ADKAR Theory Of Change

In my past 23 years I have had a number of “big moves”, either moving between schools or moving between countries. For the purpose of this essay, I will speak about my first “big move”, which was when I was 12 years old. Although I wasn’t aware of it then, I realise now that I was subconsciously using elements of the ADKAR theory. According to Hiatt (2006), the ADKAR Theory focuses on change down to the individual. The ADKAR Theory of change can be broken down into 5 steps, Awareness – to create an understanding for the need for change, Desire – to create a desire so people support the change, Knowledge – to provide information so people know how to change, Ability – to provide training so people get the skills in order to implement the change

This model was developed in the 1946, and although it has been criticised for been too simplistic (Amory, 2014), Burnes (2004) argues that this theory has been recognised as one of Lewin’s key developments in the change management field. The 3 stage model comprises of Unfreezing, Changing and Refreezing. To demonstrate this theory, Lewin (1946) used the example of reshaping a block of ice. During the unfreezing stage, the block of ice will start to melt which will make it easier to adapt to the change. During the next stage, changing, the melting block can now be reshaped to suit the desired outcome. In order to sustain the desired outcome, the ice will now have to be solidified by refreezing it (Kent, 2011). In my opinion, this model is more applicable to individuals than dynamic organisations; therefore this theory could have been applicable to the change I underwent. Lewin’s theory focuses on modifying the behaviour of people (Vliet,

In many ways this stage is similar to the final stage of the ADKAR theory, which is reinforcing the change. Since my stay at boarding school, I have been able to iterate many of my experiences and skills in the places I have been ever since. In the current economy however, change is continuous and it is not economical to freeze changes as they are likely to change again (Petrescu, 2010). Although this stage may not be compatible with large dynamic organisations, in my opinion it is applicable to many individuals as it allows them to sustain large changes in their