3 - ADKAR Desire Ebook PDF
3 - ADKAR Desire Ebook PDF
3 - ADKAR Desire Ebook PDF
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CONTENTS
CREATING DESIRE 7
FINAL THOUGHTS 12
A WARENESS D ESIRE K NOWLEDGE A BILITY R EINFORCEMENT ®
The first step in the individual change process is establishing a clear understanding of why the
change is happening. Leading successful change starts with building awareness of the need
for change. When awareness has been established, the next step for an individual is to make a
The five parts of the Prosci® ADKAR ® Model show the milestones an individual must achieve
Desire is the second milestone. Desire represents the willingness to support and engage in
a change. Desire is ultimately about a personal choice that is influenced by the nature of the
Prosci and ADKAR are trademarks of Prosci, Inc., registered in the US and other countries
© Prosci Inc. All rights reserved. www.prosci.com 3
MAKING THE TRANSITION FROM AWARENESS TO DESIRE
Desire is often the most challenging ADKAR element to achieve. Awareness enables people to
understand the impacts and value of the future state, but creating more and more awareness
will not result in desire. Continuing to focus on the reasons for change rather than translating
those reasons into personal and organizational motivating factors can be discouraging and
Creating desire to change, by definition, is not under a leader’s direct control. Change leaders
can take definitive steps to influence desire, but each individual ultimately makes his or her
own choice to support the change. Desire has been achieved when an individual genuinely
the personal motivators of the impacted teams and leverages the influence of leaders in the
organization. Key business leaders act as sponsors of change. Managers and supervisors are
coaches to employees during the change process. Incentives are aligned with new behaviors
Understanding the underlying factors that influence a person’s level of desire informs how to
plan for and respond to the behaviors that employees express when confronted with change:
Every individual experiences change in the context of their own perception of the history
and culture of their organization. Organizational context includes the previous track record
with change, current levels of change saturation and the overall direction of the organization.
Employees may be less willing to engage in new changes, for example, if the company has a
negative history of starting changes and not following through or of allowing individuals to
opt out. Each person’s experience is unique. How they view the environment and how they
counterintuitive or excessive may have very little to do with the change itself. Understanding
resist a change.
whether we can be successful with change being made also impact our desire to change.
CREATING DESIRE
Within the context of the factors that impact desire, leaders of change can positively influence
the decision to embrace change. Below are several tactics for effectively building desire:
among employees. To see the best results and the most adoption of the new solution, senior
leaders need to be present, interact on a personal level and be willing to answer the difficult
questions throughout the change process. Employees watch their leaders closely. If leadership
actively and visibly supports the change, employees will determine that the change is still
important.
to build a strong coalition of support with their peers. Senior leaders need to take the time
to build buy-in for the change throughout the management levels of the organization. This
includes addressing concerns and conflicting priorities head-on. A weak sponsorship coalition
Employees turn to their immediate supervisors for cues about how to respond to change.
Managers and supervisors must be prepared to help individuals on their teams make sense of
the change. Ideally, leaders demonstrate their own commitment to the change in actions and
Effective managers create opportunities to talk openly about the change. They clearly articulate
both the negative and positive impacts of the change. They actively listen as their employees
work through questions and concerns. In many cases employees simply want to voice their
objections and be heard. While some employees will want to talk about past failed changes
and why this change is different, others will need to discuss their personal situation and how
By understanding each employee’s unique situation and position toward the change, managers
can identify obstacles and sources of resistance. They can assist employees in finding solutions
to address these barriers. Understanding what is important to each individual also helps
For managers and supervisors to have effective conversations with employees, they must first
by change and have their own questions and concerns. Before they can effectively lead their
teams, they must first have opportunity to process and resolve their own uncertainties and
fears.
the change message from the top to their employees. If they don’t
understand the change or don’t have the support to do it, it makes them
Most change management methods include readiness assessments that identify potential
challenges and points of resistance. Assessment results serve as proactive planning tools
designed to target resistance and mitigate known risks from the onset. The combination
organizational readiness reveal the overall risk of the change. Change impact assessments
identify the transitions required from different areas of the organization and the unique
challenges for specific groups. With this information, change managers can strategically
develop special tactics to proactively build desire. Special tactics may address areas of
Direct participation and ownership for the change is a fast and effective way to build support
directly into increased likelihood of the initiative achieving its desired results.
There are many different roles employees can play in the change process. They may be able
to get involved in the creation of the needed solution or to participate in testing of the new
solution to provide feedback and input for improvements. Natural influencers and peer leaders
can engage as change champions or members of a change agent network. Actively engaging
key individuals in the change produces a multiplying effect in overall levels of desire to support
the change, and ultimately can lead to significant increases in the speed and success of
adoption.
The same applies for performance management systems. Employees may resist implementing
changes that hinder their ability to meet their current performance objectives.
acknowledged that, “Incentives and metrics that did not align with
FINAL THOUGHTS
The lack of control and uncertainty over another person’s desire to change can cause some
leaders to disengage from this step in the change process. And yet it is an essential part of
and executives cannot dictate the decisions of their employees, they can certainly impact the
process. The most successful change initiatives focus their efforts on the proactive steps that
sponsors and managers can take to minimize resistance and create energy and engagement
Before we move on to the next milestone in the Prosci ADKAR Model, it is important to note
that awareness and desire can ebb and flow over the course of a change initiative. New
information or developments may cause an employee with high awareness and desire who
was previously aware and bought in to the change to revert. If this happens, awareness and
desire will need to be re-addressed in light of the new information before the employee can
successfully continue to move forward. While the natural progression is to move on quickly to
building knowledge and ability through training, for a change to be successful, it is absolutely
necessary to re-visit awareness and desire, reinforcing these elements with continued
communication.
Gain the knowledge, skills and tools to drive successful change initiatives. This three-
day experiential learning program teaches you to apply a holistic change management
methodology and toolset, including the Prosci ADKAR Model, to a real project.
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