Minimising Risk—The Application of Kotter’s Change Management Model on Customer Relationship Management Systems: A Case Study

Abstract

Implementing a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system requires significant consideration with respect to change management and the associated business risks. This paper describes how to best achieve the change goal and minimize these risks. The research question under investigation is: “How can Kotter’s change management model be used effectively to enhance the value and utilisation of a CRM system”. Kotter’s eight-stage change model is the adopted change model used by the organisation under study. As business intelligence (BI) is a growing field within industry and academia alike, limited substantive research has been done regarding how to manage the change process itself within a BI project. Often research either focuses on the technical development (e.g., agile methodology) or the change process from a holistic perspective. However, both are needed to effectively manage the risk of failure. The research design for this study was that of a single organisation case study. The research questions were addressed by using a deductive research style. To allow for multiple perspectives and triangulation of the data, a mixed-methods approach (Quant + QUAL) was used. Outcomes of the research showed that whilst there was some success in the implementation of Kotter’s change model, it could have been significantly improved if the competencies identified in this research were considered and incorporated prior and during the change journey. Building on Kotter’s classic work with change management, this research fills the gap by describing the pertinent competencies required in managing the change process, identifying common pitfalls and investigating the common threads between the ‘data to outcome’ process and the change management process to better mitigate the risk This paper adds value to current change literature/models by defining and describing the importance of these competencies when embarking on a change program related to BI tools and systems and how these competencies are incorporated into Kotter’s model.