The history of change management and why it is one of the most destructive procurement myths

In the context of today’s post, here was my reply to Mario:

Mario A. González, thank you for the added insight. However, check out the following excerpt and the corresponding image below, and let me know your thoughts on how it impacts your comment:

“Many CPOs and CIOs cite Gartner to justify shortlist decisions, even when internal teams express concerns about vendor suitability.
This gap often leads to “boardroom alignment but field-level misalignment”, which contributes to high failure rates in ProcureTech implementations.”

The need for change management decreases significantly using an agent-based model that engages both internal and external stakeholders.

Here is a case study video I am sure you will find interesting: https://youtu.be/49BS-MkGoak

Why Is The Above Graphic Powerful?

• Gartner appeals strongly to executive and investor audiences, positioning itself as a strategic advisor.
• Frontline professionals—who live with implementation outcomes—often experience discrepancies between Gartner’s quadrant rankings and actual solution usability, integration, or support.
• Middle management walks the line: tasked with delivery but pressured to align with “best practice” endorsements.

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Real-World Consequence

• Many CPOs and CIOs cite Gartner to justify shortlist decisions, even when internal teams express concerns about vendor suitability.
• This gap often leads to “boardroom alignment but field-level misalignment”, which contributes to high failure rates in ProcureTech implementations.

Procurement Insight Archives

May 22, 2007 – The Change Management Myth?

• Through these findings, organizations reported that they were able to effectively realign their purchasing strategy to minimize their reliance on a change management strategy and thus eliminate compliance issues.

September 29, 2023 – Is Change Management a Myth or an Illusion?

• “If you believe that change management within procurement is critical to success, then you are setting yourself up for failure.”
• “Six in 10 IT leaders are concerned end users are not adopting new tech quickly enough, endangering the return on investment for digital projects, according to an annual digital adoption report by WalkMe. “

September 21, 2024 – Using an agent-based implementation model significantly reduces the need for change management

• The emphasis on change management resulted from the insistence on utilizing an equation-based implementation model, which is why 80% of all initiatives have failed over the last five decades. I am talking about generational failure regardless of the technology.
• Using an agent-based model, technology is relegated to a supporting versus leading role behind people and processes. On a side note, this model eliminates maverick spend and the artificial need for vendor rationalization.

TODAY’S TAKEAWAY

In the Procurement Insights Archives, I have written over 100 posts, including case studies from 2007 to 2025, providing extensive and perhaps the most comprehensive coverage of the topic of change management over the past few decades.

The one pattern that has consistently emerged is that if change management is a critical part of your ProcureTech initiative, then your odds of success are drastically decreased.

The question is this: is it time that the Gartner “Trust Heirarchy” be flipped so that we can finally realize the promise of ProcureTech implementation?

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