February 21, 2025 l Business World
Organizations are under constant churn today from new technology, changing customer expectations or competitive pressures. To succeed and adapt to these changes, one approach is to implement A/B testing. The use of A/B testing is most commonly associated with marketing and product development, but it is also a useful technique for assessing incremental changes across virtually any field in a controlled, data-driven way. This enables organizations to make rational choices, mitigate risks, and increase the likelihood of a successful transformation.
A/B testing at a high level is simply a test that compares two variations of a change to see which one produces a better result. Within the business context, this may include trying various management styles, forms of communication, or implementing changes in workflows.
Consider a company implementing a new software system. They could compare two onboarding practices — one focused on hands-on training, and the other providing a self-paced tutorial. By measuring engagement, error rates, and user feedback, they can know which approach drives better adoption and efficiency.
The benefit of A/B testing for managing change is that it decreases uncertainty. Employees are usually scared of the unknown and will question everything unless it can guarantee that their life will be easier. Instead of pushing for drastic changes overnight, organizations can make small, actionable changes that can be put into practice. Say a company is mulling a new policy about flexible or remote work, it can conduct pilots of varying extents of flexibility with small groups. These limited pilots can produce actual data on employee satisfaction, productivity and cooperation, contributing to refining the policy ahead of broader adoption.
Beyond easing resistance, A/B testing nurtures a culture of learning and adaptability. Many organizations struggle with change because they treat it as a rigid, one-and-done process. By embracing A/B testing, businesses empower employees to engage, provide feedback, and contribute to improvements. This approach not only makes change initiatives more effective but also boosts morale, as employees feel they have a voice in shaping company policies.
A second useful application for A/B testing is in how leaders communicate. Good change management requires open communication because employees look to leaders for guidance, clarity, and reassurance in turbulent times. Instead of making assumptions on what type of messaging might work better, organizations can experiment with different formats. One might focus on detailed explanations with Q&As and another on short, high-impact messages with surveys. How employees respond to these different approaches enables leaders to hone their communication strategies to improve engagement and trust.
Beyond internal mechanics, A/B testing enables organizations to test customer responses to external changes. Let’s say a retail brand wants to switch to sustainable packaging. Rather than rolling them out company-wide, they could test various packaging styles in targeted markets first. They can use information gathered via the test to make a data-driven decision that considers the interests of both the business and its customers.
While A/B testing in change management can be useful, there are also certain challenges associated with it. A common mistake is overemphasizing short-term results. There are changes that might not yield immediate positive results, such as those related to the culture of a workplace or long-term business strategies, but you can still implement them if they seem like a step in the right direction. Organizations must select their performance metrics carefully to ensure they capture both short-term response drivers and long-term impacts.
Another challenge is ensuring that test groups represent the entire organization. If testing is conducted only among highly engaged employees, the findings may not apply to everyone. Proper planning, randomized sampling, and diverse test groups are essential to obtaining reliable insights.
A/B testing should also be used to ensure continual improvement in the change management process. Change is not a one-time event — it is a continual process. Thus, an A/B test should be viewed as a means towards iterative learning over a final decision. Iterating constantly, testing, refining and adapting ensures that your business develops more resilience and agility, making one be better prepared when the circumstances change again.
In the end, the success or failure of any change is owned by the people involved — the better these changes are understood and implemented, the more they are accepted. During the period of experimentation where you A/B test, you can include adequate, real evidence-based insights, which can result in developing better channels for communication to reach the target audience. Organizations that implement this methodology are more likely to make data-informed decisions, overcome resistance, and build an adaptive culture. As change accelerates, this capacity for iteration before committing to large-scale transformations will be a growing source of competitive advantage for organizations seeking sustained success.
***The views expressed herein are his own and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of his office as well as FINEX. For comments, email rey.lugtu@hungryworkhorse.com. Photo is from Pinterest.