ADKAR Model of Change by Jeff Hiatt

The ADKAR model helps make change practical when a plan is in place but behavior has not changed yet. That is where many change processes start to slow down. Not in strategy documents, but in daily work. People may not yet see the urgency, feel little motivation, lack the right knowledge, or fall back into old routines. The ADKAR model helps you identify where that happens and what is needed to move forward.

In this article, you will discover what the ADKAR model is, how the five building blocks work, and how to use them to recognize where change is slowing down. You will also see a practical example and find a template that helps you apply the model in your own organization. Enjoy reading!

What is the ADKAR model?

Organizational change often slows down because employees do not yet understand, accept, or apply the new way of working. The ADKAR model is a change management tool that helps explain where that process starts to stall and why some changes succeed while others do not.

Acronym

The name ADKAR is an acronym and the model is based on five building blocks that bring about successful change. The letters stand for Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement.

Origin

The ADKAR model for change management was developed by the founder of Prosci Jeff Hiatt in 2003. It was introduced as a practical tool by Prosci, a renowned change management consultancy and learning centre.

The model is mainly intended as a coaching tool that helps employees move through change in a structured way within organizations.

Why change often meets resistance

Change often meets resistance because people do not immediately see why it is necessary, what it will change in their daily work, or what will be expected of them. That uncertainty can create hesitation, doubt, or a tendency to hold on to familiar routines. This is exactly where many change processes start to slow down.

The ADKAR model helps make that resistance more understandable and manageable. It breaks change down into five sequential building blocks. Each step highlights a different condition that must be in place before behavior can truly change. People first need to understand the reason for change, then be willing to take part, then know what to do, be able to apply it in practice, and finally sustain the new behavior over time.

This step-by-step logic matters because change is rarely successful when one of these elements is missing. If people do not understand the reason, resistance often grows. If they understand the reason but do not feel motivated, progress still slows down. If knowledge or ability is lacking, the change may look good on paper but fail in practice. That is why change needs more than a plan. It needs support at each stage of behavior change.

The five building blocks of the ADKAR model

The ADKAR model outlines the five building blocks to achieve successful change management:

1. Awareness

Employees must be made aware of the need for change.

The first building block of the ADKAR model revolves around possibly the most important question: why is change necessary and desired? Without a clear answer to this question including motivation, staff will have great difficulty accepting the change and joining the movement.

Effectively communicating these reasons, from different perspectives, is necessary to create awareness. Preferably, the communication consists of practical examples about why employees will find the planned initiatives useful and why it will benefit their work.

An important method of achieving this is by opening an open dialogue between employees and management. It is important to make them think about the change, ask questions and share their own experiences and examples. It is also possible to conduct interviews with customers or employees in which they explain their perspectives and make a plea for the change. These interviews can be filmed and shown to larger groups of employees.

2. Desire

Employees must have the desire to participate and fully support the change.

The second building block revolves around motivating employees. Companies can’t tell their employees how they should feel about something, but they can motivate them. There are a number of specific reasons why people feel resistance to change.

For example, studies show that some employees can embrace change if they feel heard and treated well throughout the change process. A common mistake is therefore to invite employees for a dialogue about change and then not organize anything anymore. In many cases, employees find it useless to write down ideas on paper that they don’t hear about later.

It is therefore essential to organize regular communication and feedback moments. In this way involvement is stimulated, which helps to accept change.

3. Knowledge

By gathering knowledge about the change process, the (ultimate) goal of the change will become clear for the employees.

Learning does not happen in a closed space. Whatever knowledge employees have, it is important that they share knowledge and reflect knowledge in an organized learning process.

In this way they give meaning to what has been learned and help each other to benefit from newly acquired knowledge. This is also known as social learning. Social learning is the key to spreading knowledge in a natural way.

Organizations should not just send their employees on a course, but should actively let them deal with new knowledge.

4. Ability

Because of the ability to learn new skills and by managing behaviour, change is accepted.

What prevents employees from contributing to change? Sometimes it’s because they feel like they’re not part of the change. By listening to employees, companies can identify and remove barriers. Ask them how things are going and how they experience their position.

Encourage people to believe in their own abilities and give them recognition. Even when they fail, because then it is more likely that they will learn from their mistakes. It’s hard for employees to show their weaknesses in the workplace, so remind them there’s no shame in seeking help. Developing and valuing the ability of the employees is an essential part of the ADKAR model.

5. Reinforcement

Reinforcement to sustain the change makes it clear for all employees that there is no turning back.

To support the change, an organization must encourage employees and managers to keep talking about the progress of the initiatives, celebrate milestones and continue to share success stories. Provide employees with a platform to easily share stories.

By reinforcing change and maintaining the new normal situation, it shows the seriousness and importance of the change. This can help create a solid base for any future change following the ADKAR model. This is especially the case when employees are reminded of previous successful and beneficial changes in other stages of the ADKAR model.

Two dimensions

Change occurs in two dimensions: the organization and the employees. Change can only be successful if the change takes place simultaneously in both dimensions.

If stagnation surfaces in one of the building blocks in the model, then it is advisable to take action with respect to this element. This targeted approach focuses on the element with the highest chance of success.

The ADKAR model does not just help to determine in advance what steps need to be taken to achieve the right goal, but it also identifies, with the benefit of hindsight, why changes have not been successful. This evaluation is valuable because it can help realize the change after all. Additionally, an adjusted ADKAR model for a failed change can be a solid base for the implementation of a future change.

Tip: The ADKAR Model explains change at the individual level. To understand how culture can influence that change, the Hofstede’s Onion Model of Culture adds another useful layer. It shows how visible practices and deeper values shape behavior during change.

ADKAR model: mini case

ADKAR only becomes truly valuable when you apply it to a recognizable practical situation. That’s why a mini case study helps you see how the steps fit together and why change sometimes gets stuck, even when the plan looks good on paper.

Suppose an organization is implementing a new CRM system. The goal is clear: customer information is currently scattered across mailboxes, Excel files, and loose notes. As a result, appointments are lost, follow-up takes too long, and there is little overview of the pipeline. This causes frustration in the team and missed sales opportunities. The management therefore opts for a single centralised working method in a new CRM system. At its core, this is not an IT project, but a behavioural change. People have to register differently, collaborate differently and follow up more consistently.

The first step is awareness. Employees need to understand why the change is necessary. In this phase, a general message such as “we are going to digitize” usually does not work well enough. What does work is a concrete story with recognizable consequences from practice. Think of missed follow-ups, duplicate customer approaches, or uncertainty about who is responsible. Once people see what problem is being solved, they become more understanding. In concrete terms, this means that communication is not only about the new system, but above all about the reason behind it and its impact on daily work.

Then comes Desire. Understanding does not necessarily mean willingness. An employee may understand why CRM is necessary, but still think: more paperwork. That is precisely why this step is often decisive. In this phase, it helps to highlight personal benefits. For example, less searching, better handover in case of absence, clearer priorities, and more control over customer contact. It also helps to take concerns seriously. Some employees are afraid of losing control or being judged on data. If that tension is not discussed, the resistance will remain beneath the surface. By engaging in conversation and allowing room for questions, the chance that people will want to participate rather than just have to participate increases.

Only then is it time for Knowledge. Now the question is: what exactly do people need to know to work with the CRM? In many processes, this is where things go wrong because too much information is given at once. A long training course covering all functions sounds comprehensive, but in practice often yields little results. A logical sequence of tasks works better. For example, first enter customer data, then record contact moments, then plan tasks, and later use reports. This aligns the training with the work process. It also helps to use short work instructions and examples that are immediately recognizable to the user.

Knowledge alone is not enough to bring about change. That is why Ability follows. This is the moment when employees really have to demonstrate the new behavior in practice. And that is often where the real friction arises. The system is familiar, but during a busy working day, people fall back on old routines. That is logical. New ways of working require practice, feedback, and time. Coaching in the workplace helps during this phase. A team leader or key user can observe, correct mistakes immediately, and show how things can be done faster or smarter. This not only increases skill, but also confidence. People then experience that they can do it, and that is exactly what is needed to implement the change.

The final step is reinforcement. Without reinforcement, the use of CRM often declines as soon as the initial attention wanes. Employees then only partially fill in data, teams go back to using their own lists, and the quality of information declines. That is precisely why reinforcement is necessary. Think of fixed working agreements, regular checks on data quality, short evaluation moments, and making results visible. When a team notices that follow-up is faster and customer information is more transferable, the new behavior takes on meaning. Recognition also helps here. Not as a separate reward, but as confirmation that the new way of working makes a difference.

This case study helps readers not only understand ADKAR, but also apply it. This makes the ADKAR model immediately usable in practice. It also shows that problems in a change process often do not mean that the entire change will fail. In many cases, the cause lies in one step that is not yet solid enough. This provides guidance. A manager, project leader, or employee can then make more targeted adjustments. Not pushing harder on the entire change, but working precisely on the step where progress is stalling.

This mini case also shows why the ADKAR model is so practical. The model reveals where a change is getting stuck. If the problem lies in uncertainty about the necessity, then you need to go back to Awareness. If motivation is low, then you need to focus on Desire. If the training is too general, then the benefit lies in Knowledge. And if people understand but don’t act, it’s often a matter of Ability or Reinforcement. This gives your organization not only a step-by-step plan, but also a diagnostic tool.

Pros of the ADKAR model of change

The ADKAR model has several strengths that make it useful in practice.

1. The ADKAR model offers a clear and practical structure for change. It helps break change down into five logical building blocks, which makes it easier to see where progress is slowing down.
2. The model is especially useful for translating change into observable behavior. This helps organizations move beyond plans and focus on what employees actually need in order to adopt a new way of working.
3. Another strength is that the ADKAR model works well as a diagnostic tool. It does not only support implementation in advance, but also helps explain afterwards why a change did not have the intended effect.
4. The model is particularly valuable when organizations want to guide employees in a structured and targeted way during change. Because each step points to a different type of barrier, interventions can be chosen more precisely.

Cons of the ADKAR model of change

The ADKAR model is useful, but it also has limitations.

1. The model is strongest at the individual level. It helps explain how employees experience change, but it is less complete as a standalone framework for broader organizational transformation.
2. The ADKAR model focuses mainly on adoption and behavior. As a result, it pays less attention to wider issues such as strategic direction, governance, long-term vision, and change design at organizational level.
3. This means the model often works best in combination with a broader change approach. In larger or more complex change programs, ADKAR is especially helpful as a people-focused layer within a wider implementation strategy.

ADKAR Model of change template

Here you can download a handy ADKAR model template to demonstrate the full 5-step plan for change. The template provides editable sections to include key elements of a change initiative.

The template can also be printed and used as a handout when giving a presentation or holding a meeting about the planned changes within your organization.

ADKAR for personal development

ADKAR for personal development works surprisingly logically. Many people start with good intentions, but drop out because one step is missing. There is a plan, but no real reason. Or there is motivation, but no concrete approach. ADKAR helps to break down personal growth into five small building blocks. This makes behavioral change less vague and more feasible.

Awareness: why do you really want to change this?

Personal development often starts with a desire. To focus better. To exercise more. To complete a course. To procrastinate less. Yet for many people, it remains at the level of “it would be useful.” Awareness means that you become clear about why it is necessary. In concrete terms, this means that you articulate the problem and its consequences. Not in a big way, but honestly.

Micro actions

• Write down in two sentences what will go wrong if you don’t change anything
• Write down in one sentence what you will gain if you do succeed
• Note one moment from the past week when you were bothered by the old behavior

Desire: from wanting to choosing

Desire is about willingness. Not perfect motivation, but a real choice. Many goals fail because they feel like “musts.” Or because someone thinks that it can only be achieved with extreme discipline. In this step, you make it personal. What suits you. What is achievable. What makes it attractive enough to persevere.

Micro actions

• Choose one benefit that you can already notice tomorrow
• Make your goal smaller until you think: I can do this even on a busy day
• Write down one objection that is holding you back and think of one way to reduce that objection

Knowledge: knowing exactly what you are going to do

Now comes the knowledge layer. Not theory for theory’s sake, but knowing what works in practice. For a skill, this can be a learning path. For a habit, it is a simple process. What do you do? When? How long? With what tools? What does “good enough” look like?

Micro actions

• Find one reliable source and write down the three key steps
• Make a mini checklist of no more than 5 rules
• Put your first practice session in your calendar with the day and time

Ability: being able to do it in real life

Ability is the phase where things get exciting. Because now you have to do it on a normal workday, with distractions, time pressure, and a busy mind. This is where things often go wrong. Not because you don’t understand it, but because you haven’t practiced enough yet. Ability requires repetition, feedback, and overcoming minor obstacles.

Micro actions

• Practice 10 minutes a day instead of one long session per week
• Make it easier: get your stuff ready, set reminders, remove one distraction
• Ask for feedback once a week from someone you trust

Reinforcement: securing so that it doesn’t fall back

Reinforcement is the securing. If you don’t record anything, you will fall back as soon as the pressure increases or the novelty wears off. Securing means that you make your success visible and let your environment help you. It also means that you don’t see a relapse as failure, but as a signal that you need to reinforce one step.

Micro actions

• Keep track of whether you have done your micro action for 14 days, using a simple checklist
• Link your new behavior to an existing routine, for example after coffee or after lunch
• Celebrate small successes: note down one concrete result that you notice each week

Example: ADKAR applied to one skill

Take “better presentation” as an example.

• Awareness is recognizing that you are missing opportunities because you get nervous.
• Desire is choosing growth because you want to have influence in discussions.
• Knowledge is learning a simple structure, for example, opening, key point, closing.
• Ability is practicing with short pieces and asking for feedback.
• Reinforcement is planning one presentation each month and tracking your progress.

Why this helps with personal and professional growth

ADKAR makes personal development measurable and less stressful. You don’t have to change everything at once. You strengthen one building block at a time. This increases the chance that you will stick to a habit, really learn a skill, and feel less like you are fighting to be disciplined. Step by step, you build behavior that lasts.

Frequently asked questions about the ADKAR model

What is the difference between Knowledge and Ability in the ADKAR model?

Knowledge means people understand what they need to do and how the change works. Ability means they can actually apply that new behavior in daily practice. This difference matters because training alone is rarely enough. Someone may understand a new system or process, yet still struggle to use it correctly under pressure or in a busy work environment. In the ADKAR model, Knowledge comes before Ability for that reason. First people learn, then they show they can do it in a consistent and effective way.

What are the most common mistakes when applying the ADKAR model?

One common mistake is focusing on training too early, before people understand why the change is needed or feel motivated to take part. Another is treating change as a one time communication effort instead of a process that needs follow up, support and reinforcement. A third mistake is assuming that adoption has happened once people say they understand the change. In practice, ADKAR works best when each stage is checked in sequence and when leaders look carefully at the point where progress starts to slow down. That makes interventions more targeted and more useful.

How do you know which ADKAR stage is causing the change to stall?

You know this by looking at the specific point where progress starts to break down. If people do not understand the reason for the change, the issue is often Awareness. If they understand it but do not want to engage, the problem is more likely Desire. If they are willing but still unsure what to do, Knowledge may be missing. If they know what to do but cannot perform it well in real situations, the barrier is usually Ability. If the new behavior fades after implementation, Reinforcement is often too weak. This is one of the strongest parts of the ADKAR model because it helps you avoid broad, generic action and focus instead on the real cause of resistance or delay.

Recommended books and articles about the ADKAR model

The ADKAR model helps to understand and guide change step by step. The books provide insight into the structure of the model and show how organizations successfully implement change, while the articles link research and practical experience to behavioral change in teams and organizations. This creates a clear framework for guiding change in a structured way and better understanding resistance.

1. Armenakis, A. A., Harris, S. G., & Mossholder, K. W. (1993). Creating readiness for organizational change. Human Relations, 46(6), 681–703. → This article examines how awareness and readiness for change arise, which ties in directly with the first phase of the ADKAR model.
2. Ball, K. (2024). The ADKAR Advantage. Digital audiobook.
3. Burnes, B. (2004). Kurt Lewin and the planned approach to change. Journal of Management Studies, 41(6), 977–1002. → This article describes the classic approach to change and helps to understand the historical basis of modern models such as ADKAR.
4. Cameron, E., & Green, M. (2019). Making Sense of Change Management. London, UK: Kogan Page. → This book compares different change models and places the ADKAR model within a broader change management perspective.
5. Ford, J. D., Ford, L. W., & D’Amelio, A. (2008). Resistance to change: The rest of the story. Academy of Management Review, 33(2), 362–377. → This article shows how resistance arises and how leaders deal with it during change.
6. Hiatt, J. (2006). ADKAR: A Model for Change in Business, Government and Our Community. Loveland, CO: Prosci Learning Center. → This book introduces the ADKAR model and shows how Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement work together to support successful change.
7. Hiatt, J., & Creasey, T. J. (2012). Change Management: The People Side of Change. Loveland, CO: Prosci Learning Center Publications. → This book explains how individual change forms the basis for organizational change and offers practical application of the ADKAR model.
8. Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading Change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. → This book describes how leaders guide change and is an important theoretical addition to ADKAR thinking.
9. Kotter, J. P. (2014). Accelerate: Building Strategic Agility for a Faster-Moving World. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press. → This book demonstrates how organizations can change more quickly and provides context for modern change strategies.
10. Oreg, S., Vakola, M., & Armenakis, A. (2011). Change recipients’ reactions to organizational change. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 47(4), 461–524. → This article examines how people respond to change and which factors influence success or failure.
11. Rafferty, A. E., & Griffin, M. A. (2006). Perceptions of organizational change. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(5), 1154–1162. → This article analyzes how employees experience change and how communication and leadership influence this perception.
12. Schein, E. H. (2010). Organizational Culture and Leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. → This book demonstrates how culture and leadership influence change, which helps to place the ADKAR model in an organizational context.

How to cite this article:
Mulder, P. (2022). ADKAR Model of Change. Retrieved [insert date] from Toolshero: https://www.toolshero.com/change-management/adkar-model-of-change/

Original publication date: January 9, 2022 | Last update: May 6, 2026

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Tagged: Behavioral Change Change Management Strategy Learning Skills Organizational Development (OD)