In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, more executives are recognizing that building a “muscle for change” — one that enables their organization to be more adaptable, flexible, and proactive — is no longer just a competitive advantage; it’s a critical factor for success… and even for an organization’s survival. Companies that can lead change effectively are better positioned to stay ahead, innovate, and succeed amidst constant disruption. But to do this, the capacity for change must not be limited to just a few individuals or small teams. Change needs to be an organization-wide competency, with everyone playing a role in driving it forward.
One rising solution to this challenge is the creation of an Organizational Change Center of Excellence (CoE). This approach is gaining popularity as it centralizes expertise, provides resources, and ensures that change becomes a unified and systematic process across the company.
The Benefits of a Change Center of Excellence
While one piece to a larger puzzle, a Change CoE establishes a consistent and scalable approach to transformation. It acts as a centralized body that oversees, guides, and supports change initiatives across the company. Benefits of this model include:
- Visible Commitment to Change: Establishing a Change CoE signals that senior leaders are serious about transformation by dedicating time, resources, and personnel to manage and drive change efforts. At Kotter, we’ve observed that when organizations make this visible commitment, it inspires confidence in employees and signals the importance of adaptability at every level.
- Unified Leadership of Change Initiatives: A CoE provides a central group, not just a single individual, to shepherd the implementation of change efforts. Methodologies and frameworks can be consistently applied across the organization, creating a common and cohesive approach to change. This ensures that all efforts, from digital to cultural to operational transformations, align with the organization’s broader strategic goals.
- Access to Expertise and Resources: A well-established Change CoE provides a resource that employees can tap into with confidence. At Kotter , we emphasize that having a central team or hub of change experts helps prevent fragmented efforts and reinforces the idea that change is an organization-wide responsibility. Employees feel empowered when they know where to go for guidance, support, and best practices in leading change.
Risks of a Change CoE: What to Watch Out For
While the benefits of a Change CoE make a strong case for the concept, there are potential risks if not introduced and managed effectively.
- Avoiding the “Not My Job” Effect: One common pitfall Kotter has helped organizations avoid is the perception that change is solely the CoE’s responsibility. When this happens, employees can become disengaged, viewing change efforts as something external rather than something they are personally invested in. The approach emphasizes the importance of engaging every employee in the change process, making change leadership part of the organization’s DNA, not confined to a single group. Part of this is achieved by utilizing an approach that invites people to contextualize and personalize its application while remaining true to the fundamental principles behind it.
- Connecting Change to Day-to-Day Work If a CoE is treated as an isolated effort, it can become disconnected from the realities of day-to-day work. Change needs to be integrated into the way people work, not something they feel is imposed from outside. A successful CoE ensures that change efforts are embedded into the culture and operations of the organization and meaningful to the day-to-day work of all employees.
Kotter’s Methodology: The Backbone of Your Change Center of Excellence
A Change CoE is most effective when supported by a robust methodology. Kotter‘s Science of Change provides a comprehensive, behavior-driven, and human-centered approach that serves as the backbone for building an organization-wide capability for change. It’s not just about implementing a framework but introducing a methodology that guides how people think about and approach transformation.
The 8 Accelerators, part of Kotter‘s framework, provide the structure needed to drive large-scale transformation. Like taking a new phone out of the box with the confidence that it has been through quality control, the Accelerators offer reliable, tested “hardware” for guiding change. But the methodology goes deeper by incorporating neuroscience and principles of behavior change that truly unlock the potential of this framework. It’s the inherent adaptability of the methodology combined with the reliability of the framework that drives lasting results.
Amplifying Other Investments
Kotter‘s approach doesn’t compete with other frameworks you may have in place – such as Agile, SAFe, LEAN, or ADKAR. Instead, it complements and amplifies them. The methodology is designed to plug into and surround existing initiatives, strengthening the overall change muscle of the organization and providing a holistic way to approach transformation.
The reason it works is because the methodology is founded on empirical research. Instead of formulating a hypothesis for how to lead and manage change and then testing the hypothesis in the field, Kotter‘s research is based on posing a question and then studying the patterns that reveal the answer. In this way, Kotter did not “invent” what we call the Science of Change, but rather has distilled and documented it so many people and organizations can benefit from it.
Engaging the Entire Organization
Building a strong change capability requires engaging the entire organization, from the CEO to the front line. Kotter emphasizes the need to create a common language for change, unifying everyone in the organization around shared goals and a common methodology. Tailoring the engagement to different audiences—meeting them where they are—is crucial for successful adoption. Our approach encourages organizations to customize the delivery of change initiatives in ways that are practical, relevant, and meaningful for different segments of the workforce.
Establishing a Change Center of Excellence, powered by Kotter‘s proven methodology, can dramatically increase an organization’s adaptability and competitive edge. By introducing a comprehensive, flexible, human-centered approach to change, organizations can build the muscle they need to thrive in a constantly evolving world.
