Catalog
method#Governance#Delivery#Product#Reliability

ADKAR Model

A practical change-management model describing five sequential elements — Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement — to effectively guide individual and organizational change.

The ADKAR model is a practical change-management approach that defines five sequential elements required for successful change: Awareness (understanding the need for change), Desire (motivation to support and participate in the change), Knowledge (knowing how to change), Ability (being capable of implementing the change in daily work), and Reinforcement (sustaining the change through feedback, recognition, and governance).
Established
Medium

Classification

  • Medium
  • Organizational
  • Organizational
  • Intermediate

Technical context

HR training platforms for knowledge modulesPM and rollout plans integrated in project management toolMonitoring systems for KPI tracking

Principles & goals

Change succeeds through individual adoption, not just technology.Early communication reduces resistance.Continuous measurement and reinforcement ensure sustainability.
Discovery
Enterprise, Domain, Team

Use cases & scenarios

Compromises

  • Insufficient sponsorship leads to stagnation.
  • Wrong prioritization of elements impairs adoption.
  • Metrics are missing or not meaningful.
  • Early involvement of leaders as change champions.
  • Combine training, coaching and measurement.
  • Iterative approach with feedback loops.

I/O & resources

  • Change vision and objectives
  • Stakeholder and impact analysis
  • Communication and training materials
  • ADKAR-based action plan
  • Monitoring dashboard for adoption
  • Adjustments to governance and policies

Description

The ADKAR model is a practical change-management approach that defines five sequential elements required for successful change: Awareness (understanding the need for change), Desire (motivation to support and participate in the change), Knowledge (knowing how to change), Ability (being capable of implementing the change in daily work), and Reinforcement (sustaining the change through feedback, recognition, and governance). ADKAR is used to plan change initiatives in a structured way, make progress observable, and identify adoption barriers at both individual and organizational levels. The model is applicable to strategic transformations as well as operational change initiatives and is commonly used to prioritize change activities and tailor interventions.

✔

  • Clear structured approach to identify adoption hurdles.
  • Practically applicable across different organizational levels.
  • Enables targeted actions and success tracking.

✖

  • Focused on adoption; does not cover all technical risks.
  • Requires skilled facilitation and leadership sponsorship.
  • May be perceived as linear though iteration is necessary.

  • Adoption rate

    Portion of target users correctly using new processes/tools.

  • Skill level

    Assessment of knowledge and ability after training.

  • Reinforcement indicators

    Frequency of reinforcement actions and embedding in policies/KPIs.

Support tools consolidation

A midsize company used ADKAR to reduce resistance and prioritize trainings.

ERP rollout in manufacturing

Targeted reinforcement measures improved acceptance and stability after go-live.

DevOps process change

Teams established ability support via peer coaching and reduced transition errors.

1

Identify sponsor and secure commitment.

2

Conduct ADKAR assessment and prioritize barriers.

3

Develop action plan, deliver trainings and plan reinforcement.

⚠️ Technical debt & bottlenecks

  • Poorly documented training materials create knowledge gaps.
  • No persistent monitoring leads to lack of traceability.
  • Missing automation for feedback and measurement processes.
Leadership sponsorshipTraining resourcesCommunication cadence
  • Using ADKAR as a checklist rather than a diagnostic tool.
  • Distributing interventions evenly without assessment-based prioritization.
  • Neglecting reinforcement and focusing only on short-term results.
  • Measuring too early without time for ability development.
  • Overestimating communication effect without active involvement.
  • Unclear responsibilities for reinforcement actions.
Change management expertiseFacilitation and coaching skillsCommunication and stakeholder management
Need for sustainable behavior changeClear sponsorship and communication structureMeasurability of adoption and effectiveness
  • • Limited time for training during rollout
  • • Existing system dependencies can block ability
  • • Budget restrictions for coaching and reinforcement