ADKAR Model

Organizations change one person at a time. A new system, process or structure succeeds only when the people affected understand it, want to take part, know what to do, can actually do it and keep doing it. The ADKAR model captures this sequence in five steps. It gives leaders a simple way to think about what each person needs and to diagnose where a change is getting stuck. If people are not adopting a change, ADKAR asks a direct question: which of the five outcomes is missing?

The model was developed by Jeff Hiatt, founder of Prosci, in the 1990s, based on research into change across hundreds of organizations, and was described in his 2006 book ADKAR: A Model for Change in Business, Government and Our Community. It has become one of the most widely used change management models in the world, partly because it is easy to remember and partly because it focuses on individuals, which makes it practical for planning and measurement. For change managers, project leaders, managers and HR teams, ADKAR is a practical tool for planning change activities and tracking adoption.

Definition of ADKAR Model

The ADKAR model is an individual change model stating that successful change requires each person to progress through five sequential building blocks: Awareness of the need for change, Desire to participate and support it, Knowledge of how to change, Ability to implement the required skills and behaviors and Reinforcement to sustain the change.

It is one of the most common change management models, is often used within a change management process and complements organizational models such as Kotter's 8-step change model.

The Five Elements

Awareness. The person understands why the change is needed, including the business reasons and the risks of not changing.

Desire. The person chooses to support and take part in the change, which depends on personal motivation, the organization's context and how the change affects them.

Knowledge. The person knows how to change, including the new processes, tools, skills and behaviors required.

Ability. The person can actually perform the new way of working, which requires practice, time and support beyond knowledge alone.

Reinforcement. The change is sustained through recognition, rewards, measurement and removing ways to slip back to old habits. Each element builds on the one before, which is why the order matters.

The Barrier Point

ADKAR treats the elements as sequential. A person cannot develop real desire without awareness, or ability without knowledge.

The first element that scores low for a person or group is called the barrier point, and it is where support should focus.

For example, if awareness and desire are strong but knowledge is weak, more communication will not help, while targeted training will.

Assessing groups on each element, often on a simple one-to-five scale, gives a quick picture of where a change is stuck. Prosci recommends focusing on the barrier point before moving on, since later elements cannot be achieved without it.

Importance of the ADKAR Model in Transformation Programs

ADKAR focuses on adoption. It keeps attention on whether people are actually changing, not just whether change activities have been completed.

It improves diagnosis. Identifying the barrier point helps leaders apply the right fix rather than repeating ineffective activities.

It also clarifies roles. Leaders can see which elements sponsors, managers and trainers are best placed to influence, such as sponsors building awareness and managers building desire. It works at any scale, from a single team adopting a new tool to a company-wide transformation.

The ADKAR Model and Financial Management

Benefits in many business cases depend on adoption, and ADKAR assessments provide an early signal of whether adoption is on track.

Targeting support at the barrier point avoids spending on activities that will not change outcomes.

Tracking ADKAR scores over time alongside usage and performance data helps link change investment to results.

Using ADKAR consistently across projects helps organizations learn which change activities produce the best return.

Common Challenges

ADKAR is sometimes treated as a communication plan, when it covers skills, practice and reinforcement too.

Assessments may be done once and not repeated, missing changes in people's progress.

Leaders may assume awareness equals desire, overlooking genuine concerns that need to be addressed.

Reinforcement is often neglected after go-live, allowing people to drift back to old habits. Assessing large groups as a whole can hide differences between teams or roles, so results should be broken down.