--- title: "Change Operating Model: Govern Change Well | Levvel" description: "Connect change initiatives to your people with a clear change operating model: decision rights, governance, and capacity. Take the free assessment." image: https://levvel.ca/hubfs/Levvel%20Logos/Levvel_Featured_Solutions_Services_1200x630.png --- [Skip to content](https://levvel.ca/solutions/change-operating-model#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) › Change with no operating model  Change Operating Model # Change with no operating model of its own A change operating model defines who decides what, how new initiatives are evaluated and sequenced, who can pause one, and how those decisions reach your people. Without it, every change becomes a negotiation, and even well-run projects stall, because no standing structure connects the delivery engine back to the organization it lands on. [Take the 5-minute assessment ›](https://levvel.ca/solutions/change-operating-model#assessment) [Talk to our team](https://levvel.ca/contact?hsLang=en-ca) Definition ## What is a change operating model? A change operating model is the standing structure that governs how your organization makes change decisions: who evaluates a new initiative, who sequences it against everything else in flight, who has the authority to pause or stop it, and how those decisions get communicated and reinforced. It is not a project plan, and it is not your PMO. A PMO and a project plan drive delivery, scope, schedule, and milestones. The operating model sits above all of that: it is what lets the organization make good change decisions quickly and consistently, instead of renegotiating priorities every time something new arrives. Why it matters ## It’s the connective tissue between delivery and your people A transformation office and a PMO are built to drive delivery. What they are not designed to do is own the human side: who is impacted by each wave of change, whether leaders can carry it, and whether the people affected are ready to work in the new way. That connective role, the operating model for change, is what links the delivery engine to your people. When it is missing, business-process design produces well-mapped future states the organization cannot actually absorb. The work is technically complete and practically stalled, because no standing structure translated it into readiness, or decided what should have been sequenced differently in the first place. Roles Change programs whose governance **clearly identifies roles and responsibilities** are far more likely to succeed. Clarity about who decides, sequences, and owns change is not bureaucracy; it is the difference between momentum and constant renegotiation. [McKinsey & Company, 2015](https://www.mckinsey.com.br/~/media/mckinsey/business%20functions/people%20and%20organizational%20performance/our%20insights/how%20to%20beat%20the%20transformation%20odds/how_to_beat_the_transformation_odds.pdf) Warning signs ## How do you know you have an operating-model problem? The symptom is friction that looks like an effort problem but is really a structure problem. ### Every change is a negotiation New initiatives are debated from scratch each time, because there is no agreed way to evaluate or sequence them. ### No one can pause anything It is unclear who has the authority to slow, stop, or reprioritize a change, so nothing gets taken off teams’ plates. ### No portfolio view of people impact No single owner sees the cumulative change landing on the same groups, so overload accumulates unseen. ### Priorities reach teams unevenly Decisions get made quickly at the top but arrive at the front line late, partial, or contradictory. ### Delivery outruns readiness Future-state designs land on unprepared teams because nothing connected the TMO or PMO back to People & Culture. ### Decision rights are unclear When something new arises, it is not clear who evaluates it, who sequences it, or who owns the outcome. Business impact ## What does the missing operating model cost? Without it, the same execution energy that makes an organization effective starts to work against it: initiatives pile onto the same people, decisions get reopened, and each unmanaged wave erodes capacity for the next. Well-run projects deliver on schedule and still fail to deliver value, because nothing governed how they landed together. One view Change programs are **far more likely to succeed** when progress and impact are tracked at both the initiative level and across the whole program. Seeing change as a connected portfolio, not a stack of separate projects, is what the operating model makes possible. How we help ## The Levvel approach to the operating model for change We help you define the standing structure that governs change, the roles, decision rights, and sequencing, so it becomes a repeatable capability rather than a recurring negotiation. Grounded in **Balanced Change™**, this does not require a large team or a heavy system. It requires clarity. Step 1 ### Change Governance Workshop Define who decides, who sequences, and who can pause change, and how those decisions get reinforced. Step 2 ### Connect delivery to people Build the portfolio view that links the TMO and PMO back to People & Culture and surfaces cumulative impact. Step 3 ### Embed and hand over Make the model part of how the organization runs, then transition ownership so your team holds it going forward. Client story > “We went from seeing the volume of change to acting on it.” > > **Shadi El Baba**, VP Guest Support, lululemon [Read how lululemon Guest Support built a change operating model that travels →](https://levvel.ca/case-studies/lululemon-guest-support?hsLang=en-ca) Where to start ## The Change Governance Workshop The product behind this problem: a facilitated workshop that defines the roles, decision rights, and sequencing that let your organization govern change well. Where to start ### Change Governance Workshop A working session that establishes clear governance for change: decision rights, evaluation and sequencing, the portfolio view of people impact, and how change decisions get communicated and reinforced. The fastest way to replace constant renegotiation with a standing structure.   **Change Governance Workshop, the guide** How Levvel defines the operating model and decision rights that govern change. [Download the guide](https://levvel.ca/change-governance-workshop?hsLang=en-ca) Free 5-minute assessment ## Your change initiative has an operating model problem Get an instant read on how clearly your organization governs change: decision rights, sequencing, and who owns the portfolio view. About five minutes; your results are emailed to you. [Take the free assessment →](https://levvel.ca/change-operating-model?hsLang=en-ca) Common questions ## Change operating model, frequently asked questions ### What is a change operating model? It is the standing structure that defines who decides what about change, how initiatives are evaluated and sequenced, who can pause one, and how decisions are communicated and reinforced. It lets an organization make good change decisions quickly and consistently. ### How is it different from a project plan or a PMO? A PMO and project plan drive delivery: scope, schedule, milestones. A change operating model governs decisions across all change, who owns the portfolio view of people impact, who sequences, and how the delivery engine connects back to your people. ### Why does change governance matter? Without clear governance, every change becomes a negotiation, priorities reach teams unevenly, and future-state designs land on unprepared people. Programs with clear governance roles are markedly more likely to succeed. ### Does this require a big team or system? No. It requires clarity, not headcount. The operating model can be defined in a focused workshop and embedded into how the organization already runs. Related reading ## You might also find these useful ### [Pillar page Organizational Change Management Consulting in Calgary All seven problem areas and how Balanced Change™ connects them. Read the overview →](https://levvel.ca/organizational-change-management-solutions?hsLang=en-ca) ### [Related problem Change handled one initiative at a time An operating model is what moves an organization from reacting to change to running it as a capability. Explore change maturity →](https://levvel.ca/solutions/change-maturity?hsLang=en-ca) ## Is change a negotiation every time? Start with the free five-minute assessment, or talk it through with our team. [Take the assessment](https://levvel.ca/solutions/change-operating-model#assessment) [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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