Competencies for managing change

Organisational changes are recognised as a specific project type that can benefit from the application of project management skills, tools and techniques. Associated with this trend is evidence of rivalry in the marketplace between Project Managers and Change Managers concerning who should be managing business change. And these are not the only contenders. Corporate executives and senior managers, although they may engage the assistance of both Project Managers and Change Managers, generally see themselves as taking the leading roles in managing major organisational changes and transformations. As such endeavours are most likely to take the form of programs, comprising multiple projects across the organization, Program Managers are seen by some as being most likely to be responsible for managing organisational change initiatives. This paper reports on research undertaken to explore the differences in approach and practice of Project, Program and Change Managers as a basis for determining the competencies required to effectively manage change initiatives.