Understanding the Change Management Models.

Change Management and their models refer to the systematic approach and application of knowledge, tools, and resources to deal with change in an organisation.

To ensure the change will embed in the organisation it is important to implement processes and technologies to deal with changes and to see benefits from changing opportunities.

In this article, we deep dive into what is meant by change management, the people side of change, the Change Management Models and steps.

What Is Change Management?

Change Management refers to the systematic approach and application of knowledge, tools, and resources to deal with change in an organisation. Human Change management focuses on the people side of change. It involves preparing, supporting, and supporting employees to successfully adopt change in order to drive organisational success and outcomes.

Concept of Change Management

The concept of change management consists of strategies and techniques used to manage the people, processes, and technology changes within the organisation. These strategies and techniques ensure that changes are thoroughly and smoothly implemented and that the lasting benefits of change are achieved.

Change Management Models

Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model

The inventor of Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model, an organisation centric model, is Dr. John Kotter. The purpose of this model, founded in 1995, is to guide organisations through successful transformation by focusing on leadership, urgency, and strategic execution.

Kotter’s 8-Steps

The 8-steps of Kotter’s Model are:

Step 1: Create a Sense of Urgency
Step 2: Build a Guiding Coalition
Step 3: Form Strategic Vision & Initiatives
Step 4: Communicate the Vision
Step 5: Empower Action
Step 6: Generate Short-Term Win
Step 7: Sustain Acceleration
Step 8: Institute Change

Step 1: Create a Sense of Urgency

The objective of step 1 is to motivate stakeholders by highlighting the need for immediate action. This means that tools such as market analysis, SWOT analysis and customer feedback reports are often used in this step.

Step 2: Build a Guiding Coalition

In step 2 of Kotter’s Model the focus is to form a powerful team of influencers and leaders to champion the change. The tools often used are stakeholder mapping, leadership alignment session and workshops.

Step 3: Form a Strategic Vision and Initiatives

The objective in step 3 is to develop a clear vision and actionable strategies to guide the change. This means that vision statements, strategic planning frameworks and roadmaps are developed to give form to the change initiatives.

Step 4: Communicate the Vision

The goal in step 4 of Kotter’s Model is to ensure all stakeholders understands and supports the change vision. This means communication is key and multi-channel communication plans are executed including the various communication tools (newsletter, intranet updates, Town Halls etc.)

Step 5: Empower Action

In step 5 the focus is to remove obstacles and enable people to act on the vision. This means a change readiness assessment is rolled out, and policy and process reviews are taking place.

Step 6: Generate Short-Term Wins

In step 6 of Kotter’s Model, it is important to deliver visible, early successes to build momentum. This is often created by milestone tracking dashboards, recognition and reward programmes or success story campaigns.

Step 7: Sustain Acceleration

In step 7, the most important key strategy is to maintain momentum by building on early wins and driving deeper change. This is often done by continuous improvement frameworks (Kaizen), Change scorecards or by leadership coaching.

Step 8: Institute Change

In the final step of Kotter’s Model step 8, it is important to embed the change into the culture and systems of the organisation. The tools often used are cultural audits, training programmes, policy updates and the introduction of renewed governance models.

The Prosci ADKAR Model: 5 Steps of Change Management

The five step change management process ADKAR is an employee-centric model, invented by Jeff Hiatt, founder of Prosci, in 1996. The ADKAR model is designed to guide employees through personal transitions during organisational change.

In 2025 the ADKAR framework is still highly relevant for effective change management. It is still widely used for managing change at the employee level and is especially effective for training, communication, employee engagement and change adoption.

The Change Management Prosci ADKAR Model has 5 steps and stands for Awarenesses, Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement.

The ADKAR model has five steps:

Step 1: Awareness of the need for change.
Step 2: Desire to participate and support the change.
Step 3: Knowledge on how to change.
Step 4: Ability to implement required skills and behaviours.
Step 5: Reinforcement to sustain the change over time.

Step 1: Awareness of the Need for Change

The objective of step 1 is to support employees in understanding the “Why”. The tools used could be town halls, newsletter, leadership news, video, and/or internal reports.

Step 2: Desire to Participate and Support the Change

In step 2 the objective is to cultivate motivation and willingness for employees to engage with the change. The communication tools used are engagement surveys, feedback loops, invitation to support in co-creating new workflows or systems, recognition programmes.

Step 3: Knowledge on How to Change

The objective of step 3 is to provide employees information and training. This could be training sessions on software, processes. A step-by-step guide, FAQs, appointing ambassadors who support with coaching or hosting workshops.

Step 4: Ability to Implement Required Skills and Behaviours

In step 4 the main objective is to ensure employees are able to apply what they have learned into real cases. This could be using the tools in a sandbox environment, a role-playing exercise or peer support.

Step 5: Reinforcement to Sustain the Change over Time

The mail goal of step 5 is to ensure the embedding of the change into the culture and prevent regression. In this step success stories are shared across the organisation. The dashboards or KPIs are all updates and reflect the new state, there is continuous improvement efforts and feedback channels in place.

The McKinsey 7-S Model

The McKinsey 7-S model is an organisation-centric model, invented by Robert Waterman and Tom Peters, consultants at McKinsey, in the early 1980s. It is emphasising alignment among seven internal elements to ensure successful change.

The five step change management model ADKAR is an employee-centric model, whilst the McKinsey 7-S model is focused on alignment in the organisation and does not consist of a step-by-step guide.

This model has seven structured elements that are interconnected and gives a more holistic approach to Change Management. It is nowadays still used for strategic planning, organisational analysis, and large-scale transformation.

The McKinsey 7-S model, an organisation-centric model, consisting of seven elements which are all interconnected:

• Strategy
• Structure
• Systems
• Shared values
• Style
• Staff
• Skills

The McKinsey 7-S Model Elements Explained

• Strategy

Strategy in the McKinsey 7-S Model refers to the plan to achieve competitive advantage and long-term goals. The main objective is to align the organisation’s direction with for example market demands or internal capabilities. Tools uses could be the SWOT analysis, a balanced scorecard or a strategic roadmap.

• Structure

The structure in the McKinsey 7-S Model highlights the organisational hierarchy and reporting lines. The structure should support the strategy and effective decision-making and tools used are RACI matrices, restructuring plans and org charts.

• Systems

The systems in the McKinsey 7-S Model are showing the day-to-day processes and procedures. It consists of workflows; instructions all aimed for consistency and efficiency. Methodologies and tools used are Lean Six Sigma, process management, workflows and automation tools.

• Shared Values

The core beliefs and cultural norms of the organisation is named Shared Values in the McKinsey 7-S Model. It aligns behaviour and decision with the organisation’s mission and vision.

• Style

The systems in the McKinsey 7-S Model are linked to the leadership style and management approach of the organisation. It consists of the tools used to influence leaders in their interaction with employees to drive the change. These are tools like 360-degree feedback, leadership coaching or organisational culture assessments.

• Staff

Staff is the 6th element in the McKinsey 7-S Model and refers to employees and their capabilities. This means to ensure the right employee is in the right role with the right support. Tools used are workforce planning software, talent gap analysis and/or HR analytics.

• Skills

The 7th element of the McKinsey 7-S Model is Skills; to build and maintain the employee skills needed to execute the strategy. The employee tools used are skills matrices, Learning Management Systems (LMS) and competency frameworks.

Comparison Table Kotter’s Model, Prosci ADKAR Model and McKinsey 7-S Model

Best Practice: 7 Steps of Change Management

The 7 Step Change Management Model is a linear, action-oriented framework used to guide organisations through change. Unlike the Prosci ADKAR Model, an employee-centric model, the 7 steps of Change Management integrates best practices from the different Change Management Models.

The 7 steps of Change Management are often used in project management, organisational development, and in HR toolkits. It provides a structured approach that ensures both strategic alignment and operational execution.

7 Steps of Change Management Model Explained

Step 1: Define the Change
Step 2: Assess the Impact
Step 3: Develop a Strategy
Step 4: Communicate the Change
Step 5: Implement the Change
Step 6: Monitor Progress
Step 7: Reinforce and Sustain

Step 1: Define the Change

In step 1 the purpose is to clarify what the change is and why it is needed. This step involves identifying the drivers of change (internal or external) and articulating the vision and objectives

Step 2: Assess the Impact

In step 2 an analysis is performed how the change will affect people, processes, and systems. This could consist of a stakeholder analysis, risk assessments, and readiness evaluations.

Step 3: Develop a Strategy

The main goal of step 3 is to create a roadmap for implementing the change. This includes setting goals, defining roles, allocating resources, and establishing timelines.

Step 4: Communicate the Change

The communication is step 4 is important as all stakeholders should be informed to raise awareness to the change. Multiple communication channels and tailor messages to different audiences are often used in organisations.

Step 5: Implement the Change

The objective of step 5 is to execute the change management plan and manage processes. This involves deploying for example new systems, training of employees, and updating staff, workflows.

Step 6: Monitor Progress

Track performance is step 6 of the change management process and dashboards, performance metrics are used to evaluate success. Internal reports might support in identifying gaps and areas for improvement.

Step 7: Reinforce and Sustain

In this step the main objective is to ensure the change sticks through reinforcement and support, in order for embedded changes into the organisational culture.

More Information

In these times of change in the world it is more evident that using a Change Management Model to navigate change is no longer a choice but a necessity for organisations and employees.

Understanding the Change Management Models will empower you to approach transformation with clarity, confidence, and structure.

From the individual-focused ADKAR model, Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model, to the strategic alignment of McKinsey’s 7-S Framework, and the 7-Step Change Management Process, these models are offering you a roadmap for executing change across your organisation.

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