Context-based Adaptation of Change Management Practices: A Systematic Literature Review and a Research Agenda

Abstract

Despite the breadth of change management research, limited attention has been paid to how change management practices are adapted to specific organizational contexts. This review addresses this gap by examining how context is conceptualized in relation to change management. Based on a contingency approach, which underscores that processes and structures of an organization need to be adapted to the context for the organization to be successful, 73 papers are synthesized into six themes: (1) Perspective on context; (2) Internal and external contextual factors; (3) Assessment of contextual factors; (4) Perspective on change in change strategy; (5) Influence of contextual factors on the change management process; and (6) Evaluation of results. The findings reveal that most of the papers adopt an entity perspective on context, meaning context influences change, while about a quarter adopt the process perspective that context and change coexist. Contextual factors influence all phases of change but how is unclear. Most papers recommend assessing context before change, while some studies stress the need to reassess context during implementation. The review highlights theoretical and practical gaps and closes with a discussion of how managers might navigate and integrate divergent perspectives on context to adapt change management practices effectively.MAD statementSince limited research has focused on how change management practices are adapted to specific organizational contexts, this study provides an insightful overview of the dual perspectives on context – entity and process – and their implications for adaptation. The potential value of integrating insights from both perspectives to support a reflective and context-based adaptation of change management practices is highlighted. It discusses how managers could be inspired by both perspectives on context to help them to adapt their change management practices. Finally, an agenda is proposed to guide future research. By promoting context-based adaptation of change management practices, this research supports SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure).