Most change efforts fail because people aren't guided through the journey. Change management training equips leaders and managers with frameworks, communication, and coaching skills to move teams from awareness to adoption and reinforcement.
This guide shows how to combine ADKAR and Kotter, build communication plans, manage resistance, and measure benefit realization.
Change Enablement Framework
Change Journey
Six phases from prepare to sustain, blending ADKAR and Kotter.
Prepare
Case for change, sponsors, risks
Design
Stakeholders, journeys, comms
Enable
Training, playbooks, resources
Activate
Launch, coaching, resistance mgmt
Reinforce
Metrics, feedback, wins
Sustain
Embed, refreshers, handoffs
ADKAR vs Kotter
When to Use Each Model
Combine for top-down sponsorship (Kotter) and frontline adoption (ADKAR).
| Feature | Aspect | ADKAR | Kotter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Focus | Individual change | Organizational change | |
| Sequence | Awareness→Reinforcement | 8-step flow | |
| Use Cases | Manager coaching, comms | Large transformations | |
| Strength | Behavior focus | Momentum & leadership | |
| Combine | Great for frontline adoption | Great for exec sponsorship |
Communication and Resistance Management
Stakeholder Journeys
Map personas, concerns, and messages. Use role-based FAQs and playbooks. Pair with coaching skills to enable managers.
Resistance Playbooks
Identify patterns, listen actively, and address root causes. Track themes and close the loop in communications.
Measuring Change Success
Adoption, time-to-adoption, resistance, and benefit realization.
Adoption
74%
Time-to-Adoption
60 → 45 days
Resistance Cases
-22%
Benefit Realization
88%
BrightOps
Operations / Tech
Challenge
Low adoption of new tools and processes; managers lacked change skills; resistance was unmanaged.
Solution
Combined ADKAR + Kotter. Built stakeholder journeys, comms cadences, manager coaching, and resistance playbooks with weekly pulse checks.
Results
58% → 74%
60 → 45 days (-25%)
-22%
88%
Related Resources
Change Management Playbook
Download stakeholder journey templates, comms cadences, and resistance playbooks.
Change succeeds when leaders communicate clearly, managers coach consistently, and resistance is addressed head-on. Combine ADKAR for individual change with Kotter for organizational momentum.
Measure adoption, resistance, and benefit realization to keep sponsors engaged and improvements continuous.