TL;DR: The ADKAR model is a change-management method that structures individual transition through five sequential phases: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement.
- Analyse group results from a minimum of 5 people to safeguard individual privacy and GDPR compliance.
- Don’t use ADKAR for complex cultural changes without a clear end point, or when goals keep shifting.
- Combine ADKAR — for individual behavioural change — with Kotter or Prosci for organisation-wide structure.
- The elli 2-pager provides a concrete measurement model that turns subjective resistance into data-driven scores.
The success of an organisational transformation depends on individual change; when a team stalls, the ADKAR model gives you a structured method to pinpoint exactly which of the five sequential phases the process is stuck in. By measuring change readiness continuously and using data, you turn subjective resistance into concrete, steerable insights. The central question stays the same: where is the change stuck, and which targeted intervention gets the team moving again?
Table of contents
- Situation guide: pick the change strategy that matches your team’s readiness
- What the ADKAR model means and how its five phases build on each other
- Building change readiness through five sequential elements
- Spotting blockers: how to see which ADKAR step the change is stuck on
- Measurement tools and KPIs that capture ADKAR progress in numbers
- ADKAR alongside Kotter and the Prosci 3-Phase Process: which level are you steering?
- When the ADKAR model falls short, and which signals point to it
Situation guide: pick the change strategy that matches your team’s readiness
Choose a change strategy that matches your people’s readiness for change so you can reduce resistance across the organisation. Three typical situations drive that choice:
- One department is already on board, another is dragging its feet. Segment groups of employees (segment analysis): you see straight away which teams need extra support, and you don’t waste time on groups that are already ready for change.
- You suspect resistance but you’re short on hard numbers. Measure how people are doing (wellbeing analytics) to get a sharp team-level score; a check-in to see where you stand (adkar assessment) is the foundation.
- Digital tools land unevenly across teams. Build digital literacy team by team, step by step, so results stick more quickly.
With customers, we see that segmenting groups of employees gives immediate insight into which teams need extra support. Use a workforce sustainability platform for data-driven insights: you see straight away which department is going off route and which one is on course.
What the ADKAR model means and how its five phases build on each other
The ADKAR model is a structured change-management method focused on the individual support of employees during organisational transformations. According to the Wikipedia page on Change Management (2024) , change management deals specifically with the human side of change.
ADKAR stands for five sequential phases:
- Awareness (of the need to change)
- Desire (the willingness to change)
- Knowledge (of new methods)
- Ability (in day-to-day practice)
- Reinforcement (that locks the result in)
Each step needs a targeted approach. Hand the baton over too early and the relay stalls: without knowledge, willpower has no effect.
Want to know whether the organisation is ready for change? Use an AI adoption readiness survey to underpin the steps with data and run an effective check-in to see where you stand.
Building change readiness through five sequential elements
You build change readiness by working through five specific phases in order.
- Awareness: Explain why a change is genuinely needed.
- Desire: Nurture individual motivation among employees.
- Knowledge: Provide targeted training on new ways of working.
- Ability: Support the application of the new skills.
- Reinforcement: Steer for retention of results, otherwise the organisation slips back into old habits.
Situation → solution → result. Segment groups of employees to see which department needs extra support. Track how people are doing so the whole-group score shows a positive trend. Use a check-in to see where you stand to determine which step needs your attention.
Each phase calls for a clear step-by-step plan (implementation guidelines). Make sure employees build up enough digital literacy to sustain the change. Read the workforce resilience assessment for strategic insights. Continuous data helps leaders act immediately in a targeted way; strengthening resilience is like strength training for an organisation. With elli you safeguard anonymity and full GDPR compliance for employees.
Spotting blockers: how to see which ADKAR step the change is stuck on
You spot a blocker by looking at specific employee behaviour per phase.
In practice, resistance often arises because people don’t understand the need. Where the change process gets stuck becomes clear through a check-in to see where you stand; without data, the real cause stays guesswork. Employees sometimes feel afraid of losing their work-life balance when goals stay unclear.
Look at the signals per step. If the will is missing, the change stalls at the very start. According to the WHO monitoring instruments from 2024 , structured measurement provides immediate insight into progress. Use the elli measurement model 2-pager to steer with focus: analyse the data thoroughly, then apply targeted interventions.
Tip: Link a specific observation to an action per ADKAR phase so you tackle resistance at source.
Measurement tools and KPIs that capture ADKAR progress in numbers
You measure the success of change by tracking the whole-group score continuously with a check-in to see where you stand. Without hard numbers, you steer on gut feel.
Practical experience shows that numbers are only reliable when employees feel safe. To measure readiness for change honestly, data collection has to be watertight.
The elli platform is GDPR by design: data stays in the EU and individual scores are never visible to managers. Reports are always aggregated, and the data reporting complies with GDPR and the AI Act, with aggregation thresholds to protect privacy. That approach builds trust.
By segmenting groups of employees, you see precisely which department needs extra support. By measuring how people are doing, you prevent a lack of digital literacy from turning into change fatigue. That way data becomes a clear explanation of the model (the meaning of ADKAR) for your organisation.
Tip: Safeguard anonymity through a minimum group size of 5 to encourage honest feedback on change readiness.
ADKAR alongside Kotter and the Prosci 3-Phase Process: which level are you steering?
ADKAR focuses directly on the individual human process, while Kotter and the Prosci 3-Phase Process steer the organisation-wide structure. Pick the model that matches your scope.
In practice, organisations combine the individual and the organisational approach too little. Without individual readiness for change, even a strong organisational structure fails. ADKAR works as a precision instrument for the individual (comparable to a microscope); Kotter and the Prosci 3-Phase Process work like a telescope for the whole organisation. Use ADKAR for targeted individual success, while Kotter helps convince a board of directors of the necessity.
| Model | Level | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| ADKAR | Individual | Focus on behaviour |
| Kotter | Organisation | Wide-reaching change |
| Prosci 3-Phase | Process | Phasing of projects |
A check-in to see where you stand delivers quick insight. ADKAR suits teams looking for direct action at individual level; Kotter suits large, phased top-down transformations better. Base your choice on the scope you need.
When the ADKAR model falls short, and which signals point to it
The ADKAR model works less well for large, complex cultural changes without a clear end point. This framework is aimed above all at individual transitions. The tight step plan is like a fixed recipe: strong for orderly processes, too rigid when goals keep shifting.
From our customer practice we see that a check-in to see where you stand often fails during runaway reorganisations. The focus lies too heavily on the individual, so you miss the dynamic between whole departments.
In large organisations, capacity for individual support is often missing. The model calls for active coaching per employee; without that time, the transition stalls.
Segmenting groups of employees helps raise the whole-group score. In chaotic crises, pick more agile methods instead: ADKAR demands a clear start and end situation for change to succeed.
Frequently asked questions
What is the ADKAR model?
The ADKAR model is a method that guides changes within organisations step by step. You use an explanation of the model to structure transformations around Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement, so employees work through the process in an orderly way.
How do you spot which ADKAR step a change is stuck on?
You spot blockers by gathering targeted feedback on specific components. With a check-in to see where you stand you see where the process is at a standstill, so data helps you intervene quickly.
When does the ADKAR model work less well?
The model works less well for complex, agile transformations without fixed goals. Readiness for change sometimes needs more flexibility, because ADKAR leans heavily on individual steps and falls short under fast organisational course changes.
How do the five ADKAR steps work in practice?
In practice, employees work through the five phases in order from awareness to reinforcement. A good step-by-step plan supports that progress: first you build understanding, then you nurture the will to change, and finally you lock the result in.
How do you identify which ADKAR step is blocking the change?
Analyse the response per phase to trace the bottleneck in the change. By measuring how people are doing, you make resistance visible; the scores show which step needs extra attention. Data stays in the EU, reports are GDPR-compliant and never show individual scores to managers, so the whole-group score stays discreet.
Start today with data-driven change
Resolve blockers directly in 2026. A check-in to see where you stand exposes bottlenecks and brings the decision back to the core question from the introduction: which phase is the team stalling in, and which intervention fits?
Experts in readiness for change and continuous measurement help your organisation move forward. Practical experience shows that insight into the whole-group score prevents resistance, because measurement makes action possible.
The platform safeguards privacy through strict GDPR compliance and additional privacy rules for AI (GDPR and AI Act compliance), so employees fill in data safely.
Want to speed up the progress? Request a demonstration and see how you make every department’s change readiness measurable.