Brand driven change: using brand as a vehicle for change management

This thesis reports an exploration of brand as a vehicle for managing change. Change management has traditionally focused on internal organisational processes while brand has focused on building and maintaining marketplace identity. Research has largely neglected applications of brand identification in change management. This research addressed two questions:What are the branding and change management processes used by organisational managers? and; What is the framework for using brand as a vehicle for change management? This qualitative study examined change management practice in two Australian organisations. Twenty-four senior management staff and directors were interviewed to establish whether brand could be harnessed for organisational change. The resultant semi-structured interview data supported previous research reported by Aaker (1996) on brand management and by Tan (1997) on change management. In addition, it strongly suggested an incorporation of Aaker's (1996) framework into Tan's (1997) proposed change framework. The construct validity of this development was supported by a focus group of change agents who assessed its potential for application in other organisations managing transformational change. The new model identified which leverages brand as a vehicle for change management involved incorporation of brand into: I.the anticipation of change; II.identifying the change; III.selling the change; IV.mobilising resources for change; V.breaking down comfort zones; VI.reinforcing change success; and VII.promoting continuous learning and change. The process of using brand as a vehicle for change management was shown to secure a sustainable position for the brand across the organisation whilst motivating change management. Findings reported in this thesis identify a previously unexamined association between branding and change management research. More importantly, they establish an apparently robust change management framework within which brand can be applied as a vehicle for managing transformational change. The concepts of entre-brand and intra-brand are introduced to distinguish between brand in the marketplace (entre-brand) and brand in the minds of staff within the organisation (intra-brand). Application of these concepts suggests that deliberate focus on brand identity and integrity is a powerful vehicle for the effective management of transformational change. In conclusion, it is argued, increased understanding of brand in establishing organisational identity can assist corporate leaders to better manage brand and to effect timely and responsive organisational change within their organisations.