Introduction

Change management is conditioned by altered environmental and social conditions, among them global, political, and technological changes (Moran & Brightman, 2001). One key term used in this context is convergence, which describes “the merging of formerly distinct functions, markets and fields of application, further changing the way companies operate as well as how consumers perceive and process (media) content” (Diehl & Karmasin, 2013, p. 1). Convergence has always been and continues to be one formula to conceptualize change. In recent years, however, other tendencies have had an impact on the media industry and have shaped the industry in such a way that it—given its relevance to society—has become the prototypical example for change. The following trends have forced the media industry in particular, but also other industries to change their modus operandi lastingly: the rise of social media, a refinancing crisis, the misinformation pandemic, changing landscapes of media usage and communication, the rise of produsage and influencers, and challenges to legacy media (in the form of intermediaries) are just some examples that need to receive consideration in this context. These examples suggest that change is very closely related to convergence, but not exclusively conditioned by convergence. For this reason, we propose to regard change as a viable construct that should be considered by organizations in and outside of the media industry, as well as their ability to proactively address and manage change.