The tone when people comment about the disciplines of Change and Communications 'warm and fuzzy' is certainly one where they are being judged as a necessary evil rather than a value add skillset.  Sure, at times this can be how good change makes you feel, but it is not the appropriate catch phrase to describe the function itself.

Another classic term used is that Change is part of the 'soft' skill set. If achieving outcomes is about the 'soft skills' in business then Finance and Sales should also be categorised as 'soft' as well. The only reason Change Management exists is to achieve business outcomes in a shorter timeframe through engaging the people who are impacted in owning that change. In fact depending on the type of change there may be nothing warm about it at all. 

The benefits of introducing change management and change leadership capability in an organisation are extremely tangible.

The reason you invest in change management is because it decreases the time from the inve...