For decades, ‘management change’ was one of the most powerful branches of management science. It emerged as a subject mostly in the second half of the twentieth century. Kurt Lewin is often considered the ‘father’ of this field, with his renowned 1940s unfreeze-change-refreeze model, which introduced the notion that change is a structured process.
During the 1980s and 1990s, models such as Kotter’s (the well-known 8 steps), Bridges, ADKAR, among others, proliferated. It was a time when companies were increasingly dealing with restructuring, mergers, globalization, and the early stages of digitalization. Change was seen as a project, with a beginning, a middle and an end.
All these models rest on the assumption that change is a phenomenon bounded in time: something to be planned, communicated, resisted, and ultimately stabilized. The underlying view was linear and relatively predictable: one designed a plan, engaged people, and applied tools.
Today, however, this perspective collides with the context surrounding us: digital and social acceleration with no pause between changes; VUCA/BANI environments marked by volatility, anxiety, and non-linearity; and organizations exposed to multiple shocks simultaneously (markets, politics, climate, artificial intelligence, culture).
The result? There is no time to follow a classical script. Change is no longer managed in chapters, with checklists in hand, like a project. We now live in permanent change.
Still, several elements of the change management legacy remain highly relevant. First, clear communication: shaping narratives and making sense of events is still central. Second, empathy: leaders must understand the human impact of change. Third, engagement and leadership: leaders should lead by example, be present, and inspire. Finally, some degree of structure: small anchors (checkpoints, vision updates, celebrating achievements, clarifying milestones) provide orientation amid the chaos.
The complete map may have lost its usefulness, but the compasses endure. So, what can organizations do?
Rather than searching for “winning formulas,” organizations should cultivate agility, prepare teams to adapt quickly, and prioritize experimentation and prototyping – a ‘test & learn’ mindset. It is essential to foster a culture of continuous learning, where mistakes are a source of insight rather than failure or stigma. Strengthening resilience and well-being conditions is equally important. Change also means navigating emotions, which can be sources of rupture. Finally, communication must be treated as an ongoing dialogue, rather than a series of sporadic announcements.
Change management was, and continues to be, a valuable contribution. But perhaps it is time to move beyond the illusion that change is something to be managed from beginning to end. It is, by nature, unpredictable.
What we need are leaders and organizations capable of dancing with change, embracing it as a permanent state, and transforming turbulence into creative energy.
Ultimately, this is about transforming the organization into a learning machine and moving towards what I often describe as the domestication of the unexpected.
Duarte Silva, Development Manager Executive Education at Católica-Lisbon SBE