12. Individual Change Journey

‌‌‌What is it?

The ADKAR model breaks down the change journey into key steps – Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement. These steps are consecutive and cumulative.

Why do it?

By using these steps an individual can check that they have everything they need to put the change into practice and can understand how the information provided by the Change Leadership addresses each of the steps. For the Change Leadership these steps help to check that change process is working and ensure that communications, engagement, training etc are correctly timed and focused.

When to do it?

The change journey runs throughout each of the phases - Awareness is the focus of the Diagnose phase; Desire is addressed in Design; Knowledge and Ability in the Develop and Deliver phases; and Reinforcement during the Sustain phase.

Inputs

Future State Definition and Roadmap
Change Impact Assessment
Stakeholder Analysis
Stakeholder Communications Strategy & Plan

Outputs

N/A

How to do it?

12.1 Implement ADKAR Model

‌Prosci’s ADKAR Model is a useful way to look at how individuals experience change. It was developed by Prosci after studying the change patterns of more than 700 organisations. It represents the five elements of change that must be achieved for the change to be a success:

Awareness	Change begins with understanding ‘why’ What is the nature of the change? Why is the change needed? What is the risk of not changing?
Desire	Change involves personal decisions What’s in it for me? A personal choice / a decision to engage and participate
Knowledge	Change requires knowing ‘how’ Understanding how to change Training on new processes and tools Learning new skills
Ability	Change requires action in the right direction The demonstrated capability to implement the change Achievement of the desired change in behaviour
Reinforcement	Change must be reinforced to be sustained Actions that increase the likelihood that a change will ‘stick’ Recognition and rewards that sustain the change

Tool: The Prosci ADKAR worksheet provides a mechanism for understanding where you are in the change and identifying any barrier points

12.2 Implementing without ADKAR elements

Without Awareness and Desire you will see:	Employees asking the same questions over and over Lower productivity and higher turnover Hoarding of resources and information Delays in implementation
Without Knowledge and Ability you will see:	Lower utilisation or incorrect usage of new systems Employees worry whether they can be successful in the future Greater impact on service delivery
Without Reinforcement you will see:	Employees revert back to the old ways of doing things Ultimate benefits are less than anticipated The organisation creates a history of poorly managed change

12.3 Individual change management outcomes

When you create ...	You hear...
Awareness	"I understand why ..."
Desire	"I have decided to ..."
Knowledge	" I know how to ..."
Ability	"I am able to ..."
Reinforcement	"I will continue to ..."

Not everyone changes at the same pace so managers have a key role in understanding where each of the employees are on the change journey and providing appropriate support:

12.4 The Role of the Manager during the change journey

The support for individuals on their change journey primarily comes from their line manager ( support change leaders process). Managers should introduce their teams to the ADKAR model and regularly review the feedback – providing additional information and support where needed.

The following provides a view of supporting or participating in each of the ADKAR steps from, firstly, the manager’s perspective and, secondly, an individual’s perspective.

Manager's Role

Building Awareness	Develop effective and targeted communications to share the business reasons for the change and the risk of not changing Sponsor (lead) the change effectively at the right level; share why the change is needed and how the change aligns with the overall vision and objectives of the University Support team leaders in managing change and help them to reinforce awareness messages Provide staff with ready access to information about the change initiative
Creating Desire	Ensure there is a coalition of sponsorship for the change across all relevant areas of the University Lead the change and manage resistance within teams Engage staff in the change process at the earliest possible stage Align the PDR process with the change – ensure objectives and behaviours support the desired new ways of working
Developing Knowledge	Assess skills and implement effective training Create user groups and forums to share problems and lessons learned between peer groups
Fostering Ability	Provide access to subject-matter experts Undertake walk-throughs or practice runs to enable staff to become comfortable with new skills and ways of working
Reinforcing Change	Walk the talk – role model new behaviours Celebrate successes Gather feedback from staff Reward new behaviours and challenge old ways of working

12.5 The Role of the Individual during the change journey

At each step of the change process, you have decisions to make that impact your role and how others perceive you. Each of these actions has a consequence and every conversation you have, formally or informally, reflects your choices about change.

Change can be stressful for everyone involved, even when the final result is positive. In the end, each person must choose whether they will change or remain the same. We are each accountable for our choices and actions relating to change. Adopting this frame of mind will help prevent you from becoming a victim of change

You can take control of the change process and how that process impacts you personally and professionally. The ADKAR model provides a concrete action plan for assessing where you are in the change process, which steps you can take to fill in any gaps and how you can move ahead.

You should carry out the ADKAR exercise (Prosci ADKAR worksheet) and identify any barrier points (score of 3 or less). The following sections identify actions you can take for each barrier point:

Awareness
Desire
Knowledge
Ability
Reinforcement

Barrier point: Awareness

Ask your manager or change leadership the following questions:

What are the benefits and business reasons for the change?
What is happening inside the University or in the wider sector that is creating the need to change?
How do these internal or external drivers impact our department and me as an employee?
What are our competitors doing that is creating a need for change?
What will happen if a change is not made?
How will the change take place and what will the future state look like?
What can I expect, and when?

Barrier point: Desire

To know what steps to take, first determine which group you are in:

Group 1	You are motivated to change by simply understanding what is happening in the business (ie what was discussed in the Awareness step). You need very little, if any, incentive beyond this basic knowledge. You are a willing participant and active supporter of the change.
Group 2	You are neutral or cautious about the change. You may need personal attention or definitive consequences for supporting or not supporting the change. You will need to understand how the change will impact you personally (what is in it for you). You will need to understand the risk to the department and yourself if a change is not made.
Group 3	You will not support the change no matter what is done. You will either openly obstruct the effort or leave the University. You may be a passive observer but behind the scenes you actively campaign against the change.

Actions if you are in Group 1 (already supportive of the change)

Help deploy the change
Participate with the change effort to support detailed design activities
Help develop training or help test new systems and tools
Act as a mentor and coach to other employees

Actions if you are in Group 2 (Unsure about the change)

Be patient. You may need time to sort out the change and the impact on you
Continually seek information on the business needs and changing environment
Learn the risks to the University if a change is not made. Determine how the change will impact you personally
Have direct communications with a supervisor or manager who understands the change and can communicate the reasons behind it and the impact on you
Voice your objections to the change and understand why those objections cannot be satisfied, or help the change team modify the solution to account for these objections
Understand the personal consequences of not changing and talk candidly with your line manager about your choices

Actions if you are in Group 3 (Outright opposed to the change)

You should talk to your line manager to understand the consequence of your decision. Determine if you could possibly be in Group 2 and just need your concerns listened to and addressed.

Alternatively, this may be the time to explore other work opportunities. Finding work that fits your personal and professional development goals is a critical step for individuals involved in major change initiatives, especially when the direction of the organisation is different to the goals of an individual.

Barrier point: Knowledge

Seek information from your manager about training and development opportunities.
Attend meetings and presentations about the change and be active in asking questions and seeking out more information
Actively pursue the following information during the change process:
- Clear definition of the change
- Training and development opportunities
- Information about how the change will impact you
- New performance measures

Barrier point: Ability

Change is a process. Developing the ability to change means adopting new habits and learning new skills. This takes time. Simply attending training courses is not enough, you will need ongoing support mechanisms and coaching.
Continually work to develop the new skills and behaviours that are required to support the change. When gaps persist, seek additional support to close them. Provide feedback to the change team to address any problems with the new design, process or system and help document ‘how to’ guides as you learn new ways of working.
Be patient – it takes time to learn new ways of doing work. Be persistent, positive and results-oriented.

Barrier point: Reinforcement

Reinforcing the change is just as important as implementing it. Our natural tendency is the revert to ‘the old way of doing things’. Every individual plays a role in reinforcing the new ways of working
Seek support from your team leader or manager when the process does not work correctly. Help solve problems that arise while using new tools and processes. Avoid using old processes when the new processes don’t work – raise issues and make sure they are escalated quickly to the right people.