The Language of Business: What Change Managers Must Learn to Speak
When we talk about organizational change, we often think about communication, engagement, leadership, and resistance. Curiously, however, few change management professionals focus on measuring what truly matters: results.
Recent findings from the Change Management Global Survey 2025, conducted by the Human Change Management Institute (HUCMI) in partnership with the Change Management Alliance, reveal a concerning reality—less than 40% of projects use assimilation indicators to measure the actual value of changes.
The Root Cause: Not Speaking the Language of Business
So, what explains this gap? The answer is simple and uncomfortable: change professionals still struggle to speak the language of business.
That language includes goals, performance indicators, ROI, productivity, and strategic results that justify investments. Without fluency in this language, it becomes difficult to gain credibility with senior leadership, who ultimately decide where investments go and how much weight human factors carry in transformation initiatives.
Why Measuring Change Outcomes Matters
According to the HCMBOK® – Human Change Management Body of Knowledge, one principle is clear: change is only justified when it creates business value. Value that is perceived, measurable, tangible—not merely a “feeling” that people liked the change.
Change assimilation metrics serve three critical purposes.
1. Confirm Whether Strategic Objectives Were Achieved
Implementing a new process, system, or organizational structure is not the finish line. What truly matters to senior management is:
- Did the expected results materialize?
- Were the desired changes fully adopted?
- Did the investment pay off?
Without metrics, these answers are little more than educated guesses. As the saying goes, what cannot be measured cannot be managed.
2. Indicate When Course Corrections Are Needed
Metrics work like a corporate GPS.
- They highlight delays, bottlenecks, and deviations.
- They support decisions about reinforcing communication, training, engagement actions, technology adjustments, or process redesign.
- They help identify risks before they turn into real problems.
Without indicators, organizations often realize the need for adjustments only after avoidable friction and resistance have already taken their toll.
3. Reinforce the Strategic Role of Change Management
Change management professionals often face the misconception that their role is limited to “soft” activities—such as morale, motivation, celebrations, and internal climate. Metrics change that narrative.
With data, the conversation shifts to statements like:
- “Target behavior adoption increased by 35% after reinforcement training.”
- “Service cycle time was reduced by 12% following process implementation.”
- “Post-stabilization ROI is 18% higher than originally projected.”
Nothing speaks louder to the board of directors than numbers. Metrics build credibility—and credibility secures future budgets.
Types of Change Metrics: Not Everything Is a Number, But Numbers Carry More Weight
Change metrics can be quantitative or qualitative. Perceptions matter, yes—but let’s be honest: in executive meetings, charts close discussions.
Quantitative Indicators (Boardroom Favorites)
These are the metrics that make CFOs pay attention:
- ROI (Return on Investment).
- Productivity before vs. after the change.
- Reduction in rework and operational failures.
- Business case KPIs.
These indicators provide concrete evidence that the change has been institutionalized.
Qualitative Indicators (Explaining What Numbers Alone Cannot)
- Perception and trust surveys.
- Leadership interviews.
- Behavioral observations.
- Leadership alignment workshops.
These insights act as captions for quantitative data, helping explain causes, context, and consequences.
Why Do Change Managers Still Measure So Little?
The survey highlights three significant gaps in current change management practices:
1. Lack of a Data-Oriented Culture
In many organizations, measuring change outcomes is still not embedded in the change management culture.
2. Excessive Focus on Activities Instead of Results
Many professionals remain focused on tasks, spreadsheets, and PowerPoint decks rather than outcomes. HCMBOK® has warned for years: activities enable results—but they are not results themselves.
3. Weak Connection Between Change Management and Strategy
Without a clear understanding of business goals, financial drivers, and the business case, change professionals lack the foundation needed to engage in meaningful dialogue with executives.
The good news? This gap is entirely fixable. It requires abandoning outdated approaches and moving toward deeper integration with the language of business. In short, change management must learn how to change itself.
Measuring Change Is Not Optional—It’s Professional
Change assimilation indicators, widely recommended by HCMBOK®, demonstrate whether change is actually happening in practice—not just in perception. These indicators measure what occurs during the post-implementation phase, as changes stabilize and become fully institutionalized.
Most importantly, they prove that change management is not a cost, but a value-generating investment.
In a landscape where fewer than 40% of projects measure expected change outcomes, professionals who master change assimilation metrics become indispensable.
And you—how are you measuring indicators of change assimilation today?
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To learn more about Organizational Change Management, we recommend reading this related article:
https://change.management.hucmi.com/antagonism-management/
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