Page 257 - DMGT106_MANAGING_HUMAN_ELEMENTS_AT_WORK

Unit 11: Individuals and Self-Management

11.8.2 Risk of not Having an Individual Change Perspective Notes

There are a number of risks to attempting change management without a solid foundation
in how individuals go through change. This is perhaps one of the biggest risks of ‘recipe-
driven’ change management approaches. We cannot think of change management as merely
checking the box and moving forward. Because of principle 1 above, we must focus on how
well each individual is moving through their own personal transition for change management
to be successful.
Two major risks of trying change management without an individual change model are:

We do the activities, but do not have the appropriate focus on the individuals
undergoing change
The individual change model defines the outcome we are trying to achieve when we
implement change. In the absences of this individual perspective, project teams run a
significant risk of completing activities but not achieving results. In the face of significant
resistance, a team might say “but we sent 43 communications” or “everyone went through
the training program”. This is evidence of doing change management activities without a
focus on what the activities were trying to achieve.

We have no way of knowing if we have succeeded
Since the individual change model describes the desired outcomes, it also establishes a
framework to know if we have been successful. Without the individual change model, it is
impossible to tell whether or not change management activities are achieving their desired
results.
11.8.3 Applications of the Individual Change Perspective

The ADKAR model has proven to be so effective that it is taught in Prosci’s 3-day certification,
1-day managers program and 4-6 hour executive sessions. Our clients have been very successful
when they get each of these very different groups thinking about change in terms of ADKAR.
There are several main applications of the individual change model such as:
Provides focus to organizational change management activities

Individual change models provide focus for the numerous change management activities we
complete. For example, it is commonly accepted that communication is critically important
to succeed at change. But what should we communicate about? In the absence of an individual
change management model, project teams resort to telling others what they have been
doing, describing the solution in detail. ADKAR reorients the focus of efforts from
“communicating” to “building awareness”, or from “training” to “building knowledge”.
This seemingly subtle shift in perspective is what differentiates mediocre change management
from exceptional change management. It is what enables project and change teams to truly
achieve results.
Gives direction measuring effectiveness and for corrective actions

How do we know if our change management activities are working? For change management
teams, an individual change model like ADKAR allows them to collect data from different
groups across the organization to 1) understand how effective their organizational change
management activities have been and 2) to take corrective action. For example, if the team
determines that awareness of the need for change is low, then adjustments can be made to
the communication plans and sponsor plans to correct this situation. If, on the other hand,
knowledge and ability are low, then adjustments to training and coaching plans can be made.
Without a focus on the outcomes described in an individual change model, it is not always
clear what actions should be taken to correct a situation. The individual change model

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 251