As mentioned in the intro article to this topic, the ADKAR change management model is based on five elements:

• A – Awareness of the need to change
• D – Desire to support and participate in the change
• K – Knowledge of how to change
• A – Ability to implement the required skills and behaviors
• R– Reinforcement to sustain the change

Today, I’ll delve into the first “A” of the ADKAR model – Awareness.

To begin to enable change, a person must become aware for the need to change. They need to have an understanding of the nature of the change, why the change is being made, and the risk of not making the change. This should include the internal and/or external drivers that created the need for the change.

When addressing the Awareness element, the following questions need to be dealt with:

• What is the nature of the change and how does the change align with the vision of the organization?
• Why is the change being made and what are the risks of not changing?
• How will the change impact our organization or community?
• What’s in it for me (WIIFM)?

Although these seem to be pretty straightforward questions that need to be addressed, there are multiple factors that influence how people recognize the need and therefore how readily they will accept the need for the change.

Factor 1 – A person’s view of the current state

Some folks have a strong desire not to change. This will be especially true if they have spent significant time or energy on how things are currently done. Some of the arguments that these folks may express:

• If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.
• We have been doing it this way forever.
• What’s wrong with what we are doing now?

Basically the more comfortable and invested they are in the current state, the more likely they will discredit or ignore the need for the change.

Factor 2 – How a person perceives problems

This factor hits on how people accept/process new information based on their current situation. The ADKAR book¹ provides examples of two cognitive styles – adaptive and innovative and how they each process information differently. For example, an adaptive individual would be more in tune of the internal needs for change – i.e., time plans, plans to economize, downsizing, etc. Whereas an innovative personality would be more aware of external factors influencing the change – i.e., changes in the market, advances in technology, etc.

Each of us has a different way of processing information and solving problems. So when creating communication plans to build awareness, both internal and external factors need to be addressed to address the different cognitive personalities and how they process information.

Factor 3 – The credibility of the sender

The credibly of the sender of the message is critical and has a direct impact on how an individual will process the information. Depending on the level of trust and respect of the messenger, recipients will view them as credible or someone not to be believed.

In a workplace environment, employees will expect messages about why the change is taking place and how the change meets the business strategy to come from the person at or near the top of the organization. Messages regarding how the change directly affects the employee should be coming from their immediate supervisor.

Factor 4 – Circulation of misinformation of rumors

Basically this comes down to distorted or incorrect information that has circulated possibly due to limited or withheld information about the change. With limited of no information, people begin to create their own truths.

Employees may have a difficult time ascertaining the truth from the misinformation being circulated. More time is usually spent trying to correct the misinformation than actually spent communicating the right information in the first place.

Factor 5 – Contestability of the reasons for change

Some changes have observable reasons for change that are difficult to dispute. For example, a change due to a new or updated law; a change may be necessary in order to stay compliant with the new law.

In some cases, the reason for a change may not be so readily apparent or which can be argued. Changes due to internal drivers or by reasons that are debatable can face greater challenges. For example an internal positioned change such as rotating leaders of teams. The purpose of the change may be to build stronger leaders and therefore stronger teams. But it can also be reasonably argued that it may cause a disruption of the success within certain teams. If the reasons for a change can be debatable, then the time required to build awareness would take longer.

So there you have the first element in the ADKAR change management model – Awareness. It builds the groundwork for successfully managing change.

The next element we’ll be discussing is Desire. Going back to the original introduction article, we mentioned that the ADKAR elements not only provide a framework but also the sequence in which to manage change. So without Awareness, you can’t have the Desire to change.

Stay tuned for our next article on managing change using the ADKAR model.

As always, if you have any questions or need assistance with managing your change initiative, please do not hesitate to contact us.

¹ ADKAR: A Model for Change in Business, Government and our Community