Change Management Models

Leading change is difficult partly because it is hard to see. People's reactions, the spread of new behaviors and the forces that pull an organization back to old habits are not visible on a project plan. Change management models give leaders a way to think about these dynamics. Each model offers a simplified picture of how change happens, whether for an individual, a team or a whole organization, and suggests what leaders should do at each stage. They help teams plan, diagnose problems and speak a common language about change.

Dozens of models exist, developed by researchers, consultants and practitioners over more than seventy years. Some, such as Kurt Lewin's three-stage model and John Kotter's 8 steps, focus on how organizations change. Others, such as Prosci's ADKAR model and the change curve, focus on how individuals experience change. Others again, such as the McKinsey 7-S framework, look at how the parts of an organization must align. No single model is right for every situation, and many experienced practitioners combine elements from several. For leaders, change managers and transformation teams, knowing the main models helps them choose the right tools for each change.

Definition of Change Management Models

Change management models are conceptual frameworks that describe the stages, factors or conditions involved in successful change, at the individual, team or organizational level, and that guide the planning, sequencing and evaluation of change activities.

They provide the thinking behind a change management process, include well-known examples such as Kotter's 8-step change model and Lewin's change model and help leaders apply change management consistently.

Organizational Models

Lewin's change model describes change in three stages: unfreezing current habits, making the change and refreezing new ways of working.

Kotter's 8-step model sets out a sequence for leading organizational change, from creating urgency to anchoring new approaches in the culture.

The McKinsey 7-S framework, developed around 1980, examines how strategy, structure, systems, shared values, style, staff and skills must align for change to succeed.

Bridges' transition model, from William Bridges, distinguishes the external change from the internal transition people go through, in three phases: ending, the neutral zone and new beginning. Other organizational models, such as the Burke-Litwin model, look at how external factors, leadership, culture and systems interact during change.

Individual Models

The ADKAR model describes five outcomes each person needs: awareness, desire, knowledge, ability and reinforcement.

The change curve, adapted from Elisabeth Kubler-Ross's work on grief, describes the emotional stages people often move through during change.

Individual models help leaders understand why particular people or groups are not yet adopting a change and what support they need.

Organizational and individual models complement each other, since organizations change only when enough individuals do.

Importance of Change Management Models in Transformation Programs

Models provide structure. They help teams plan change activities in a logical sequence rather than reacting to problems as they arise.

They support diagnosis. When a change stalls, a model helps identify the missing element, such as a lack of urgency, sponsorship or skills.

They also create a shared language. Leaders and teams can discuss change more clearly when they share terms and concepts. Models also help train new leaders and change practitioners, giving them a tested structure to start from.

Change Management Models and Financial Management

Using a model to plan change activities helps ensure that budgets include the full range of needed work, such as sponsorship, training and reinforcement.

Models that emphasize measurement, such as ADKAR, support tracking adoption against the benefits assumed in the business case.

Diagnosing problems with a model can prevent spending on the wrong fixes, such as more communication when the real gap is skills.

Consistent use of a model across projects makes it easier to compare change costs and results.

Common Challenges

Models are applied rigidly, as checklists, rather than as aids to thinking about a specific situation.

Organizations adopt a model in name only, without training leaders to use it. The model then appears in plans and slides but does not change what leaders actually do.

Some popular models have limited research evidence behind them, so they should be used as guides rather than proven laws.

Linear models may not fit complex, ongoing changes where many things shift at once. Using too many models at once can confuse people, so it helps to agree on a small set.