What’s the ADKAR Model and How to Use It

Picture this: Your organization just invested millions in new technology. Six months later? People are still emailing spreadsheets around. Sound familiar?

Here’s what nobody tells you about organizational change – it’s not the technology that fails. Not the strategy either. It’s that we forget humans aren’t machines you can simply reprogram with a training manual.

The ADKAR model gets this. Actually gets it.

After studying over 1,000 organizations going through major changes, Prosci discovered something counterintuitive. The companies that succeeded didn’t have better technology or bigger budgets. They had a blueprint for navigating the messy, unpredictable journey of human transformation.

That blueprint? ADKAR.

The uncomfortable truth about why change really fails

Let me share something that’ll save you millions in failed initiatives. When change fails, leadership loves blaming “resistance to change” or “poor communication.”

Wrong.

Research from IDC shows inefficient processes cost organizations $37,000 per employee annually. McKinsey found we waste 28% of our workweek on emails and status updates. That’s 2 hours every single day.

Yet when we try fixing these problems, we focus on systems, not souls.

ADKAR flips this. Instead of forcing change from the top down, it maps the psychological journey every single person must complete. Miss one stage? The whole transformation crumbles.

Think of it like learning to swim. You can’t just throw someone in the deep end with a manual on stroke techniques. First, they need to understand why swimming matters (awareness). Then actually want to learn (desire). Next comes technique (knowledge), practice in shallow water (ability), and finally, consistent pool visits until it becomes natural (reinforcement).

Skip the shallow water practice? Someone drowns. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

What’s the ADKAR model (and why should you care)?

ADKAR stands for five sequential stages: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement.

Simple, right? Deceptively so.

Created by Jeff Hiatt in 1998, this framework emerged from analyzing why some changes stick while others vanish faster than free donuts in the break room. The revelation? Successful process improvement happens at the individual level first, organizational level second. This contrasts sharply with other change management models that focus on organizational structure.

Here’s what makes ADKAR different from those consultant-heavy frameworks gathering dust on your shelf:

• It’s sequential – you can’t skip stages (though many try)
• It’s measurable – you know exactly where people get stuck
• It’s diagnostic – when change fails, ADKAR shows you why
• It’s personal – focuses on individuals, not org charts

Remember: organizational change is just individual change multiplied. Get the individual journey right, scale happens naturally.

Breaking down the five phases (with uncomfortable truths)

Awareness – “Wait, why are we doing this again?”

Awareness isn’t about sending a company-wide email announcing change. Sorry.

True awareness means people genuinely understand not just what’s changing, but why it must change now. They grasp the competitive threats. The missed opportunities. The burning platform.

Signs awareness is missing:

• “This is just another management fad”
• “We’ve always done it this way”
• “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”
• People nod in meetings but nothing changes afterward

The reality check: Creating awareness takes 4-6 weeks minimum. Not one town hall. Not one email. Sustained, multi-channel communication addressing the question everyone’s really asking: “What’s in it for me?”

Pro tip? Numbers work better than narratives. Show them the $37,000 per employee being wasted. Calculate the 520 hours annually lost to status meetings. Make the pain tangible.

Desire – The stage where 68% of changes die

Here’s the brutal truth – desire is personal. Deeply personal.

You can’t manufacture desire through motivational posters or pizza parties. People need to see how change improves their daily reality, not just the company’s bottom line.

What kills desire:

• Past failed changes (“Here we go again”)
• Loss of status or control
• Fear of incompetence in the new world
• Hidden competing priorities

What creates desire:

• Small wins early and often
• Peer success stories (not management propaganda)
• Clear “what’s in it for me” benefits
• Visible accountability that’s supportive, not punitive

The psychology here is fascinating. Research shows people need to hear something seven times before believing it. But they need to experience success just once to desire more. This is why improving employee buy-in requires both communication and quick wins.

Knowledge – More than just training

Knowledge seems straightforward. Teach people the new way. Done.

Except… the forgetting curve shows we lose 50% of new information within an hour. After a week? 90% is gone.

Traditional training fails because it dumps information without context. This is why modern employee training software embeds learning directly into work. Knowledge that sticks requires:

• Just-in-time learning (learn right before doing)
• Multiple formats (visual, written, hands-on)
• Peer teaching (people trust colleagues over consultants)
• Templates and guides embedded in daily work

The 70-20-10 rule applies here:

• 70% of learning happens on the job
• 20% comes from mentoring and collaboration
• 10% from formal training

Yet most organizations flip this, wondering why their two-day training bootcamp didn’t transform the culture.

Ability – Where knowledge meets reality

Ability is where theory crashes into practice. Hard.

You’ve seen this movie before. Everyone completes training. Passes the test. Returns to their desk and… does nothing different. Why? Because knowing and doing occupy different universes.

Common ability barriers:

• Old systems still in place
• Conflicting processes and workflows
• Lack of time to practice
• No safe space to fail
• Missing tools or resources

Here’s what actually builds ability: Start with simple process analysis to identify specific skill gaps. Then create practice scenarios that mirror real work. Not roleplay. Real tasks with training wheels.

The military calls this “crawl, walk, run.” Silicon Valley calls it “failing fast.” Whatever you call it, give people permission to be terrible before expecting excellence.

Reinforcement – The forgotten phase

Want to know the biggest ADKAR mistake? Declaring victory too early.

Without reinforcement, 87% of new behaviors disappear within 90 days. People revert to old habits faster than you can say “change initiative.”

What doesn’t work:

• One-time bonuses
• Generic recognition
• Forcing compliance through fear
• “Set it and forget it” approaches

What actually works:

• Making new behaviors easier than old ones
• Public progress tracking (peer pressure works)
• Celebrating small wins weekly, not yearly
• Building new habits into automated workflows

The neuroscience is clear – habits form through repetition plus reward. Miss either element, and you’re just hoping for change rather than engineering it.

The process automation paradox nobody talks about

Here’s something counterintuitive: automating processes actually makes change more human, not less.

Think about it. What kills most change initiatives? The exhausting manual effort required to do things differently. The constant vigilance. The death by a thousand status meetings.

When you embed change into automated business processes, something magical happens:

• Awareness becomes visible through dashboards everyone sees
• Desire grows from experiencing less friction, not more
• Knowledge gets embedded directly into workflows
• Ability improves through guided execution
• Reinforcement happens automatically through system nudges

Those 2 hours daily wasted on status updates? Imagine redirecting them toward actually supporting people through change. That’s 520 hours annually for human connection, problem-solving, and innovation. See how workflow automation software makes this possible.

Automation doesn’t replace the human element. It amplifies it.

Industry deep dives – ADKAR in the wild

Healthcare – Where change literally saves lives

Healthcare faces unique ADKAR challenges. Stakes are life-and-death. Regulations are stringent. Resistance runs deep.

Take hand hygiene compliance – sounds simple, right? Yet hospitals struggle getting above 40% compliance despite knowing it prevents infections.

The ADKAR approach that worked:

• Awareness: Real-time infection data on unit dashboards
• Desire: Stories from patients affected by preventable infections
• Knowledge: Micro-learning at handwashing stations
• Ability: Automated dispensers tracking usage
• Reinforcement: Peer champions and weekly compliance scores

Result? 85% compliance within 6 months. Infection rates dropped 43%.

The lesson? In healthcare, connect change to patient outcomes, not just protocols. Learn more about healthcare process management approaches that work.

Manufacturing – Speed and safety dance together

Manufacturing loves efficiency metrics. But when changes threaten perceived job security, watch desire evaporate.

A automotive parts manufacturer needed to implement predictive maintenance. Workers feared AI would replace them. Classic ADKAR breakdown at the desire stage.

The fix:

• Reframed AI as a tool that makes workers more valuable, not replaceable
• Had floor workers train the AI system (building knowledge and ability simultaneously)
• Celebrated catches of potential failures before breakdowns
• Shared savings from prevented downtime with teams

Eighteen months later, unplanned downtime decreased 72%. No jobs lost. Actually hired more technicians to handle the sophisticated new system.

Financial services – Compliance meets culture

Financial services faces constant regulatory change. The challenge? Making compliance feel like progress, not punishment.

One credit union revolutionized their approach using ADKAR:

• Turned compliance training into competitive games between branches
• Made regulatory updates visible through simple workflow changes
• Celebrated “catches” of potential compliance issues
• Automated routine compliance checks, freeing staff for member service

Compliance scores improved 34%. Member satisfaction increased 28%. Why? Staff spent less time on paperwork, more time helping people.

When ADKAR isn’t enough (and what to do instead)

Let’s be honest – ADKAR isn’t always the answer.

ADKAR struggles when:

• Change is emergent, not planned
• Multiple changes happen simultaneously
• Cultural differences are significant
• The organization lacks basic trust

In these situations, consider hybrid approaches:

• ADKAR + Agile: For fast-moving tech environments
• ADKAR + Kotter: For large-scale transformations
• ADKAR + Design Thinking: For innovation initiatives
• ADKAR + OKRs: For goal-driven changes

The key? Use ADKAR for the human journey, complement with other frameworks for organizational structure.

The two-week ADKAR sprint method

Traditional ADKAR implementations take months. But what if you need change fast?

Enter the two-week sprint method:

Week 1: Awareness and Desire

• Day 1-2: Shock and awe with data
• Day 3-4: Peer stories and wins
• Day 5: Commitment ceremony (public pledges)

Week 2: Knowledge, Ability, and Initial Reinforcement

• Day 6-7: Intensive hands-on training
• Day 8-9: Supervised practice
• Day 10: Celebration and forward planning

This works for focused changes with small teams. Think new software rollout for a department, not enterprise transformation.

The compressed timeline creates urgency. The intensive focus prevents distraction. The quick wins build momentum.

Measuring what matters – ADKAR metrics that actually work

You can’t manage what you don’t measure. But most ADKAR measurements are garbage.

Worthless metrics:

• Training attendance
• Email open rates
• Survey satisfaction scores
• Number of communications sent

Metrics that matter:

For Awareness:

• Can explain why change is needed (test, don’t survey)
• Mentions change unprompted in team meetings
• Questions shift from “why” to “how”

For Desire:

• Voluntary participation rates
• Peer recruitment (people bringing others along)
• Time to first self-initiated action

For Knowledge:

• Successful task completion without help
• Quality of questions (specific vs general)
• Peer teaching instances

For Ability:

• Error rates decreasing over time
• Speed to competency
• Requests for advanced training

For Reinforcement:

• Sustained performance after 90 days
• Peer recognition frequency
• Innovation within new framework

Track these weekly, not quarterly. Course-correct immediately, not eventually.

The hidden psychology of change resistance

Resistance isn’t rebellion. It’s fear dressed in business clothes.

Understanding the psychology helps you address root causes, not just symptoms:

Loss aversion: People fear losing what they have more than gaining something better. Counter this by guaranteeing certain elements won’t change.

Status quo bias: The current state feels safer than any alternative. Combat with small, reversible changes that build confidence.

Cognitive overload: Too much change exhausts mental capacity. Simplify by automating routine decisions within workflows.

Social proof: People follow peers, not policies. Create visible early adopter wins.

Autonomy threat: Forced change triggers psychological reactance. Offer choices within the change framework.

Address these psychological needs, and resistance melts into curiosity.

How ADKAR creates a culture of continuous improvement

ADKAR isn’t a one-and-done framework. It’s a cycle.

The continuous improvement philosophy of 1% better daily compounds into 37x improvement annually. This connects perfectly with other process improvement methodologies. How? By running micro-ADKAR cycles constantly:

• Monday: Awareness of small improvement opportunity
• Tuesday: Building desire through quick win potential
• Wednesday: Knowledge transfer in team standup
• Thursday: Ability development through practice
• Friday: Reinforcement through celebration

Repeat weekly. Compound monthly. Transform annually.

This approach makes change a capability, not an event. It’s what enables successful process improvement initiatives to sustain long-term.

Technology as an ADKAR accelerator

Modern technology can compress ADKAR timelines dramatically:

AI for Awareness: Predictive analytics showing “what if we don’t change” scenarios

Gamification for Desire: Leaderboards, badges, and team challenges

Microlearning for Knowledge: Just-in-time training delivered within workflows

Simulation for Ability: Safe practice environments with immediate feedback

Automation for Reinforcement: System nudges and automated celebrations

The organizations winning at change aren’t avoiding technology – they’re using it to make change more human.

Cross-cultural ADKAR adaptations

ADKAR was developed in Western business culture. Unlike Lewin’s simpler change model or Kotter’s 8-step framework, ADKAR requires cultural adaptation when applied globally:

High-context cultures (Asia, Middle East, Africa):

• Awareness through storytelling, not data
• Desire built through group harmony
• Knowledge transferred through mentorship

Individual cultures (US, UK, Australia):

• Awareness through personal impact
• Desire through individual benefits
• Knowledge through self-directed learning

Hierarchical cultures (Latin America, Eastern Europe):

• Awareness from senior leadership
• Desire through authority endorsement
• Knowledge through formal training

Ignore cultural context, and ADKAR becomes just another Western framework that doesn’t translate.

Ready to see how ADKAR principles integrate with modern workflow tools? Explore process improvement software that embeds change management directly into daily work.

Recovery protocols when ADKAR fails

Change initiatives fail. Now what?

The ADKAR Recovery Protocol:

Step 1: Diagnostic

• Survey to identify exactly which stage failed
• One-on-ones with resistors and champions
• Data analysis of adoption patterns

Step 2: Reset

• Acknowledge the failure publicly
• Share lessons learned
• Adjust approach based on feedback

Step 3: Restart

• Begin at the failed stage, not from scratch
• Smaller cohort for initial success
• Double the reinforcement period

Most importantly – frame failure as learning, not defeat. Organizations that can’t fail can’t change.

Making ADKAR visible with modern workflows

The biggest ADKAR challenge? Tracking where hundreds of people are in their change journey.

Traditional approaches use spreadsheets and surveys. Painful. Inaccurate. Delayed.

Modern workflow automation makes ADKAR progress visible in real-time:

• See who’s stuck at awareness (not engaging with new processes)
• Identify desire gaps (low voluntary usage)
• Spot knowledge issues (high error rates)
• Track ability development (task completion times)
• Monitor reinforcement (sustained usage patterns)

When change becomes visible, it becomes manageable. When it becomes manageable, it becomes achievable.

The investment reality check

Let’s talk money. Real money.

Traditional ADKAR implementation costs:

• Consultants: $50,000 – $500,000
• Training programs: $500 – $2,000 per person
• Lost productivity: 20-40 hours per person
• Change management tools: $10,000 – $100,000 annually

The alternative approach:

• Embed ADKAR into existing workflows
• Use peer champions instead of consultants
• Microlearning instead of training events
• Measure through system data, not surveys

This can reduce costs by 60-80% while improving success rates. The secret? Stop treating change management as a separate initiative. Weave it into daily work. This is exactly what modern teams achieve with business process transformation that embeds ADKAR principles.

Your ADKAR action plan

Ready to actually use ADKAR? Here’s your practical starting point:

Week 1: Assessment

• Pick one specific change initiative
• Survey 10 people on which ADKAR stage they’re in
• Identify the most common sticking point

Week 2: Targeted intervention

• Design one intervention for the problem stage
• Test with a pilot group of 5 people
• Measure movement to next stage

Week 3: Scale and iterate

• Expand successful intervention to broader group
• Address next bottleneck stage
• Begin building reinforcement mechanisms

Week 4: Systematize

• Document what worked
• Build into standard process checklists
• Create templates for future changes

Start small. Learn fast. Scale what works.

The future of ADKAR

ADKAR is evolving. Here’s what’s coming:

Predictive ADKAR: AI predicting who will struggle at which stage before they do

Personalized ADKAR: Custom journeys based on individual learning styles and motivations

Continuous ADKAR: Change as an always-on capability, not discrete events

Networked ADKAR: Peer-to-peer change propagation without central orchestration

The organizations that master these evolution will thrive. Others will keep sending those town hall emails wondering why nothing changes.

Some organizations take a different approach entirely – they eliminate change management by building adaptability into their DNA. But for most, ADKAR remains the most practical path forward.

FAQ

What does ADKAR stand for?

ADKAR represents five sequential stages of individual change: Awareness (understanding why change is needed), Desire (personal motivation to support change), Knowledge (information needed to change), Ability (skills to implement new behaviors), and Reinforcement (sustaining the change long-term). Each element builds on the previous one – you can’t skip stages without risking failure.

How long does ADKAR implementation typically take?

Simple changes like new software rollouts typically take 3-6 months, while complex organizational transformations require 12-18 months. The timeline depends on change complexity, organization size, and current culture. Quick wins can happen in 2-week sprints for focused initiatives, but sustainable enterprise-wide change needs patience. Research shows rushing through stages increases failure rates by 73%.

Why do most ADKAR implementations fail?

The biggest failure point is the Desire stage – 68% of changes die here because organizations focus on logical benefits while ignoring emotional resistance. Other common failures include declaring victory too early (skipping Reinforcement), information overload during Knowledge transfer, and lack of practice time for building Ability. Most importantly, organizations treat ADKAR as a checklist rather than understanding the psychology behind each stage.

Can ADKAR work for remote and hybrid teams?

Yes, but it requires adaptation. Remote teams need more frequent, shorter touchpoints for Awareness. Desire builds through virtual peer success stories and online collaboration wins. Knowledge transfer works best through microlearning and recorded sessions. Ability develops via screen-sharing and virtual practice sessions. Reinforcement happens through digital dashboards and automated celebrations. The key is increasing communication frequency while decreasing session length.

How do you measure ADKAR progress effectively?

Forget surveys and training attendance. Measure Awareness through unprompted mentions in meetings and quality of questions asked. Track Desire via voluntary participation rates and peer recruitment. Assess Knowledge through successful task completion without help. Monitor Ability through decreasing error rates and improving speed. Gauge Reinforcement by sustained performance after 90 days. Use system data, not self-reported metrics.

What’s the difference between ADKAR and other change models?

ADKAR focuses on individual psychology while Kotter’s 8-Step targets organizational transformation. Lewin’s model is simpler (Unfreeze-Change-Refreeze) but less detailed. ADKAR is sequential and diagnostic – when change fails, you know exactly which stage broke down. Unlike theoretical frameworks, ADKAR provides specific actions for each stage. It’s particularly effective for technology implementations and process changes. Compare all approaches in our change management models guide.

How much does ADKAR implementation cost?

Traditional consultant-led ADKAR implementations range from $50,000 to $500,000 plus $500-2,000 per person in training. However, embedding ADKAR into existing workflows and using peer champions can reduce costs by 60-80%. The real cost isn’t money – it’s the 20-40 hours of productivity lost per person during change. Successful implementations typically show ROI within 6 months through efficiency gains.

Can ADKAR handle multiple simultaneous changes?

ADKAR works best for single, focused changes. Multiple simultaneous changes create cognitive overload and desire fatigue. If you must run parallel changes, stagger them by 4-6 weeks and use different change champions for each. Alternatively, bundle related changes into one larger transformation. Research shows people can handle maximum 3 significant changes annually without burnout.

What role does technology play in modern ADKAR?

Technology accelerates every ADKAR stage. AI provides predictive analytics for Awareness. Gamification builds Desire through leaderboards and challenges. Microlearning platforms deliver just-in-time Knowledge. Simulations develop Ability safely. Automation ensures Reinforcement through system nudges and celebrations. Modern workflow platforms make ADKAR progress visible in real-time, replacing spreadsheets and surveys with actual usage data.

How do you restart ADKAR after failure?

First, diagnose exactly which stage failed through data analysis and one-on-ones. Publicly acknowledge the failure and share lessons learned – transparency builds trust. Restart at the failed stage, not from scratch. Use a smaller pilot group for initial success before scaling. Double the reinforcement period since trust needs rebuilding. Most importantly, frame failure as learning. Organizations that can’t fail can’t change.