Lean Change Management and ADKAR: Managing Modern Change

Change is a constant in today’s organizations, with 60% of C-suite leaders seeing it as an opportunity. However, capitalizing on that opportunity demands ongoing adaptation and improvement. To succeed, organizations need to minimize inefficiencies, optimize resources, and continuously refine their processes.

Lean change management offers a structured approach that focuses on reducing waste and improving efficiency. When combined with the Prosci ADKAR^® Model, which supports individual adoption, these methodologies enable organizations to drive change more effectively and sustainably.

In this article, we’ll explore Lean in the context of change management and how aligning Lean with the Prosci ADKAR Model can help optimize change initiatives and achieve long-term success.

What is Change Management?

At Prosci, we define change management as the application of a structured process and set of tools for leading the people side of change to achieve a desired outcome. Addressing the people side of change ensures that change delivers the intended results.

Effective change management equips stakeholders to transition smoothly and align with new working methods. Prosci research shows that organizations with excellent change management are seven times more likely to meet their project objectives.

By providing employees with the knowledge and tools they need to manage change, projects are more likely to stay on track, remain within budget, and achieve their people-dependent ROI.

In addition, effective change management can increase organizational efficiency and enhance change acceptance. This builds a more agile and resilient organization, ready to take on future challenges and seize new opportunities for change.

Impact of Change Management on Organizations

What is Lean Change Management?

Lean Change Management applies the core principles of Lean—minimizing waste and optimizing processes—specifically to change initiatives. This approach combines Lean methodologies, such as process efficiency and continuous improvement, with change management practices to enhance how organizations implement change.

Lean change management focuses on building awareness, engaging stakeholders, and ensuring active sponsorship while constantly seeking opportunities to improve processes.

Lean Change Management Principles

The Lean Change Management cycle is structured around five foundational Lean principles:

1. Define Value – Clearly define what stakeholders and the organization value in the context of change. This is the foundation for identifying what is necessary and what can be streamlined.
2. Map the Value Stream – Identify and visualize the steps that add value to the change process. Remove any activities that don’t contribute to the desired outcome, focusing resources on what matters most.
3. Create Flow – Organize tasks in a sequence that promotes smooth progress, eliminating bottlenecks and ensuring efficiency.
4. Establish Pull – Understand the demand for the change by connecting it to specific stakeholder needs or market demands. This principle ensures that the change is being implemented based on actual value, not arbitrary targets.
5. Pursue Perfection – Continuously improve the change process by identifying areas of inefficiency or waste. Regularly review outcomes, correct mistakes, and fine-tune the process to better meet objectives.

With a solid understanding of Lean’s core principles, the next step is to explore how these concepts are practically applied in managing change within organizations.

How is Lean Applied in Change Management?

Applying Lean principles to change management ensures that change initiatives are efficient, value-driven, and designed to minimize waste. By focusing on clear communication, stakeholder engagement, and continuous improvement, Lean helps organizations implement change more effectively. The key ways Lean is applied in change management include:

1. Building awareness and communication – Lean change management begins by clearly communicating the benefits of change to all impacted people. Early and transparent communication helps build awareness of why the change is necessary and how it aligns with organizational goals. This reduces uncertainty and prepares people for what’s ahead.
2. Engaging people managers – People managers play a pivotal role in Lean change management. Involving them early during the design phase ensures they are supportive and committed to the change. Their engagement is essential to building support among their teams and fostering a smooth implementation process.
3. Securing active sponsorship – Lean change initiatives require active and visible sponsorship from leaders to succeed. Sponsors reinforce the importance of the change, provide the necessary resources, and ensure accountability, helping sustain Lean practices throughout the organization.
4. Integrating Lean training – Lean principles must be fully understood by all stakeholders involved in the change process. Training resources and project teams on Lean methodologies—such as value stream mapping and waste reduction techniques—helps them apply these principles to their specific roles within the change initiative.
5. Assessment and analysis – Lean change management uses tools like process mapping, root cause analysis, and as-is/to-be analysis to evaluate current processes and determine readiness for change. These assessments help identify potential obstacles, allowing organizations to anticipate and address barriers before they hinder progress.
6. Collaborative approach – In Lean change management, collaboration between Lean experts, project managers, and change managers is critical. By forming integrated teams, organizations can ensure that both the technical aspects of process improvement and the human elements of change are addressed in a holistic and coordinated manner.

Now that we’ve covered how Lean is applied in change management, let’s look at real-world examples of how Lean principles have transformed key industries.

Industry examples of Lean application

You can apply Lean principles across any industry to drive efficiency and eliminate waste. Below are a few examples of how Lean has transformed key sectors:

• Healthcare – Lean is applied to streamline hospital processes, resulting in reduced patient wait times and enhanced service delivery. By eliminating inefficiencies, hospitals improve patient care and optimize resources.
• Manufacturing – Lean methodologies are used to eliminate waste and streamline production lines, resulting in reduced lead times, increased efficiency, and enhanced productivity.
• Financial services (mortgage application process) – Traditionally, applying for a mortgage involved lengthy paperwork and slow mail processes, which caused delays and errors. Through Lean interventions like digital transformation, the process was streamlined:
  • Elimination of hardcopy forms – Paper applications were replaced with online forms, reducing the process from hours or days to a ten-minute phone call.
  • Electronic documentation – Clients now receive and sign loan applications digitally, which reduces physical movement and wait times.
  • Waste reduction – By eliminating manual mailing and processing, institutions significantly reduced motion and processing waste.
  • Error reduction – Digital documentation and e-signatures minimize errors, preventing delays caused by corrections.

These examples demonstrate how Lean enhances efficiency, improves customer satisfaction, and optimizes resource allocation. By streamlining processes, organizations free up valuable assets for more impactful activities.

To ensure even greater success, aligning Lean with our ADKAR Model creates a powerful approach that drives efficiency and fosters individual adoption of change.

How the Prosci ADKAR Model and Lean Align

Aligning the Prosci ADKAR Model and Lean Change Management

Our ADKAR Model is one of the foundational models of the Prosci Methodology. ADKAR focuses on supporting organizational change at the individual level.

The Elements of the Prosci ADKAR Model

Integrating Lean principles with ADKAR ensures efficient and sustainable change by addressing both operational and people-focused aspects. Here’s how they align:

• Awareness – Communicate the need for change early by highlighting the benefits of Lean, addressing concerns, and showing how it adds value. This aligns with Lean’s Define Value principle.
• Desire – Build support among managers and employees to foster a desire for change. Similar to Lean’s Establish Pull, this creates momentum for change by linking it to stakeholder needs.
• Knowledge – Provide training on Lean tools and processes to ensure employees understand how to apply them. This matches Lean’s Map the Value Stream, which clarifies the key steps in change.
• Ability – Equip employees with the skills to implement Lean initiatives through hands-on support. This aligns with Create Flow, ensuring tasks are carried out effectively.
• Reinforcement – Use feedback and recognition to sustain Lean practices, mirroring Lean’s Pursue Perfection through continuous improvement and reinforcement of change.

The versatility of Lean principles in addressing diverse organizational challenges integrated with ADKAR allows organizations to embrace efficient change at every level.

Power Lean Change with Prosci

When you combine Lean change management with the Prosci ADKAR Model, you create a powerful approach to managing change. Lean’s focus on reducing waste and increasing efficiency, when paired with the ADKAR emphasis on individual adoption, ensures both the operational and people-driven aspects of change are addressed. Across industries, this combination enhances efficiency, improves customer satisfaction, and sustains change over the long term.

For deeper insights into how ADKAR can further support Lean initiatives alongside other change-enabling approaches, explore Prosci’s newest book: The ADKAR Advantage. Filled with examples and stories, it equips readers to confidently apply ADKAR to organizational projects and accelerate meaningful, lasting change.