Change management refers to either cultural, technical, or physical approaches to managing changes and its impact on resources, people, and business processes.

Organizational vs. Resource Change Management

Organizational change management is closely tied to organizational culture and behaviors, as well as human psychology. The field of organizational change management addresses human responses to either perceived or real change and how that response ca affect organizational cultures, employee attitudes and relationships, and business performance.

Within the sphere of information management, change management addresses the implementation and control of changes to technology resources, including hardware, software, documentation, people, and business processes. A common goal of change management control practices is the assurance that Information Resources are protected against improper modification before, during, and after system implementation.

Resource change types:

• Implementation of new functionality
• Interruption of service
• Repair of existing functionality
• Removal of existing functionality
• Patch and update functionality

Governance and Risk Management Implications

Change management is a prerequisite of operational risk management and audit. Companies must develop strategic management policies, procedures, and standards in order to ensure continuity and continuous improvement of business process-enabling technologies. Change management, asset management, and business process management are three strategic management disciplines that predate attempts to approach governance, risk management, and compliance as an integrated enterprise discipline.