Critical success factors of change management: An empirical research in german small and medium-sized enterprises

Abstract

Change management is omnipresent in organisations as companies have to transform constantly. This applies not only to large corporations operating in an international context, but also to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Yet executing a change project is accompanied by great challenges and most change initiatives are not entirely successful. Despite the fact that SMEs are the backbone of the German economy little empirical work has been done concerning change management in these companies. Tim Fritzenschaft explores the issue how SMEs can deal with resistance to change and which critical success factors of change management are most important in a transformation project.