change management

Definition

The structured approach to transitioning individuals and organizations from the current state to a desired future state. In practice, it's PowerPoints about change curves while employees panic about their jobs.

Example Usage

The change management team sent another email about 'embracing the journey,' but nobody knows if we're being reorganized or laid off.

Origin

Formalized as a discipline in the 1990s, building on Kurt Lewin's change model from the 1940s

Fun Fact

About 70% of organizational change initiatives fail, yet companies keep hiring change management consultants at premium rates.

Source: Organizational development and transformation consulting

Related Terms

Intermediate

Retention

The corporate art of convincing employees not to leave, usually attempted only after they've already accepted another offer. Retention strategies include counter-offers, pizza parties, and the classic "but we're a family" speech.

👥 Human Resources

Beginner

retrain

The corporate equivalent of hitting the reset button on your career because your skills have become as obsolete as a floppy disk. It's when companies decide to teach old dogs new tricks rather than hiring new dogs, usually after technology has rendered your expertise irrelevant. Often involves uncomfortable Zoom sessions where you pretend to understand AI while secretly Googling basic terms.

👥 Human Resources

Intermediate

Performance Review

An annual ritual where your entire year of work is compressed into a 30-minute conversation and a rating between 1 and 5 that determines your raise, your bonus, and your will to live. It's American Idol but for spreadsheet proficiency.

👥 Human Resources

Advanced

pre-boarding

The engagement process between accepting a job offer and the first day of work, designed to keep candidates excited and prevent them from ghosting. It's like dating after getting engaged—you've committed, but someone might still get cold feet.

👥 Human Resources

Beginner

unlimited PTO

A vacation policy with no set limit on days off, theoretically giving employees freedom but often resulting in people taking less time off due to guilt and unclear boundaries. It's Schrödinger's benefit—simultaneously generous and stingy.

👥 Human Resources

Beginner

reference check

The practice of contacting a candidate's previous employers or colleagues to verify their claims and uncover potential red flags. Essentially calling their exes to ask if they were really as great as they claim.

👥 Human Resources

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g2t2s

got to talk to someone...