early days in federal policy to leading corporate transformations, I’ve always been drawn to the potential that change holds.

As we enter a new era driven by AI and continuous disruption, change management is no longer enough. Change agility is the key to thriving in this new world. It’s about fostering resilience, embracing uncertainty, and maintaining the flexibility to adapt as the landscape shifts beneath us.

Ready to embrace change agility? Whether you’re interested in keynote speeches, consulting, or leadership development, I can help your organization build the capabilities to lead through the next wave of transformation. Reach out today to learn how we can create an agile, change-ready future together.

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