Social security institutions operate in a constant state of change as they evolve to improve services, adapt to regulatory developments and societal needs, as well as modernize business processes. The nature of this change in social security administration has expanded dramatically in both scale and complexity.

Today this ranges from routine policy updates to new programme implementation and organizational consolidation. It also covers far-reaching digital transformation and service redesign initiatives. These efforts often demand significant shifts in internal processes, structures, staff roles and delivery models—well beyond traditional incremental improvements.

Change requires establishing structured approaches and processes that help institutions prepare, support, and guide employees and teams through change. This is -captured by John Kotter’s eight-step model (Figure 1), which offers a roadmap for organizational transformation by aligning desired change with human behaviour.

Figure 1. John Kotter's 8 Step Change Model

Source: Kotter, 2024

While frameworks like Kotter’s eight-step model may broadly apply, managing change in social security presents specific challenges, such as maintaining uninterrupted benefit delivery and service access for diverse customer groups throughout the change process. Additionally, change is a persistent requirement in social security institutions that adapt to socioeconomic and organizational needs, regulatory requirements and extensive stakeholder interactions, which adds complexity and challenging timelines. Stakeholder consultation and engagement extends beyond internal staff to include beneficiaries, government authorities, labour representatives and others — each with different concerns, expectations and needs.

Change initiatives in social security institutions typically involve multiple interconnected dimensions. These range from legislative and regulatory changes that introduce new benefits, eligible persons, contributors and qualifying conditions to projects. In addition they   may simultaneously introduce new delivery approaches, customer portals, modernize back-office operations, implement data analytics capabilities, and establish service delivery channels. These changes often necessitate organizational restructuring, workforce retraining, and process redesign. Similarly, institutional mergers require not only systems integration but also cultural alignment, benefit harmonization and workforce transition management.

Recognizing the critical importance of effective change management for its members, the International Social Security Association (ISSA) has been developing knowledge and providing guidance in this area. Change management capabilities are integral to the institutional effectiveness framework outlined in the ISSA Guidelines on Good Governance (ISSA, 2019a). The ISSA Guidelines on Service Quality (ISSA, 2019b) and ISSA Guidelines on Human Resource Management in Social Security Administration (ISSA, 2022a) provide guidance that supports effective change management by addressing service delivery standards and human resource management during transitions. Finally, the ISSA Guidelines on Continuity and Resilience of Social Security Services and Systems (ISSA, 2022b) emphasize the importance of maintaining operational stability during unexpected events.

The experiences analysed from ISSA member institutions provide insights into the multi-dimensional nature of change, and identifies how:

• Strategic alignment drives change through political and legal mandates as well as organizational vision.
• People-centred approaches are key elements in organizational transformation and change.
• Supportive environments and processes are conducive to guiding change implementation.
• Agile methodology and iterative approaches facilitate social security institutions in navigating complex transformation initiatives.
• Business process and ICT changes are fundamental enablers of transformation.

Experiences of ISSA member institutions

While social security institutions have long managed change, documented good practices and experiences have only been readily available in recent years. ISSA has supported peer learning on planning, implementing, and sustaining change through webinars, technical workshops, and international conferences and forums. Member institutions have introduced innovative approaches to managing change in the context of building customer-centric organizations, mergers (ISSA, 2024), and human resource management (ISSA, 2023). Notably, the International Conference on Management and Innovation in Social Security held in February 2025 underscored the critical role of structured change management in successful institutional reform through a dedicated plenary session (ISSA, 2025a). This article synthesizes these rich discussions in managing change by institutions worldwide, providing insights into how different types of change have been approached by institutions.

Central Provident Fund Board, Singapore

The Central Provident Fund Board (CPFB) of Singapore revamped its approach to product innovation to keep pace with limited manpower, technological disruptions and evolving client needs. The goal was to make innovation routine across the organization—by enabling staff to solve problems, co-create solutions, and adapt to fast-changing demands (Central Provident Fund Board, 2024). Achieving this required staff to adopt new ways of working and the institution to take a proactive approach to change.

To support this shift, CPFB invested heavily in structured change management. It introduced the Made-in-CPF (MIC) intrapreneurship programme, where cross-functional teams were given eight months to design and build digital tools for real-world problems. Teams were supported by product coaches and organized around user-led roles—ensuring that staff had both clear direction and a sense of ownership. To embed this mindset more widely, CPFB created systems that made innovation accessible to all.

Change was actively managed through visibility and support. The Innovation Hub (“PlayLab”) showcased new tools and ideas each month, while a web portal gave staff easy access to these resources. Staff weren’t just trained—they were encouraged, supported, and inspired, by examples of success from within their own teams. Together, these efforts built a workforce not only capable of responding to change but ready to lead it.

Public Service Social Security Fund (PSSSF), Tanzania

In 2018, the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania undertook a major pension reform, merging four public-sector social security schemes into a single entity – the Public Service Social Security Fund (PSSSF). The objective of the reform was to enhance the long-term financial sustainability of the pension system, eliminate duplication, harmonize benefits, and increase efficiency in service delivery. However, the change process was institutionally complex and politically sensitive (Public Service Social Security Fund, 2023; Badru, 2024). The change management journey involved three main aspects:

• Technical preparation: Reform options were studied in detail. Infrastructure and IT systems were mapped, and a baseline actuarial valuation was conducted to guide consolidation decisions. These efforts were supported by the ISSA Guidelines on Service Quality and the ISSA Guidelines on Information and Communication Technology.
• Political and legal coordination: Securing political will was essential. The enactment of the PSSSF Act provided legal clarity and mitigated reform-related risks.
• Operational and cultural integration: Staff from four different institutions were brought under one roof, requiring harmonization of financial systems, asset portfolios, and service platforms.

​Social Insurance Institution (KELA), Finland

Finland's Social Insurance Institution (KELA) undertook a comprehensive transformation to become customer-centric, responding to shrinking public resources, rising customer expectations, and rapid legislative and technological changes. The objective of the reform was to shift from traditional benefit-focused operations to a life situation-based approach that proactively supports people across different circumstances (Kropsu Vehkaperä, 2024).

KELA's change management strategy centred on mindset transformation, beginning with leadership workshops to crystallize a clear target and core messages. The approach made the future state tangible while clearly communicating what would remain unchanged, providing stability amid transformation.

The implementation followed a systematic experimental methodology. Starting with defined customer sub-groups and prioritizing based on customer insights, KELA progressed through exploratory experimentation, proof of concept pilots, and scaling processes. This step-by-step approach maintained continuous progress to preserve stakeholder belief in the change.

To support the cultural transformation, KELA restructured its operations by centralizing regional benefit processing into streamlined nationwide functions. The organization also created new customer-focused roles, including customer experience managers and customer group managers, specifically designed to drive and sustain the customer-centric approach. Further, KELA invested heavily in capability development, particularly in customer insight and experimentation skills. Traditional silos were broken down through new internal collaboration models that brought together planning specialists and operational staff. This fostered the cross-functional teamwork essential for customer-centric service delivery.

Social Protection Fund (SPF), Oman

In 2024, Oman implemented an ambitious social security reform that included various changes such as retirement pensionable age, the benefits, coverage (taking into account migrant workers and self-employed) that also considered the merger of 11 separate pension funds into a single Social Protection Fund (SPF). The confluence of legal and administrative reforms affected over 1,000 employees and involved creating a new institutional framework to fulfil changes in services and benefits from the ground up. The changes recognized the need for significant transition and the potential human cost of such a large-scale change were boosted by SPF designing a comprehensive change management programme, embedded from the start of the reform process (Social Protection Fund, 2024; Al Bartamani, 2024). The programme was implemented in two structured phases: (1) building awareness and preparing staff for the upcoming change, and (2) operationalizing the change and new institutional structure, supporting transition logistics, and addressing psychological impacts. Key employee engagement mechanisms included the following:

• The SPF launched a voluntary internal leadership programme that enlisted 36 employees as Change Ambassadors to champion the transition and support their peers.
• Over 25 awareness and training sessions were conducted.
• Multiple town-hall meetings with the leadership were conducted to foster trust and transparency.
• A “Day One” celebration marked the official transition and helped foster new institutional identity.
• Multiple surveys were conducted assess employees’ reception of the change, and respond accordingly with new change management initiatives

​Social Insurance Fund, Costa Rica

Costa Rica's Social Insurance Fund (CCSS) implemented a comprehensive change management strategy for nationally rolling out the Single Digital Health Record (EDUS), transitioning from a paper-based system, that had been in place for over 60 years, to a fully digital platform (Social Insurance Fund of Costa Rica, 2023; Arce, 2023). The project represented an unprecedented organizational transformation affecting more than 50,000 staff members across the country, requiring a fundamental shift in processes, working methods and organizational culture.

Recognizing that the human dimension could interfere with technological success, CCSS developed change management as a critical success factor and fundamental pillar of the project. First, a special legislation declaring EDUS a national priority project was enacted, which helped overcome internal resistance and provided legal obligation for implementation. This legislative support exemplified the ISSA Guidelines on Good Governance, enabling partnerships with state and private organizations within a framework of social responsibility. Second, specialized change managers were appointed and trained. They acted as bridges between authorities and staff, disseminating official messages about benefits, progress, and processes while providing guidance during implementation. Finally, clear, transparent, and two-way communication about institutional, group, and personal benefits was maintained throughout, ensuring the assimilation of a shared vision.

Social Insurance Institution for the Self-Employed (SVS), Austria

Austria undertook a major structural reform of its social security system, consolidating 21 institutions into five organizations (Fuchs and Gerbautz, 2024). The reform aimed to address a system that was overly complicated and unfair, characterized by duplication and different benefits for identical contributions across regional health insurance funds.

Austria's change management approach followed a systematic three-phase methodology: concept development in 2018, preparation throughout 2019, and integration beginning in 2020. The process was guided by core principles emphasizing "as many changes as necessary; as few changes as possible" to minimize disruption while achieving reform objectives. Critical change management strategies included maintaining separate accounting entities during transition to reduce complexity, ensuring customers perceived no difference in service quality post-merger, and continuing existing processes unchanged until full integration was achieved.

Comprehensive stakeholder engagement and detailed planning were key to change management. Austria developed customer and employee journey mapping to identify potential service gaps and ensure seamless transitions. The reform maintained democratic governance structures with balanced representation between employee and employer representatives throughout the transformation. Significant emphasis was placed on digital infrastructure modernization, with digitalization programs beginning in 2015-2016 to establish the technical foundation necessary for successful integration.

Results

Change management is the bridge between strategy and execution. Table 1 illustrates how ISSA member institutions achieved measurable business results by effectively managing change.

Critical success factors

Securing early political backing and a clear legal mandate proved essential to advancing reform in several cases. For example, Oman’s passage of the Social Protection Law and alignment reinforced the vision and objectives of the reform that gave multi-dimensional change a structure. In Tanzania, legislation anchored the merger and mitigated political risk, while in Costa Rica, declaring the national digital health record (EDUS) a project of national interest, provided legal authority and cross-sector legitimacy. By contrast, in more administratively driven reforms like Finland’s, the absence of legislative backing placed greater emphasis on internal strategic alignment and leadership cohesion.

People-centred change management was critical in managing the cultural and human impact of transformation and addressing resistance. For instance, Oman’s Change Ambassadors programme, regular town halls and surveys were critical in engaging staff during its large-scale merger. Similarly, Costa Rica’s trained change managers and Singapore’s product coaches, acted as peer communicators, monitored resistance and guided teams through the emotional cycle of change. In Tanzania, the cultural challenge of unifying staff from four legacy organizations required deliberate efforts to foster a shared identity. The centrality of people was reiterated in an ISSA webinar on managing resistance to change (ISSA, 2025b). In this webinar the Union of National Social Security Funds from France outlined how it set up Innovation Labs to stimulate employee-generated ideas and foster a sense of ownership. Similarly, the Employees Provident Fund in Malaysia nurtured over 100 internal change champions as part of the organization’s digital transformation.

Beyond managing cultural and human responses, lasting change also required rethinking how people collaborate, make decisions and share accountability. In Costa Rica, internal communication emphasized not just what would change, but why, helping staff align with a shared vision. Finland placed particular emphasis on creating a common language and understanding of the future state through webinars, podcasts and structured walkthroughs. These efforts to align mindsets, roles and working methods were essential to embedding transformation beyond the initial implementation phase.

Many institutions used agile methods and iterative approaches to manage complexity while maintaining staff and customer confidence. Austria, for example, followed a three-phase process to consolidate 21 service providers —concept development, preparation, and integration—while minimizing visible disruption for customers. Likewise, Finland used an experimental approach, beginning with defined customer segments and scaling successful pilots. In Costa Rica, the EDUS digital platform was first implemented in one of the most difficult regions lacking internet access and serving diverse, vulnerable populations including indigenous groups. This showed that if success was possible there, it was achievable elsewhere. In contrast, top-down or abrupt implementation often struggled with morale and service continuity, especially where staff had little time to adapt.

Transformation of IT systems and business processes was foundational to sustainable change and impact. As noted in an ISSA webinar (ISSA, 2024), in Saudi Arabia, two legacy organizations that merged operated with different technical systems, which required significant effort to align and integrate. In this context, Business Process Management was indispensable to redesign workflows, implement robotic process automation, and reinforce new ways of working. Meanwhile, Austria modernized its digital infrastructure years in advance, laying the groundwork for a seamless organizational merger. In contrast, where digital integration lagged organizational reforms, institutions faced ongoing challenges with efficiency and internal alignment.

The following table summarizes the main success factors identified and applied by social security institutions to actively engage in change.

Final remarks

The experiences in this article demonstrate that effective change management is not just an operational necessity—it is a strategic imperative for social security institutions navigating complex transformations. Establishing and communicating a big picture vision and mandate for the change is a significant enabler in aligning organizations to the change. Whether driven by digitalization, customer-centric delivery or organizational restructuring, the evidence clearly shows that successful transformation hinges on recognizing change management as both a technical and deeply human endeavour that is supported by people-centred processes and technology.

Institutions that prioritized people-centred approaches to change management consistently achieved smoother transitions and higher satisfaction. This demonstrates that technology and process reforms cannot succeed without addressing the dynamics of change and fostering cultural alignment. Despite differing contexts, the most effective institutions shared common enablers: early political and legal alignment, sustained stakeholder engagement, iterative implementation and strong digital foundations. Above all, institutions that placed people—employees and beneficiaries—at the core of their efforts were best positioned to build trust, overcome resistance and maintain momentum.

Looking ahead, social security institutions are likely to continue to face challenges that will test their change management capabilities. The constant evolution of society drives change in social security. The rapid pace of technological advancement raises fundamental questions about the evolving role of human resources in social security delivery. The growing expectations of digital-native citizens present another critical challenge. As younger generations increasingly expect seamless, omnichannel experiences, social security institutions must continuously adapt their service delivery models while ensuring accessibility for older populations and vulnerable groups who may be less comfortable with digital interfaces. This dual imperative requires sophisticated change management strategies that can accommodate diverse user needs without compromising service quality.

More importantly, the question remains whether current change management approaches are sufficient for the scale and pace of transformation ahead. As social security institutions increasingly operate in environments of continuous change rather than one-off transformation projects, traditional change management models may need fundamental reconceptualization. The future demands developing organizational capabilities for ongoing adaptation—creating resilient, learning-oriented institutions capable of evolving continuously while preserving their core mission of social security.

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