Change Management Practices and the Impact of the Pandemic on Hungarian and Romanian SMEs1

Abstract

The pandemic has had an impact in many areas, leading to significant changes in preferences, work organisation and quality of life in both consumer and B2B markets. The focus of the study is on small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), which play a dominant role in the domestic B2B market, and in particular the mechanisms and processes of change management and its effectiveness. The primary data presented in the study are the results of quantitative research in the Hungarian and Romanian markets. In this context, the change management processes and practices of Hungarian and Romanian SMEs are compared to identify similarities and differences. The data collection took the form of a pre-tested, standardised online questionnaire with an arbitrary sampling. The results of the study shed light on the role of change management in the lives of SMEs, which techniques are considered effective in the two markets studied, and which tools and solutions can be adapted to other enterprises operating in different sociocultural contexts.