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Ranking the Top Change Consulting Firms for a Change Management Consultant Job – Everything You Need to Know
When choosing a future career path, it’s smart to find one that’s on an upswing. For those interested in working with businesses of all sizes and industries, change management consulting is becoming one of the top choices for change management practitioners.
According to Statista, the global management consulting industry, in general, has been growing every year since 2011, and a popular niche within that market to make your mark is as an organizational change management consultant.
Consulting change management has become a vital service due to how fast technology advances and the need for companies to continually change and adapt. Any adjustment a company makes to the applications it uses, workflow, or position responsibilities involve a change.
It’s estimated that as many as 70% of change projects fail due to a lack of proper support and guidance. This is why change management companies have become a necessity for organizations of all sizes.
Top Change Management Consulting Companies for Consultants
An organizational change consultant has the knowledge and tools to drive and manage successful transitions in a company to help increase adoption and enablement of new business processes and technology solutions.
The best change management consulting firms can save organizations hundreds of thousands of dollars in change project costs.
Is becoming a change management consultant the right career path for you?
In this AGS article, we’ll go into what’s involved with change management consulting and answer questions such as:
- What is the salary of a change management consultant?
- How do I become a change management consultant?
- Which are the top change management companies to send a resume?
Whether you’re just starting out on your career path or it’s time for a mid-stream career change, you might be surprised at how lucrative providing organizational change management services can be.
Award Emblem: Top 10 Best Change Management Consulting Firms for Consultants
See Also: The Top Hotel Management and Consulting Firms
Top 10 Best Change Management Companies | Brief Comparison & Ranking
| Top Change Management Companies | Ratings |
| Appnovation | 5 |
| Bain & Company | 5 |
| Blue Beyond Consulting | 5 |
| Boston Consulting Group | 5 |
| Dilan Consulting Group | 5 |
| Emerson Human Capital Consulting | 5 |
| Expressworks | 5 |
| Pivotal Resources | 5 |
| Prosci | 5 |
| The Motivity Group, Inc. | 3 |
Table: Top 10 Organizational Change Management Companies | Above list is sorted by rating
First, What is Change Management Consulting?
Change management consulting is a sector of management and business consulting that focuses on facilitating organizational change.
When a company is adopting any type of new process, workflow, application, or general “way of doing things,” it involves a change. This change can impact employees, managers, executives, vendors, customers, and other stakeholders.
For example: If an organization is changing the process that they use for customer service (e.g., changing from email replies to using a CRM program like Zendesk), this change will impact employees and customers. If the transition isn’t smooth, it can negatively impact the organization.
An organizational change management consultant will break down all the steps involved in the transition and coordinate with stakeholders (employees, managers, etc.) to drive a successful transition with as few road bumps as possible.
One of the first steps on the journey of how to become a change management consultant is understanding the basics of change management. Here are some of the core areas you’ll need to know about if you want to become an organizational change consultant.
Core Areas of Change Consulting
- Impact Assessment: A change impact assessment involves assessing current state processes against future state processes and identifying how the proposed changes will impact stakeholders.
- Readiness Assessment: In a readiness assessment, the change management consultant will assess things like the willingness of staff to support the change and awareness of the change.
- Stakeholder Management: Stakeholder management involves understanding how change will impact each employee, manager, or other stakeholders.
- Leadership Coaching: The organizational change consultant will need to coach leadership to help manage and drive the successful change project.
- Resistance Management: Anytime there is change, there is always going to be resistance from individual employees, managers, or other stakeholders. Managing resistance to change is vital to a successful transition.
- Manage Change Champions: Certain employees can facilitate the change in their own departments. Another facet of good change consulting is creating and managing a change champions network.
- Training & Communications: Other areas that anyone interested in becoming a change management consultant will need to facilitate are training staff on the particulars associated with the new process and keeping everyone informed through optimized change communications.
AGS Ranking and Selection Methodology
What methodology does the AGS team use in reviewing, researching, selecting, and finalizing the firms and products that are ranked on the various AGS ranking lists?
Click here: “AGS Selection and Ranking Methodologies” for a detailed review of AGS’ selection methodologies.
Is Change Management a Good Career?
When choosing a career, you want to consider things like the trajectory of the industry, salary, and opportunities for advancement. There are several factors that make change management consulting a good career path now and for the foreseeable future.
Change Management Companies are in High Demand
Between 2017 – 2022, the organizational change management consultant industry is expected to grow by 1.33 billion at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 13.19%.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that the job outlook for management analytics, which includes change consulting, is higher than the industry average. It’s projected to have a 14% growth rate between 2018 and 2028, whereas the “all occupations” average is 5%.
For the last several years, the consultant change management industry has become more popular each year, and this is projected to continue. In large part, due to the tie in with technology advancements and the need for organizations to adapt to them and change to stay competitive.
So, is change management a good career?
Based on the above factors, the answer is yes. But let’s continue our review to better illustrate our response on whether or not a change management career is good for you.
Opportunities for Advancement are Good
Whether you want to move up the ranks within the top change management firms or eventually go out on your own to offer organizational change management services, there are plenty of advancement opportunities in this field.
We’ll go over the various job titles within change management consulting companies in the next section when we discuss salary. There are many ways for those with less experience and education, as well as those with expertise in other fields, to find a good fit with change consulting.
How to Become a Change Management Consultant
Companies are Hiring Change Management Consultants
A quick search on Indeed alone for “change management” positions brings up over 38,000 job postings. This is definitely a job that’s in demand and one that can take you just about anywhere you want to go. Nearly all organizations, divisions, and groups go through change at some point.
Being an organizational change management consultant with one of the best change management consulting firms will empower you to drive organizational change across a wide range of organizations, and across geographical locations.
If you prefer being a change management consultant for one company, many enterprise corporations and multi-national organizations hire their own in-house organizational change consultant teams to work throughout their divisions on various change projects.
So, back to the question “is change management a good career?” The factors outlined above point strongly to the fact that change management consulting and a career in change management is becoming one of the top choices for a lot of individuals. But what is the salary of a change management consultant? Is it worth it?
Don’t Miss: Prosci Reviews & Ranking | Everything You Need to Know
How Much Do Change Management Consultants Make for a Living?
The average salary paid within any sector or industry is one of the big considerations when choosing a career path. This is another area where change consulting is attractive. According to Glassdoor, the average salary for a change management consultant is $100,235 per year.
There are different positions within any of the organizational change management companies that come at different pay levels. Which one you are most qualified for, and how much change management salary you get paid will mainly depend upon your education and experience.
What is the Salary of a Change Management Consultant by Position?
If you’re thinking of becoming a change management consultant, here is some detailed information that can help. These are some of the potential job titles used in consultant change management and the average salaries for each.
| Change Management Salary By Position | Annual Salary |
| Change Management Analyst Salary | $62,000 / year |
| Change Manager Salary | $64,000 / year |
| Organizational Development Consultant Salary | $75,000 / year |
| Organizational Consultant Salary | $77,000 / year |
| Organizational Change Manager Salary | $100,000 / year |
Consultant Change Management – Job Post Salary Ranges
Wondering how to become a change management consultant at a specific company?
We’ll go into that next.
If you’d like some intel on the types of companies currently hiring for an organizational change management consultant, we found companies like Chevron, Cargill, IBM, and Walmart with active job listings.
How much did those listings for change management consulting positions pay? They ranged between $85,000 to $162,000 per year.
One listing that was for an hourly senior organizational change consultant ranged from $126 to $135 per hour.
How Do I Become a Change Management Consultant?
There are a few different ways to approach a career working with change management companies in change consulting. Most will require some type of degree. However, experience and knowledge are also a top consideration in how you become a change management consultant.
Many of the top change management firms also look for change management certification from a respected training program that teaches industry standard change management methodologies.
We’ll go over the typical requirements for becoming a change management consultant below; just be aware these can vary according to organization and job title.
- Bachelor’s degree in organizational psychology, business administration or related field
- Change management certification from a program like Prosci
- Average of 4-5 years of experience with organizational change management (OCM), or equivalent
- Knowledge of OCM techniques and methodologies
- Good problem-solving skills
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
The top change management consulting firms do business consulting in a variety of areas, including technology, HR, and management consulting. So, if you do not yet have change management consulting experience but do have other business experience, you could use that as a foot in the door to gain the experience you need to become a change management consultant.
It’s also a good idea to look back at your career so far.
Have you ever had a position where you had a process change in your company that you had to help manage? Just because you weren’t technically called a “change management consultant” doesn’t mean you don’t have experience managing change.
In deciding how to become a change management consultant, we would recommend starting with a review of the top companies reviewed in this article that are offering organizational change management services. We’ve chosen the top 10 for this ranking.
By thoroughly reviewing each of these change management consulting companies, you’ll gain a better understanding of what is expected of a change management consultant, which will better facilitate your journey in becoming a change management consulting practitioner.
We recommend going to LinkedIn and connecting with recruiters that work at these change management consulting firms. Reach out to them with questions on expectations and letting them know you’re interested in how to become a change management consultant. One may just ask you to send over a resume, and if you’ve got good qualifications, help you chart a path forward.
Related: Best Project Management Certifications
Best Change Management Consulting Firms
Below, please find a brief review of each firm on our list of top organizational change management companies. We have highlighted some of the factors that allowed these top-rated change management firms to score so high in our selection ranking.
At the end of each brief review, you’ll find a link to a more detailed review of each consultant change management firm.
Click on any of the names below to go directly to the review section for that firm.
- Appnovation
- Bain & Company
- Blue Beyond Consulting
- Boston Consulting Group
- Dilan Consulting Group
- Emerson Human Capital Consulting
- Expressworks
- Pivotal Resources
- Prosci
- The Motivity Group, Inc.
Appnovation Review
Appnovation believes in inspiring possibility through advanced digital tools. This is one of the global change management companies with a team of 300 stationed around the world.
Appnovation has worked with companies like Mattel and Disney. This is one of the top change management consulting firms to consider working for if you’re great with technology and enjoy teaching others how to use it as they transition through corporate change.
Read More: Detailed Review of Appnovation
Bain & Company Review
With 59 offices in 37 countries, Bain & Company is one of the top-rated companies offering organizational change management services globally. The firm has a mission to outperform the competition and deliver extraordinary results to its clients.
In addition to being an organizational change management consultant, Bain & Company provides consulting in multiple other areas, such as sales and marketing, customer experience, and more.
Read More: Detailed Review of Bain & Company
Blue Beyond Consulting Review
Blue Beyond Consulting is a woman-owned change consulting firm that focuses on the “people side of business.” This top organizational change management consultant is based in the San Francisco Bay Area and has a team of 50 throughout North America.
If you’re looking for a smaller, but growing firm to become a part of, then this will be one of the top change management consulting companies on your list. Blue Beyond works with global Fortune 500 companies as well as non-profits, universities, and small and mid-sized companies.
Read More: Detailed Review of Blue Beyond Consulting
Boston Consulting Group Review
Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is one of the largest organizational change management consulting firms on our list. It has 21,000 employees and offices in over 50 countries. The firm focuses on human potential and using its power to positively shape organizations.
For those looking at becoming a change management consultant at a firm with multiple opportunities, BCG will be a great option. The firm works with many of the world’s largest corporations.
Read More: Detailed Review of Boston Consulting Group
Dilan Consulting Group Review
Dilan Consulting Group stands out from other best change management consulting firms due to its focus on psychology and education when it comes to change consulting. Consultants have advanced degrees in both, which are used to help “unleash human potential.”
For educators making a career change, Dilan Consulting may be a great fit. It’s also another of the boutique change management companies that is small yet focused and growing. It has a team of 8 consultants based in San Francisco, CA.
Read More: Detailed Review of Dilan Consulting Group
Emerson Human Capital Consulting Review
As one of the largest companies focusing exclusively on organizational transformation, Emerson Human Capital Consulting works with many well-known Fortune 500 companies. Clients include Levi’s, Yahoo!, and Old Navy.
This is one of the few top change management firms that does only organizational change management, and its what made the firm an expert in the industry. It specializes in change that must be accomplished within 180 days and has over a $1 million impact.
Read More: Detailed Review of Emerson Human Capital
Best Change Management Consulting Firms
Expressworks Review
Expressworks is one of the top change management companies and sets itself apart by focusing on execution. The firm doesn’t linger over proposals but instead gets to work delivering real change to real people, which its been doing since 1984.
The firm has offices in San Ramon, CA, Houston, TX, and London, UK. It breaks down its organizational change management services into three key areas, transformational change, organizational change, individual change.
Read More: Detailed Review of Expressworks
Pivotal Resources Review
Pivotal Resources is a global change management consulting firm with offices in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia Pacific. If you’re multi-lingual, this could be a perfect consultant change management fit.
In addition to offering change management consulting, Pivotal has training courses and is an industry influencer. It works with brands such as Intel, Clorox, and Adobe.
Read More: Detailed Review of Pivotal Resources
Prosci Review
If you’re looking for an industry leader in change management consulting, it’s Prosci.
Prosci is best known for issuing the most recognized certification for change management consultants, but it also offers its own organizational change management services.
This global team of “change fanatics” as they like to call themselves was founded in 1994. Prosci’s consultants rely on scientific principals with a focus on the human element of change to help companies transition through successful change projects.
Read More: Detailed Review of Prosci
The Motivity Group, Inc. Review
The Motivity Group is a boutique organizational change management consultant that works with Fortune 1000 clients. It’s focused specifically on guiding successful change transition and delivering customized solutions.
Operating with no corporate overhead allows the firm to offer competitive pricing to clients. An item of note to those wondering how to become a change management consultant is that the firm offers profit-sharing as an employee incentive.
Read More: Detailed Review of The Motivity Group, Inc.
Conclusion – The Top 10 Best Change Management Companies
Change management companies are in an industry that’s booming right now, and these top 10 on our list are some of the best. From small and nimble to large and far-reaching, these top change management consulting firms all have plenty to offer someone entering the industry.
With an attractive salary range and a positive industry outlook for several years to come, change management consulting is an excellent option for anyone looking for a career change.
While size and philosophy may differ, one thing you’ll find in common with all the top change management companies on our list is that they focus on the people being impacted by the change. That’s why communication is a key skill of anyone becoming a change management consultant.
These top 10 best change management companies should give you an excellent place to begin, whether you are looking for a career in change management or in need of hiring change management consulting for your organization.
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