adkar change model

The awareness step speaks to who knows about and understands the need for change. Knowledge of issue in the board room does not equate to comprehension of urgency at the store level.

One email about planned changes won't do it. Consider multiple forms of communication, digital and in-person, with opportunity for questions to be asked, feedback to be provided, and adjustments to be made.

If you were planning a road trip, this would be where you go over the map, planned route, and things to look forward to at specific points along the way.

Sticking with the road trip theme, just because you've described the trip to your mates, doesn't mean they'll want to go through with it. The same will be true of stakeholders of change. They may understand the proposed change, yet some may not be supporters. Resistance to change is likely to appear, if it hadn't before.

Whether road trip passengers or coworkers, their active participation in planning, and refining, the voyage will enhance their levels of buy-in and engagement. They'll care about the process and the outcome.

Get a majority of your workforce wanting to work toward successful change and positive results are more likely to follow.

The knowledge step speaks to your employees' understanding of how to operate in two areas:

1. While changing
2. In the future state

To provide here, consider the different types of training that might benefit your company. Among these could be:

• Coaching
• Mentoring
• Online courses
• Workshops

During my undergrad, I'd studied Physical Education and Exercise Science, and prepared to work in hospitals performing cardiac rehabilitation and stress testing procedures. In addition to book learning, while I had the benefit of time in the lab, practicing techniques and protocols, it wasn't until an internship where I was fully-immersed in my responsibilities. This was the transition of knowledge to ability.

The same is true of organizational change, where it must be verified that the knowledge gained in step 3 of the ADKAR change model can be successfully applied in step 4.

A company I worked with planned a roll-out of a staffed exercise circuit, using machines on the gym floor. Some locations hadn't received vital equipment, while others were fully-operational. For staff without, their understanding was built on knowledge from training manuals, yet they'd not had opportunity to apply their learning. Visits to the equipped clubs allowed for the hands-on training time necessary to support their ability.

You've invested time and resources in extensive communication and training. What happens once the change leaders head to their next project or assignment? Wishful thinking suggests that learning has been absorbed, it's being applied appropriately, and that new employees are onboarded and trained so they're able to continue operations in the ways intended.

Training and operations manuals don't have wishing and hoping as viable strategies. But, you can organize the systems through which progress checks, advanced trainings, and new hire orientations take place to keep your well-oiled machine running as freshly as it was on launch day.

That sort of predictability, leading to business sustainability, is a key reason that organizations decide to adopt and implement formal processes like the ADKAR change model.