Role of Change Management in the Success of Architecture and Engineering Firms: Case Study Cairo

Today, we face multiple changes and crises on the environmental, social, and economic levels, such as climate change, limited resources, economic crises, pandemics and lockdowns, wars and conflicts, digitalization and technological evolution, and changing needs of clients and stakeholders. Consequently, embracing change has become a very important factor for business success, such as the architecture and engineering (A/E) industry, which has a big share in the global economy. Despite its importance, the A/E industry is the slowest to adopt changes due to various challenges. This paper aims to investigate the role of change management in the success of A/E firms, in addition to the status of change management within Egyptian firms. An online survey was used to collect 120 responses representing their firms across Cairo, Egypt. The results indicate a low percentage of successful change initiatives within Egyptian A/E firms. This is probably due to the limited or non-use of change management strategies and frameworks. The research identified that the most effective change management strategies within the Egyptian context are offering sufficient training, workload adjustments, and communication of change (change communication). The research emphasizes the role of change management in the success of A/E firms, offering a foundational step toward improving the change management practices and consequently improving the success of these firms, which will help in developing more resilient and sustainable communities.