--- title: Cost of Organizational Change Management | Levvel description: Understand the true cost of organizational change management and learn how to align support with your specific change risks to maximize your investment. image: https://levvel.ca/hubfs/Levvel%20Logos/Levvel_Featured_Solutions_Services_1200x630.png --- [Skip to content](https://levvel.ca/organizational-change-management-cost#main-content) [![Levvel, Business in Balance](https://levvel.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/Levvel%20Logos/L_Levvel_TAG_Orange_RGB.png?width=200&height=75&name=L_Levvel_TAG_Orange_RGB.png)](https://levvel.ca/?hsLang=en-ca) - [Solutions](https://levvel.ca/organizational-change-management-solutions) Show submenu for Solutions - [All OCM Solutions](https://levvel.ca/organizational-change-management-solutions) - [01 AI moving ahead of the people side](https://levvel.ca/solutions/ai-adoption) - [02 A transformation losing momentum](https://levvel.ca/solutions/transformation-momentum) - [03 Change handled one initiative at a time](https://levvel.ca/solutions/change-maturity) - [04 A leadership team not truly aligned](https://levvel.ca/solutions/executive-alignment) - [05 Change with no operating model](https://levvel.ca/solutions/change-operating-model) - [06 Managers who can’t carry the change](https://levvel.ca/solutions/leadership-alignment) - [07 An organization worn down by change](https://levvel.ca/solutions/change-fatigue) - [How We Work](https://levvel.ca/how-we-work) Show submenu for How We Work - [The Balanced Change™ Model](https://levvel.ca/how-we-work) - [Services](https://levvel.ca/organizational-change-management-services) - [Assessments](https://levvel.ca/organizational-change-management-assessments) - [Workshops](https://levvel.ca/organizational-change-management-workshops) - [Learning Programs](https://levvel.ca/organizational-change-management-learning-programs) - [Perspectives](https://levvel.ca/insights) - [About](https://levvel.ca/about-us) Show submenu for About - [About Levvel](https://levvel.ca/about-us) - [Our team](https://levvel.ca/about-us#team) - [Our social impact](https://levvel.ca/about/social-responsibility) - [Giving Back](https://levvel.ca/about-us/giving-back) - [Contact Us](https://levvel.ca/contact) Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Solutions](https://levvel.ca/organizational-change-management-solutions) Show submenu for Solutions - [All OCM Solutions](https://levvel.ca/organizational-change-management-solutions) - [01 AI moving ahead of the people side](https://levvel.ca/solutions/ai-adoption) - [02 A transformation losing momentum](https://levvel.ca/solutions/transformation-momentum) - [03 Change handled one initiative at a time](https://levvel.ca/solutions/change-maturity) - [04 A leadership team not truly aligned](https://levvel.ca/solutions/executive-alignment) - [05 Change with no operating model](https://levvel.ca/solutions/change-operating-model) - [06 Managers who can’t carry the change](https://levvel.ca/solutions/leadership-alignment) - [07 An organization worn down by change](https://levvel.ca/solutions/change-fatigue) - [How We Work](https://levvel.ca/how-we-work) Show submenu for How We Work - [The Balanced Change™ Model](https://levvel.ca/how-we-work) - [Services](https://levvel.ca/organizational-change-management-services) - [Assessments](https://levvel.ca/organizational-change-management-assessments) - [Workshops](https://levvel.ca/organizational-change-management-workshops) - [Learning Programs](https://levvel.ca/organizational-change-management-learning-programs) - [Perspectives](https://levvel.ca/insights) - [About](https://levvel.ca/about-us) Show submenu for About - [About Levvel](https://levvel.ca/about-us) - [Our team](https://levvel.ca/about-us#team) - [Our social impact](https://levvel.ca/about/social-responsibility) - [Giving Back](https://levvel.ca/about-us/giving-back) - [Contact Us](https://levvel.ca/contact) - [Book a Free Consultation](https://outlook.office.com/book/BookafreeconsultationwithLevvel@levvel.ca/?ismsaljsauthenabled=true) [Book a Free Consultation](https://outlook.office.com/book/BookafreeconsultationwithLevvel@levvel.ca/?ismsaljsauthenabled=true) [Home](https://levvel.ca/?hsLang=en-ca) › [OCM Solutions](https://levvel.ca/organizational-change-management-solutions?hsLang=en-ca) › Cost of OCM Cost of OCM # What affects the cost of organizational change management? The cost of organizational change management depends on a handful of factors: the scope and size of the change, the number of people impacted, the level of adoption risk, and how long the initiative runs, not a fixed price list. The more useful question is the cost of getting it wrong: most transformations that under-invest in the people side fail to deliver their expected return. Right-sizing change support to the actual risk is what protects the investment. [Book a free consultation ›](https://outlook.office.com/book/BookafreeconsultationwithLevvel@levvel.ca/?ismsaljsauthenabled=true) [See our OCM overview](https://levvel.ca/organizational-change-management-solutions?hsLang=en-ca) The basics ## What actually drives the cost of change management? There is no single price for organizational change management, because there is no single kind of change. Cost tracks a handful of drivers: the scope and size of the change, the number of people it touches, the level of adoption risk, and how long the work runs. The more useful question is not the price of change support, it is the cost of getting the change wrong. [McKinsey’s transformation research](https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/transformation/our-insights/why-do-most-transformations-fail-a-conversation-with-harry-robinson) finds that roughly 70% of large-scale change programs fall short of their goals, and the people side of execution is the usual cause. Right-sizing change support to the actual risk is what protects the investment. Scope ## How do the size and scope of the change affect cost? A change confined to one team costs far less to support than a transformation spanning multiple business units, systems, and locations. Each additional group of impacted people adds communication, role-based learning, and readiness work. ### People impacted The number and variety of roles affected is the single biggest driver of effort. ### Systems and process More platforms and workflows to change means more to explain, train, and reinforce. ### Geography and structure Multiple sites, languages, or business units multiply the coordination required. ### Duration Longer programs need sustained support through go-live and into adoption. Risk ## How does adoption risk change the cost? Adoption risk, the likelihood that people will not take up the new way of working, is where change budgets earn their keep. High-risk change (unpopular, unfamiliar, or landing on already-stretched teams) warrants more support; lower-risk change warrants less. 70% Roughly **70% of large-scale transformations** fall short of their goals, and the leading cause is the people side of change rather than the strategy or technology. That gap is the real cost of under-investing. [Paraphrased from McKinsey & Company, 2019](https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/transformation/our-insights/why-do-most-transformations-fail-a-conversation-with-harry-robinson) The real cost ## What is the cost of not investing in change management? When the people side is under-resourced, the change stalls: adoption slips, benefits arrive late or not at all, and the organization pays twice, once for the solution and again for the rework, lost productivity, and abandoned initiatives that follow. The alternative is not to spend more; it is to spend deliberately. [McKinsey’s research](https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/successful-transformations) finds that transformations are several times more likely to succeed when the people side is managed deliberately, which reframes change support as protection for money already committed rather than an added expense. How we help ## How do you right-size change support to your budget? Grounded in **Balanced Change™**, Levvel assesses adoption risk and scope first, then scales the level of support to fit, concentrating effort where risk is highest and keeping it lean where it is not. Step 1 ### Assess the risk Understand scope, people impacted, and where adoption is most likely to falter. Step 2 ### Scale the support Fit-for-purpose change effort matched to the actual risk, not a fixed package. Step 3 ### Protect the return Focus spend where it defends the value of the investment you have already made. Where it pays off ### Change support is an investment in a return you have already committed to A named client example with a verified cost-avoidance or adoption outcome will appear here once the figure is confirmed and cleared for publication. Common questions ## The cost of change management, FAQ ### What factors affect the cost of change management? Cost is driven by the scope and size of the change, the number of people impacted, the level of adoption risk, and how long the initiative runs, not a fixed price list. Levvel scopes each engagement to those factors so you pay for the level of support the change actually needs. ### How do the size and scope of the change affect cost? A single-team process change needs far less support than an enterprise transformation touching thousands of people across multiple sites. More people, more systems, and more locations mean more communication, training, and readiness work, and therefore more cost. ### How does adoption risk change the cost? The higher the risk that people will not adopt the new way of working, the more change support is warranted, because that is exactly where value leaks away. Right-sizing spend to adoption risk is how you protect the return rather than over- or under-investing. ### What is the cost of not investing in change management? It is usually far larger than the change budget itself. McKinsey’s research finds roughly 70% of transformations fall short of their goals, most often because of the people side, so under-investing risks the entire value of the initiative, not just a line item. ### How do you right-size change support to your budget? Levvel starts by assessing adoption risk and scope, then scales Balanced Change™ to fit, concentrating effort where risk is highest and keeping it light where it is not. That produces a defensible level of investment tied to the actual risk, not a generic package. ### What is the return on investment of change management? McKinsey’s research finds transformations are several times more likely to succeed when the people side is managed deliberately than when it is neglected, which is why structured change support is best read as protection for the investment already committed. Keep exploring ## Related reading ### [Pillar page Organizational Change Management Consulting in Calgary All seven change problems and how Balanced Change™ connects them. Read the overview →](https://levvel.ca/organizational-change-management-solutions?hsLang=en-ca) ### [Sibling topic Assessments Every Levvel engagement starts by scoping the change and its risk, which is what determines cost. See our assessments →](https://levvel.ca/organizational-change-management-assessments?hsLang=en-ca) ### [Sibling topic Change management for digital transformation Technology is often the largest line in a transformation budget, and adoption decides whether that spend pays off. Explore digital transformation →](https://levvel.ca/change-management-digital-transformation?hsLang=en-ca) ## Wondering what change support should cost for your initiative? There is no rate card. The honest answer depends on your scope and risk. Talk it through with our team in a free consultation. [Book a free consultation](https://outlook.office.com/book/BookafreeconsultationwithLevvel@levvel.ca/?ismsaljsauthenabled=true) [Talk to our team](https://levvel.ca/contact?hsLang=en-ca) Levvel is grateful to work on treaty lands and territory of the Indigenous Peoples (Inuit, First Nations, and Métis), also called Canada. These lands and cultures continue to benefit us all, and it is our desire to return genuine benefit with open hearts. We encourage all Levvel employees, consultants, clients, and partners to learn more about the Indigenous cultures, Indigenous territories, and effects of colonization in their region. 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