9 Change Management Models to Compare

Choosing the right change management model is key to guiding your organization through change successfully. This helps you achieve the high adoption levels leaders want, so you can show return on investment (ROI) and other important organizational benefits. 

Picking the model that best fits your organization's specific needs takes some thought. Change might look simple, but if it's not handled well, it could lead to unhappy employees and unsuccessful projects. 

Let’s explore common change management models, so you can find the best fit. The right choice will help you get people on board with new initiatives by supporting them through the transition.  

Most importantly, the right choice will help your organization and people grow stronger from change.

What is a Change Management Model? 

A change management model is a framework used to help people adopt and use project changes in their work.

Models like The Prosci ADKAR^® Model, Prosci Methodology, Kotter's 8-Step Change Model, and Lewin's Change Management Model all offer ways to handle change. All aim to make managing change more successful. But all are not created equal.

Why Change Management Models Are Important

Research from Prosci shows that projects with excellent change management are 7X more likely to succeed than those with poor change management.

This is vital to: 

• Meeting objectives
• Maximizing ROI
• Keeping change management projects on time and within budget

Change projects demand a lot of time, resources and technology. Using structured change management models and methodologies helps organizations navigate complex changes, boosting overall performance and success.

For example, AVANGRID partnered with Prosci to enhance its change management methods, successfully deploying a major SAP network application for over 4,000 employees. 

Velera built an organizational change management practice to support employees through significant growth and adopt the Prosci Methodology to build a change-ready future. 

And, to improve efficiencies and address change fatigue, Prosci helped the University of Virginia develop advanced change capabilities. 

Let's dive into popular change management models to determine which can guide your company to a similar victory.

The Right Change Management Model to Steer Your Transformation

Before exploring the models, let's look at how to pick the right one.

Think about what kind of change you're dealing with, how big the project is, and what your unique organization is like. Then, decide if you need a model that focuses on individual-level changes or organizational changes, or a model that can be integrated to accomplish both effectively. 

Choosing a model that aligns well with these factors will help make your change process smoother and more effective. Here are several to compare, along with pros and cons.

The Prosci ADKAR Model

 1. Prosci ADKAR Model

The Prosci ADKAR^® Model describes the five essential building blocks of successful change: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement. These are the elements a person must achieve to make a change. The model focuses on individual change because organizations change one person at a time.

The ADKAR Model is popular and people-focused. It’s very helpful in projects where individual behaviors mean the difference between success and failure, such as when you need people to adopt and use critical ERP technology or new administrative processes.

Key building blocks:

• Building Awareness involves helping those impacted by the change understand the reasons behind it so they can embrace it.
• Building Desire helps people actively support the change and engage in the change process.
• Building Knowledge equips people with the necessary information and adequate training on how to change.
• Building Ability in people helps them move beyond theoretical knowledge and put the change into action. This is where individuals adopt and use the change effectively in their daily roles.
• Building Reinforcement helps people sustain a change for the long term, keeping them from reverting to previous working methods.

Pros:

• Focuses on helping individual people adopt and use a change successfully
• Straightforward and practical
• Recognizes that people move through states of change: current, transition and future
• Flexible model that supports business, personal, individual and organizational changes
• Adaptable to many types of changes like ERP systems implementation, adopting AI tools, diversity in the workplace, regulatory changes, and more

Cons:

• Often confused with the Prosci Methodology for organizational change
• Scales most effectively for organizational changes when used as part of a comprehensive change management methodology

2. Lewin's Change Management Model

Kurt Lewin's Change Management Model presents a simple approach to organizational change, structured into three phases: Unfreeze, Change and Refreeze. This high-level model emphasizes the planning and preparation stages of change, and supporting employees through each stage. 

Key Elements:

1. Unfreeze – Recognize the need for change and prepare the organization
2. Change – Carry out the change implementation phase
3. Refreeze – Solidify the change in company culture

Pro:

• Easy to understand

Cons:

• Oversimplifies complex changes
• Difficult to implement because it lacks structure and tools
• Does not focus on individual change

3. McKinsey 7-S Framework

The McKinsey 7S model focuses on aligning seven key internal elements of an organization for successful change management—categorizing them by “hard” and “soft.” These seven elements are evaluated for their mutual impact to pinpoint areas for improvement. Although the model does not include steps or prioritize the elements, it could be applied alongside a comprehensive organizational change management approach, like the Prosci Methodology. 

Key Elements:

• Hard 
  • Strategy – Company's competitive plan
  • Structure – Organization's setup
  • Systems – Daily operations
• Soft
  • Shared Values – Core company values
  • Skills – Employee abilities
  • Style – Leadership approach
  • Staff – Employee capabilities

Pro:

• Analytical framework you can use on many types of changes
• Can help align change management strategy, structure and systems with organizational values

Con:

• Requires a full change management methodology and detailed plans to make it actionable during implementation
• Does not focus on supporting individuals through change

The Bridges Transition Model

4. The Bridges Transition Model

Bridges's Transition Model, created by William Bridges, focuses on the individual emotional journey during organizational change. It differentiates between change, the external event, and transition.

Key Elements:

1. Ending, Losing, Letting Go – Accepting the end of what was
2. The Neutral Zone – Managing uncertainty between old and new
3. New Beginning – Embracing the new reality

Pro:

• Helpful for managing emotional responses and understanding behaviors that signify employee resistance
• Works with comprehensive change management methodologies

Con:

• Lacks practical aspects of implementing a change at the organizational level, such as plans and assessments
• “Neutral Zone” is known to be challenging

5. Kubler-Ross Change Curve

The Kubler-Ross Change Curve by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, adapted from the stages of grief, helps change teams understand emotional responses during organizational change. It’s most useful when managing changes with deep or negative employee impacts, such as significant layoffs or extensive organizational restructurings. Change practitioners are known to use it as a tool alongside a complete change management methodology. 

Key Stages:

1. Denial – Initial resistance
2. Anger – Frustration toward the change
3. Bargaining – Trying to avoid change
4. Depression – Realizing change is inevitable
5. Acceptance – Embracing the change

Pros:

• Offers insights into the emotional journey
• Aids in support planning
• Helpful when part of a comprehensive change management methodology and approach

Cons:

• It is not always a linear change management process
• Individual experiences vary
• Lacks detailed processes and tools for implementing large-scale changes in organizations 

6. The Burke-Litwin Change Model

The Burke-Litwin Change Model combines internal organizational aspects with external influences. The model is a diagnostic framework that enables you to assess organizational changes according to 12 interconnected factors that collectively impact organizational dynamics.

Key Elements:

1. External Environment – Outside influences, like market trends and regulations
2. Mission and Strategy – The purpose and detailed change management plan to achieve goals
3. Leadership – How business leaders guide and motivate the organization
4. Organizational Culture – Shared values and norms 
5. Structure – Arrangement of roles and responsibilities
6. Management Practices – Methods used to organize and control resources
7. Systems – Procedures and processes supporting operations
8. Work Unit Climate – Team or departmental environment
9. Task and Individual Skills – How job requirements align with skills
10. Individual Needs and Values – Personal motivations affecting engagement
11. Motivation – Employees’ drive to achieve goals
12. Performance – Measured outcomes of organizational activities against objectives

Pros: 

• Holistic view of organizational dynamics and their impacts on change
• Helpful for understanding interconnected impacts from organizational change 

Con:

• Model lacks comprehensive resources, change management tools and structure to enable application
• Broad organizational assessment that does not focus on individuals

7. The Agile Change Management Model

The Agile Change Management Model, drawing inspiration from Agile methodologies common in software development, emphasizes the importance of adaptability and rapid responses to evolving changes. It's a strategic approach that champions incremental progress.

Key Strategies:

1. Agile Adaptability – Regularly update project plans for flexibility
2. Minimize Overplanning – Focus on immediate needs to maintain adaptability
3. Collaborative Engagement – Engage stakeholders for cooperation
4. Streamlined Change Processes – Implement swift and effective change processes
5. Change-Positive Culture – View changes as growth opportunities
6. Consistent Routines – Maintain clear, routine, agile processes

Pro: 

• Enhances adaptability
• Promotes teamwork
• Responsive to employee feedback

Cons:

• Requires robust process management, dependent on effective team dynamics
• Offers little detail on how to apply the change management model
• Does not focus on individual change

Kotter's 8-Step Change Model

8. Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model

John Kotter's 8-step change model provides a conceptual approach to managing organizational change. It's a top-down model designed to create urgency and build momentum in organizations. 

Key Steps:

• Create a sense of urgency – Stimulate a compelling need for change
• Build a guiding coalition – Gather influential advocates
• Form a strategic vision – Clarify the future state
• Enlist a volunteer army – Get help from those who want to contribute 
• Enable action by removing barriers – Eliminate barriers to progress
• Generate short-term wins – Achieve and celebrate early successes
• Sustain acceleration – Strengthen change through continuous improvement
• Institute change – Reinforce new behaviors until they replace old habits 

Pro: 

• Offers high-level steps for leaders
• A top-down approach that drives change from the leadership perspective 

Cons: 

• Perceives change as a singular event with a distinct start and end, which contradicts the continuous nature of change in modern, uncertain environments
• Ignores informal leaders, such as people managers and employees themselves, leading to employee disillusionment and feeling excluded from the change process
• Lacks practical tools and assessments for implementation
• Does not address individual change

9. The Prosci Methodology

The Prosci Methodology is a structured, adaptable and repeatable approach that harnesses the power of the people side of change. With the ADKAR Model for individual change at its core, the Prosci Methodology is the most comprehensive approach of all those compared here. It comprises:

• Prosci ADKAR Model – enables successful individual change through five building blocks: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement
• Prosci 3-Phase Process – Detailed approach that guides change managers through the steps needed to scale individual change successfully at the organizational level
• Prosci Change Triangle (PCT) Model – Framework that enables you to assess and address the critical aspects of any organizational change: Leadership/Sponsorship, Project Management, Change Management and Success 

Pros: 

• Built on 25 years of change management research, offering a robust foundation for change management
• Perceives change as a process, not an event
• Includes robust tools and resources like the ADKAR Assessment and 10 Aspects of Change Impact to evaluate and support individual, organizational, and enterprise changes
• Flexible enough to incorporate other models as appropriate, such as Kübler Ross Change Curve, Agile, and bespoke organizational change management approaches
• Emphasizes individuals and the human side of change, ensuring that your people are prepared, equipped and supported for success

Cons

• Comprehensive methodology may not be necessary for small-scale, basic changes when a simplified approach will suffice
• Most effective when implemented by change management professionals

The comprehensive Prosci Methodology approach enables success with all key aspects of individual and organizational change. It’s designed expressly to help organizations prepare, equip and support people through their change management journeys. 

Rather than driving change with top-down directives and incomplete approaches, the Prosci Methodology equips companies to weave change management into the fabric of an organization, building change capabilities and competencies over time. It’s change that makes your organization stronger. 

Prosci Methodology

Choosing the Right Change Management Model for Success

We've shown you a range of change management models, from the Prosci ADKAR Model to Agile, offering unique approaches and perspectives on change. They all highlight the need for adaptability, engaging stakeholders, and smoothly integrating new practices, but many ignore people-side aspects of change that can make or break success. 

Whether you need a change management model for small changes or complex, global initiatives, the best model for your organization will drive success by supporting your people through it. We know this because we know change. Research clearly shows that a people-focused transformation improves your chances of success—because organizations only change when people do. That’s change done right.