Change management can be characterized as the procedure of altering or changing one or more angles of an association utilizing a planned system. Change management includes the implementation of one or more techniques, which organizations use to increment effectiveness and acquire their objectives. Theorists have provided different concepts of change management simply to understand the framework according to which organizations manage and lead change. The Prosci ADKAR model is one of the best approaches introduced several years ago to support change in companies through the prism of its five major elements, namely awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, and reinforcement. The progress of the ADKAR model is evident today due to its evident advantages and the possibility to facilitate working processes.
Prosci’s ADKAR Model of Change Management
Prosci’s ADKAR Model is a goal-oriented change management model that guides individual and organizational change. Created by Prosci founder Jeff Hiatt, ADKAR is an acronym that represents the five tangible and concrete outcomes that people need to achieve for lasting change: awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, and reinforcement. While other change management models are contingent on success, ADKAR stands apart as a way to assess gaps and manage risks. Everyone involved in a change process, from senior leaders supporting a new initiative to front-line employees, will benefit from understanding how to apply ADKAR. The ADKAR model has been at the foundation of the Prosci change management methodology for over a decade. Prosci is dedicated to thoroughly updating the model and how to use the model, and adding case studies of organizations that are using ADKAR for digital transformation, agile team transitions, and process innovation. ADKAR is a great tool to get people through change and to realize the benefit of the change right away. The basic ways to improve with the ADKAR model are to measure the effectiveness of how to communicate effectively, how to adjust resistance management efforts, how to manage sponsorship, and how to refine coaching and sponsor behaviors.
ADKAR stands for Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement and is the model developed by Prosci researchers and consultants that identifies the five key building blocks of successful change in organizations. The model stems from the easily understandable concept that people only adopt a new behavior – in this case, a process-focused behavior – if they have passed through all of these five building blocks. The model, as opposed to other theories of change, underlines the fact that one must tackle and clear every step in order to see a successful transformation through. If a person is not addressed at an early building block stage, then the likelihood of the process of inducing change occurring in them is more difficult and the change more likely to fail. Throughout the course of the program, participants are briefed about the advantages and limitations of using the model. They are assessed about how the model could be utilized in their day-to-day work in government offices.
Understanding the Prosci ADKAR Model involves defining several terms that are specific to change management theories and cover in a broad sense the most important factors necessary to see the success of a transformation. The model identifies the five key building blocks that must be present for change to be successful at an organizational and individual level. This is important in the context of government institutions as well. The “overall mission” of a government ministry (or institution) is to increase its own capacity to meet its citizens’ needs and provide innovation in policies and services that improve the quality of a nation’s life. The process of improving the public value of the activity of the government organization describes a continuous journey of guaranteed success if a culture of change is allowed to grow. The “people involved” in a government-wide program aiming at change are the “civil servants” or “public servants”, collectively individuals employed by the public sector to deliver public good. The “government” means the entity that has the authority and power to make and enforce laws and regulations, design and implement policies and capacity-building projects, thus potentially provoking improvements in the quality, access, and efficiency of the services that support our lives.
Components of the Model
- Awareness – The first step is to ensure that the employees in the organization understand the imminent organizational change and accept the need for this change. We can distinguish between the emotional knowledge, that is, understanding the new situation, and the cognitive knowledge, that is, awareness of the need for change. This is necessary so that the employees are positively disposed to the change, at the beginning of the changing project.
- Desire – Once the employees understand the reason for the change, they must want to stop and replace the existing negative behavior with the behavior reinforced by the change. The employees can go over stages of feeling of insecurity when already unconscious of the need for change they begin to establish before it happens. Concern or fear of personal loss, unmet needs and resistance, indifference or ignorance because they do not understand the concept, what will have to change regarding the new situation, are frustrations that must be well worked by management.
- Knowledge – From the moment that command responsibility in ensuring that the people involved learn the necessary skills and knowledge for the new behaviors, we are guaranteeing, in the first step, cognitive knowledge which increases expectancy for change. This is the basis for learning and creating the competence needed for the new behavior, from the new situation. At this stage, there are two lines of action: training and coaching, where it is necessary and goal setting that the organization needs to comply with towards the changing project.
- Ability – The purpose of a stage of competence and autonomous self-confidence of knowing about the change in the new situation. In other words, the leaders guarantee the development and the guarantee of the employees themselves the motivation to change. These are the same stages for leadership learning toward change that requires enthusiasm, effort, and willpower. The changes need to be relevant so that people feel confident to adopt new behaviors, accepting and desiring these new behaviors.
- Reinforcement – The reinforcement should occur after obtaining the desired result and also when the ego, that is, the need of reaching fulfillment of the people for this success, because this factor influences the intensity, direction, and persistence of the effort to give results. Reinforcement encourages swing people with stress tolerance to tap into their own potential, lead, and increase energy.
Advantages of the Prosci ADKAR Model
When implementing change, clarity about the change, the business objective, and expected benefits are fundamental. To gain those advantages, organizations need a structured change approach like ADKAR. The Prosci ADKAR model offers several advantages:
- Structured approach: The ADKAR Model provides a structured and systematic framework for managing change. It breaks down the change process into distinct stages, allowing organizations to focus on each element individually. This structured approach enhances clarity and enables change management practitioners to address specific challenges at each stage effectively.
- People-centric focus: The ADKAR Model emphasizes the people side of change, recognizing that successful change ultimately depends on individuals embracing and adopting it. By focusing on awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, and reinforcement, the model highlights the importance of engaging and supporting individuals throughout the change journey. This people-centric approach increases the likelihood of successful change implementation.
- Individual empowerment: The ADKAR Model promotes individual empowerment by equipping people with the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to navigate the change successfully. By providing training, education, and support, the model empowers individuals to take ownership of the change process and actively contribute to its implementation. This empowerment leads to greater acceptance and commitment to change.
Limitations of the Prosci ADKAR Model
Despite the power of the Prosci ADKAR Model for change management, it has some limitations.
- Overemphasis on individuals: While the ADKAR Model recognizes the significance of individuals in the change process, it may overlook broader systemic or structural factors that impact change. Organizational culture, leadership support, and resource allocation are essential aspects that can influence change outcomes. Relying solely on the ADKAR Model may neglect these broader contextual factors.
- Simplistic view of change: The ADKAR Model presents change as a linear process with distinct stages. However, in reality, change is often complex and nonlinear, with interdependencies and feedback loops. The model’s simplicity may not fully capture the complexities and nuances of real-world change initiatives.
- Limited focus on resistance: While the ADKAR Model acknowledges the importance of addressing resistance, it may not provide comprehensive strategies for managing it. Resistance to change is a natural response, and organizations need robust approaches to identify, understand, and address resistance effectively. The model’s limited emphasis on this aspect may hinder organizations in overcoming significant barriers to change.
Applications of ADKAR Model
The Prosci ADKAR model stands out as an enhanced change management process as well. Like individuals, organizations also face the challenge of managing change. Given that organizations are composed of individuals, who all have their own unique ADKAR needs and potential barriers, managing organization-level change becomes even more challenging. The use of the ADKAR model can enhance an organization’s change management process. Change management literature suggests that there are no standards or defined measures for change management and that there is plenty of room for improvement in change management. The subsequent sections elaborate how the use of this model can help to improve the organization’s change management processes. In summary, the Prosci ADKAR model provides a comprehensive model to be used for guiding the organization through change management initiatives. It guides organizational change management processes in a way that will, because it focuses on the individual’s transitions, benefit organization-level transitions as well. The outlined benefits extend the theory of change management by adding value on measures and standards that were suggested to help guide future studies. The Prosci ADKAR model assists in establishing measurable change processes and thus assists the organization to align individual changes to organization change implementations.