The ADKAR model provides a structured framework for understanding the five critical stages people must move through during change: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement. When your change initiative stalls or encounters resistance, ADKAR helps you diagnose exactly where the breakdown is occurring so you can apply targeted interventions.
- Use ADKAR's five stages to pinpoint exactly where people are struggling during change implementation
- Adapt your leadership approach based on which stage requires support: from communication to coaching to reinforcement
- Prevent common implementation failures by sustaining change through consistent reinforcement over time
This lesson is a preview from our Leading Through Relationship-Building Course Online & Emerging Leader Certificate Program. Enroll in a course for detailed lessons, live instructor support, and project-based training.
Not everyone resists change for the same reason. One person might understand why the change is necessary but lack the technical skills to succeed. Another might have all the knowledge and ability required but doesn't see why the change matters. Yet another might perform perfectly during implementation but revert to old habits once initial attention fades. ADKAR allows you to move beyond assuming uniform resistance and instead diagnose which specific element of the change process needs strengthening for each person or group.
Awareness: Ensuring People Understand Why
The first stage of ADKAR is Awareness. People need to understand why the change is happening. Without this foundation, confusion and rumors fill the gaps, creating unnecessary resistance. Your role as a leader is to explain the why in plain language, repeatedly.
This cannot be overstated: communicate the rationale over and over again. Saying something once or twice is not enough, particularly when the message involves emotional content or requires people to let go of established ways of working. People need to hear the why multiple times through different channels before it truly lands.
Beyond explaining why, help people understand the risk of not changing. If you know the reason for the change, you can articulate what happens if the change doesn't occur. This reinforces the urgency and importance. Repeat key messages consistently so that everyone genuinely understands not just that change is happening, but why it matters to the organization and to them.
Desire: Building Support For Change
Awareness is not enough. People need to move from understanding the change to actually desiring it. This is the Desire stage, and it's where you see signs of resistance like passive resistance or reduced engagement. When people don't desire the change, they comply but don't commit.
To help people develop desire for change, start by listening actively to their concerns without immediately defending the change. Understand what they perceive as losses, even if you don't consider them losses. Acknowledge what will remain the same so people don't feel like everything is being taken away. When possible, involve people in the change process itself. People are more likely to desire a change when they've had a hand in shaping it.
Don't assume you know what matters to your team. Ask them what concerns them, listen to their answer, and take their perspective seriously. Desire grows when people feel heard and when they see how the change could benefit them or their work.
Knowledge: Providing Clear Guidance And Training
Once people desire the change, they need to know how to make it. The Knowledge stage is where you provide clear guidance, training, and resources. Watch for gaps between people who aren't trying versus people who are trying but not executing correctly.
Sometimes people appear to resist when they're actually struggling with how to do something new. Provide step-by-step instructions, resources, and multiple examples of how to work in the new way. Break changes into smaller, manageable pieces. When people feel overwhelmed by the scope or pace of change, they can seem resistant when they're actually drowning. Manageable increments help people absorb new knowledge without becoming paralyzed.
Offer job aids, examples, and peer support. Sometimes having a change champion or someone who has successfully adapted sit with a person and model the new process is more effective than formal training. Pay attention if people are questioning the process or asking for clarification. These are signs they may need more information or different explanations to truly grasp the knowledge required.
Ability: Supporting People To Succeed
People can have knowledge but still struggle with ability. This stage requires you to provide coaching and support so people can actually do what's required without frustration. Watch carefully for people who are avoiding the new way or finding workarounds, which signals they're struggling at the ability stage.
Provide coaching and support through change champions, peers who have mastered the new process, and direct support from you as the leader. Consider removing or reducing other workload obligations so people have time and mental space to fully engage with the change. Don't assume employees will ask for support; proactively offer it.
Most importantly, allow practice without penalty. People will make mistakes as they're learning something new. Normalize this. Show empathy. Give people time to gain genuine competence without fear of immediate consequences. Ability is built through repeated practice with psychological safety.
Reinforcement: Making Change Stick
The final stage is Reinforcement, and it's where many change initiatives fail. Leaders assume that once people can do something, the change is complete. But without ongoing reinforcement, people drift back to old habits. Your job doesn't end at implementation; it continues through sustained reinforcement.
Recognize people's progress and effort. Align performance expectations and accountability systems to the new way of working. Ensure that everyone is held accountable equally so that the change becomes the new normal rather than an option. Reinforce the new behaviors consistently over time through feedback, recognition, and accountability.
Reinforcement also means vigilance against backsliding. If you notice people starting to use old workarounds or falling back into previous patterns, address it immediately rather than letting it become normalized again. Your continued attention signals that this change matters and isn't just a temporary initiative.
