A Science-Backed Approach to Change Can Double the Success of Transformation Efforts, New Accenture Report Finds

According to a new report from Accenture (NYSE:ACN), the vast majority of global organizations (96%) are planning to invest more than 5% of their total revenues in change initiatives over the next three years—up from 31% planning this level of investment just three years ago. At the same time, research indicates that a relatively small proportion of companies have actually mastered the ability to achieve significant value and impact from change initiatives. Amidst radical shifts in ways of working, changes in technology including generative AI, and the constant potential for unforeseeable disruption, the ability to effectively navigate and measure change has become a critical competency for C-suite leaders.

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According to a new report from Accenture, the vast majority of global organizations (96%) are planning to invest more than 5% of their total revenues in change initiatives over the next three years—up from 31% planning this level of investment just three years ago. (Graphic: Business Wire)

New research from Accenture suggests that there is a critical gap between confidence and ambition. Only 30% of C-suite leaders are confident in their change capabilities, despite 100% of them anticipating changes to their workforce. As business leaders are increasingly committed to driving reinvention across the enterprise, Accenture’s latest report underscores the value of building continuous change capabilities for achieving more predictable, positive impact across the business.

The report, “Change Reinvented: A New Blueprint for Continuous, Meaningful, Successful Change,” reveals key facets of what drives successful change, providing a clear blueprint that links the maturity of change capabilities with value delivered through transformation programs, allowing leaders to build and improve their change capabilities in a systematic manner.

The key to navigating change successfully, according to the report from Accenture, lies in embracing six capabilities of continuous change that high-performing organizations apply consistently to realize positive outcomes for the business and its people. These capabilities include Foundations, or proven practices known to drive success, as well as Innovations—areas of new thinking and practice enabled by technology, data and AI that are focused on turning insights into action. Together, these capabilities form the foundation of Accenture’s Change Capability Quotient, a robust method that codifies the practice of continuous change and, using data to predict the likelihood of successful change efforts, establishes a connection between the maturity of change capability and performance.