Corporate change is notoriously difficult and often fails. One reason is that success is considered to depend only on how change is executed—that is, the quality of “change management.” We argue that change must instead be treated as a strategic problem, varying the approach to change depending on the type of challenge encountered and the internal characteristics of the company.

Instead of defaulting to the standard change management methods, leaders should adopt strategies of change that respond appropriately to the specific characteristics of their change context.